FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show A Ukrainian Tank Involved In The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq?
An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a Ukrainian tank participating in the 2003 invasion in Iraq.
Verdict: False
The image is digitally altered. The original photo was taken in 1990 during the First Gulf War.
Fact Check:
The image shows what appears to be a tank adorned with an image of the Ukrainian flag parked in front of a mural of Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein. “Ironically, in 2003 the Ukrainian Army was part of those that invaded Iraq,” reads text included in the image.
The image is digitally altered. A reverse image search found the original image was published in a 2013 article from Al Bawaba titled “The price of the past: Iraq reiterates commitment to pay Kuwait compensations.” Notably, there is no Ukrainian flag visible on the tank in this image. “Pictured: the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which Iraq’s new government is still paying the price for,” reads the image’s caption.
An image of the same mural can be found on Getty Images with a caption that reads in part, “American soldiers deployed in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War rest in front of a mural of Saddam Hussein.” (RELATED: Does This Video Show A Ukrainian Giving Instructions on How To Drive Abandoned Russian Tanks?)
The U.S. and its allies went to war with Iraq following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, beginning what became known as the First Gulf War, according to the U.S. State Department’s website. The Allied coalition was made up of 39 countries but did not include Ukraine, CNN reported.
A relatively small contingent of Ukrainian soldiers did assist in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a U.S. Army report. “The initial Ukrainian deployment consisted of 448 soldiers of a chemical, nuclear, and biological warfare battalion to support the invasion of Iraq in March 2003,” reads the report, which states that some 7,000 Ukrainian troops participated in the Iraq War between March 2003 and December 2005.
This is not the first time an image of a tank has been used to spread misinformation about the conflict in Ukraine. Check Your Fact recently debunked an image that allegedly showed an eBay listing for a Russian tank.
