A photograph apparently showing a Ukrainian in combat gear wearing a Ghostbusters badge has been shared over a thousand times on Facebook. The post next to it reads “Ukrainian soldier rocking a Ghostbusters patch!” The same image has been shared on Twitter.
We’ve seen lots of comments online suggesting the image may be faked—and in recent days we have checked lots of misleading videos and pictures purporting to be from Ukraine. But this photograph is indeed real and is a cropped version of a picture taken by journalist Maksim Levin from Reuters on 26 February, at the Vasylkiv military airbase. The photograph has also been used widely in the media and credited to the news agency.
The people in the picture are described by Reuters as “Ukrainian servicemen”. The person wearing the badge in the picture is also wearing a yellow armband, which is worn by volunteers who have signed up to help the armed forces in Ukraine.