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FACT BRIEF

Does a photo of a woman riding a bus with an AK-47 rifle show 'life in Ukraine now'?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

A photo of a woman looking at her phone on a bus while her AK-47 is propped against the window has been circulating online since late March 2020 — nearly two years before the Russian escalation at the Ukraine border. 

Much about the photo is unclear. Some believe it was shot in Belarus.

Some commenters thought they recognized the woman as a Russian model. Lead Stories was unable to trace the photo to any of her known social media accounts or to identify the photographer.

Lead Stories spoke with weapons experts who noted there appeared to be a groove in the rifle's magazine, indicating this was likely an airsoft replica — the type of equipment used in a simulated warfare sport.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Meme Warfare Evolution of a Meme: Girl in Belarus on a Bus with AK.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.