FACT CHECK: Is The UK Home Office Searching For Two Girls That Have Joined The War In Ukraine?
An image shared on social media purports that the U.K. Home Office is in search of twin girls that have joined the soldiers in the Ukraine war.
🚨 | BREAKING: The UK Home Office are “desperate” to bring home 15 year old twins Hayleigh and Lotti Whiteman who fled their home in Swindon to join the neo-Nazi Blood and Soil Battalion in Donbas, Ukraine.
A petition to bring the girls back has been signed by over 400k people. pic.twitter.com/7RcuwlGvHN
— BAZAKE (@BazakeMedia) February 26, 2023
Verdict: False
The claim stems from a satirical website. The photo in the post also predates the Ukraine war.
Fact Check:
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to announce a $1.2 billion transfer, the first of a $10 billion package, the Associated Press reported. North Atlantic Treaty Organization members agreed on the ascension of Ukraine to the alliance, but will wait until the conflict with Russia is over, according to Fox News.
The Facebook post purports the U.K .Home Office is seeking to repatriate two girls who have joined the fighting in Ukraine. The post shares a photo of two young girls with light hair in camo combat uniforms.
“BREAKING: The UK Home Office are ‘desperate’ to bring home 15 year old twins Hayleigh and Lotti Whiteman who fled their home in Swindon to join the neo-Nazi Blood and Soil Battalion in Donbas, Ukraine,” the post reads. “A petition to bring the girls back has been signed by over 400k people.”
The claim is baseless. The story stems from a website called Bazake Media. While the website does not identify itself as satirical, the “about” page suggests readers should share Bazake’s content with their “more ignorant friends.”. One headline reads, “Beloved family pet put down because it ‘looks like Putin.'” The piece featured an image of a dog photoshopped to look like Putin.
Furthermore, the image of the girls in Ukraine has been digitally altered. Check Your Fact conducted a reverse image search that revealed the original photo dates back to at least 2017. The original image shows women with darker hair and different faces. (RELATED: Did Joe Biden Say ‘This S*** Will Turn Your Pacemaker Off?’)
This is not the first time misinformation about Ukraine has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim President Joe Biden offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “stake in the United States.”
