Several news outlets reported that the winner of Miss Ukraine 2015 was taking up arms against Russia based on an Instagram photo she posted Saturday. However, it appears she was only holding an airsoft gun in the picture.
Multiple outlets including Business Insider, Breitbart, The Independent, The New York Post, Fox News, and Yahoo News reported that Anastasia Lenna was taking up arms or holding an actual rifle when it appears to have been an airsoft gun. Lenna previously posted several Instagram photos of her playing with what appears to be the same airsoft gun news outlets characterized as a rifle. The New York Post reported Monday that she was “brandishing” an airsoft gun in the photo. (RELATED: Ukrainians Take Up Arms To Defend Their Homeland)
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A photo posted in October 2021 includes the caption “#strikeball #airsoft #airsoftgun #airsoftgirl #airsoftgirls #airsoftlove #airsoftworld #airsoftnation #airsoftworldwide.”
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DEBUNKED: The item Miss Ukraine is holding is an airsoft gun. Earlier today, she posted a message on her verified Instagram account stating she is not a “military person” but does enjoy playing airsoft.https://t.co/5TGuYff130 pic.twitter.com/XFRR7E6iG0
— Election Wizard 🇺🇸 (@ElectionWiz) February 28, 2022
In the original photo Lenna posted Saturday, she wrote, “Training. The invaders will die on our land! All world see this! Wait and see what will happen,” according to The Independent.
Lenna only changed the caption to “22.02.2022” when commenters noticed that she was holding an airsoft gun.
In a follow-up post, Lenna posted a video of Ukraine’s military fighting against Russia, with the caption, “I AM NOT A MILITARY, JUST A HUMAN.”
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CahaUb4D8SK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“All pictures in my profile to inspire people,” she added. “I had a normal life just on Wednesday, like millions people. I don’t do any propaganda except showing that our woman of Ukraine – strong, confident and powerful.”
Lenna gained 200,000 followers since she posted the photo Saturday, according to The New York Post.