Love Not War: Why a photograph Of Couple Wearing Russia-Ukraine Flags is Going Viral
With the ongoing military conflict between the two countries, several videos of Ukrainians fleeing their homes to bomb shelters were doing the rounds all over the internet. However, a photograph of a couple draped in Russia-Ukraine flags, holding hands is going viral on social media since yesterday. The guy is seen wrapped in the flag of Ukraine, and the girl of Russia. This image has taken on a special significance. It has been going viral online, having been shared by several social media users including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
“Poignant: A man draped in the Ukrainian flag embraces a woman wearing the Russian flag,” Mr Tharoor wrote while sharing the image on Twitter. “Let us hope love, peace and co-existence triumph over war and conflict,” he added.
Calling for an end to the war, several other Twitter users have also shared the image since yesterday.
Russia launched an invasion against Ukraine on Thursday after which the picture has seen a resurgence in popularity. However the image is actually three years old.
Russia-Ukraine tensions which grabbed headlines last month have now escalated into a full-blown war with Putin invading eastern Ukraine.
According to the report, the woman in the photograph is Juliana Kuznetsovait and her fiance. The picture was taken at a concert in Poland in 2019. The tension between the two countries had been brewing even at that time – after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
The image which was shared on Instagram back in 2019 had gone viral in 2019 as well.
On Thursday, Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin defied Western warnings to unleash a full-scale ground invasion and air assault that quickly claimed dozens of lives and displaced at least 100,000 people.
