Fact Check: Is this a photo of members of a Ukrainian football club in military uniform?

Hyderabad: A photo reportedly of the Ukrainian football team Dynamo Kyiv is going viral with the claim that the team has taken up arms to fight the Russian army.

The text accompanying the viral image reads, "Kiev's famous football club "Dinamo" players. Yesterday they were in their jerseys, today they are protecting their country."

The claim is viral on Facebook and can be viewed here.

The image is also being shared on Twitter.

Fact Check

The claim is false.

NewsMeter performed a Google reverse image search that led us to a Facebook post uploaded by a user named Sterneko on 25 February 2022. The user had uploaded the same photo and written, in Ukrainian, "Ready. We are waiting for further orders. May this night be good for Ukraine and eternal for the Russian invaders."

He had shared the photo on Instagram the same day.

We also found the image on the Instagram page Gonor Group uploaded on 25 February 2022.

Taking a cue from this, we searched for the Gonor Group and found its YouTube channel. In the 'About' section, the group describes itself as a modern youth movement that seeks independence and justice for every Ukrainian.

Apart from this, Sterneko has confirmed to Reuters that they are members of the Gonor Group and do not belong to the football club Dynamo. The social media manager of Dynamo, Bogdan Ilyuk, also told Reuters that the viral image does not show any of the players of Dynamo.

It is evident that the claim made through the viral post is false. The photo does not show members of the Kyiv football club Dynamo.