From March 2022 to January 2023, Georgian and Russian-language Facebook accounts have been circulating two versions of a photo taken at one of the demonstrations. In the first version (1,2,3), the participants of the rally hold the Ukrainian flag that shows the following inscription: “Putin, give us back our mind.” An enlarged version of the photo (1,2,3) shows another poster and the flags of Ukraine and Poland; one of the posters shows the following Russian inscription: “Muscovites stole our brains. Putin is a thief.” The photos create the impression that the rally was held by Ukrainians and addressed to the President of Russia.
The disseminated photos are altered using computer software. In fact, the photo was taken in Warsaw during the 2014 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine, and the posters in the photo bear the following supporting slogans: “The support of the hearts of Poles is the result of the gratitude of Ukrainians” and “Turkic-speaking peoples, Ukrainians, Poles, unite in the fight against the aggression of the common enemy, Putin. Poland, Ukraine, Tatarstan.”
The original version of the photo was originally published on November 24th, 2014, in the Ukrainian outlet Euromaidan Press. The text mentions that the photo was taken in 2014 at the solidarity march for Ukraine in Warsaw.
The actual inscription on the Ukrainian flag reads: “The support of the hearts of Poles is the result of the gratitude of Ukrainians.” The second poster is only partially visible in the circulated photo, but other photos of the same rally, which were published on the news portal of Polish non-governmental organizations in 2014, show the second poster in full. The poster reads: “Turkic-speaking peoples, Ukrainians, Poles, unite in the fight against the aggression of the common enemy, Putin. Poland, Ukraine, Tatarstan.”
The rally was held on November 23rd, 2014, and the participants expressed solidarity and support for Ukraine. The organizer of the rally was the civil movement Euromaidan Warszawa. The participants of the rally marched to the Embassy of Ukraine in Warsaw and paid their respects to those who died during the Euromaidan events. Members of the Polish Sejm also joined the rally. Euromaidan solidarity actions were held in Poland at different times.
Euromaidan Press has published other photos of the mentioned rally.
About the Source
Facebook user Nona Sharabidze, who published the altered photo, is a regular disseminator of disinformation. False claims voiced by her have been fact-checked by “Myth Detector” in the past as well. For more details, see:
- Tank for Ukraine in 2023 or for the 2007 Manchester Pride?
- Did the Resident of Zhytomyr Fall Victim to the Dismantling of the Bust of Pushkin?
- Who questions the shelling of apartment buildings by Russian aviation?
- The Anatomy of Rockefeller and Rothschild Conspiracy Theories
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