A photograph showing a person holding a Russian flag has gone viral on the internet with a claim that it shows Russian forces taking over the government buildings in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, amid the ongoing war between the two countries that began on 24 February.
However, we found that the viral image, which was taken during a pro-Russia protest, was not recent and could be traced back to 2014.
CLAIM
The caption with the viral image reads, “Kharkiv falls, Russian flag raised in Kharkiv council”.
An archive to the post can be found here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
We conducted a reverse image search of the viral image on Google and found it on the news agency Reuters' website for pictures.
The image was published on 1 March 2014 and was captioned, "A pro-Russian protester installs the Russian flag at the regional government building after clashes with supporters of Ukraine's new government in central Kharkiv 1 March 2014. Pro-Russia activists clashed with supporters of the new Ukrainian government in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday and tried to seize the regional governor's headquarters," Interfax news agency said.
A link to the image can be found here.
(Source: Reuters/Screenshot)
We also found similar images of the protest on Getty Images' website.
According to news reports, protests erupted in several parts of Ukraine, especially the eastern part of the country in 2013 after Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's resignation and the installation of a new government.
Russia-backed separatists occupied several government buildings in eastern Ukraine in 2014 while protesting against the government.
Evidently, an old photograph from a 2014 protest held in Ukraine's Kharkiv was shared as a recent one amid the country's ongoing war with Russia.
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