Photo from Ukraine falsely shared as aftermath of Myanmar clash
- Published on September 7, 2023 at 06:02
- 4 min read
- By AFP Thailand
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The photo, which was posted on Facebook on August 21, shows a woman posing in front of a destroyed building while a man behind her displays the flag of the Karanni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF).
The KNDF is an anti-junta group that operates mainly in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in February 2021 in a coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Facebook post says the photo was taken on August 21 in Lat Khat Taung, a hilltop military base in Myanmar's southern Karen state which was reportedly seized in July by resistance forces.
The Burmese-language post says: "It's pretty suspicious this symbol has shown up in Myanmar which stands by the side of Russia", in an apparent reference to a Ukraine flag on the woman's t-shirt.
"They are using pagodas as their cover. They are going to take treasures from our pagodas to Ukraine."
Russia is a major ally and arms supplier of the Southeast Asian country.
The photo was shared in similar Facebook posts here, here and here. Some Facebook users appeared to believe the photo showed foreigners looting in Myanmar.
"If they can steal stuff from Myanmar in this situation, it's all because you guys (the Burmese military) are useless," one person commented.
"Myanmar's military should clear out the dogs and terrorists who are taking root in our home," another wrote.
Ukraine photo
A reverse image search on Google followed by keyword searches found the photo in a Facebook post that said it was taken in Ukraine -- not Myanmar.
The picture was shared on August 19 by an account that regularly posts photos and videos of the KNDF's activities (archived link).
According to the post, the photo shows members of a Myanmar-based aid group visiting Ukraine and displaying the KNDF flag in a show of support for the group.
"I was talking to Mr. David, the leader of FBR one day," the Burmese-language post says, referring to the Free Burma Ranger (FBR), a group founded by David Eubank that provides medical training, relief and rescue efforts in Myanmar under the protection of the ethnic resistance armies (archived links here and here).
"He was telling me about their mission trip to Ukraine," the post continues.
"I gave him our KNDF flag and told him to give it to a Ukrainian soldier on the front line and tell them that we're with them."
"Mr. David said he will deliver the flag and the message to Ukraine, and today I saw their family photo in Ukraine with our flag."
The post includes other photos, one of which shows people holding various flags, including one that says "Free Burma Ranger" (archived link).
The group did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo shared in false posts (left) and in the Facebook post saying it was taken in Ukraine (right):
The photo was previously posted on Facebook on August 17 with a caption that says: "Ukraine FBR Mission 2023" (archived link).
The destroyed building in the picture corresponds to a photo published by AFP of the St. George's Monastery in eastern Ukraine that was reportedly destroyed in May 2022 by Russian attacks.
Credited to photographer Metin Aktas of the Anadolu Agency, the picture is captioned in part: "Heavily damaged St. George's Monastery in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine after the withdrawal of Russian troops on September 24, 2022.
"Many houses and St. George's Monastery were destroyed in the Russian attacks."
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo shared with the false claim (left) and the picture published by AFP (right) with similar features highlighted:
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