An image shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims to show a Niger militant promising to go to Ukraine after fighting Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

🇳🇪🇷🇺 “Once we’ve defeated ECOWAS, we will assist Russia in Ukraine” – The militants of Niger pic.twitter.com/TQmfKNPFe3

— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) August 14, 2023

Verdict: False

The image has been photoshopped. The original image shows a white Russian soldier, not a Niger militant.

Fact Check:

Niger said Aug. 16 that 17 of its soldiers were ambushed and killed by insurgents on the border with Burkina Faso, according to Reuters. The attack comes as the ruling military junta has come under pressure from surrounding states to reinstate the deposed president, the outlet reported.

The image claims to show a black man in what appears to be a Russian uniform. The tweet reads,” ‘Once we’ve defeated ECOWAS, we will assist Russia in Ukraine’ – The militants of Niger.”

This image, however, has been photoshopped. The image shows white skin around the man’s neck. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image shows a Russian soldier who is not black. The Belarusian Investigative Center reported that the image came from the “Russian military department” on Telegram.

Through a keyword search, Check Your Fact found the original video posted on the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Telegram channel. The video shows members of a Russian unit that repairs equipment. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy Dancing With A Rocket Launcher?)

“Servicemen of the repair units of the Western Military District during the special operation carry out continuous work on the restoration and repair of military equipment and weapons,” reads part of the Telegram post.

Check Your Fact has reached out to Hinkle for comment.