Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, a photo of a Russian soldier using a bow and arrow is going viral online and being ridiculed by internet users. The images were shared on Twitter on Tuesday by Anton Gerashchenko, who is an advisor to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs.
"A photo of a Russian soldier from Bashkiriya at war in Ukraine is shared by Russian Telegram channels. He is armed with bow and arrows. He also has a rifle just in case. Is there a cavalry riding somewhere?" Mr Gerashchenko tweeted.
Take a look below:
In the images, the Russian soldier is seen standing in an empty field while aiming an arrow into the sky, with a rifle slung around his back. He has a quiver of arrows on his right side, and what appears to be fox tails protruding from behind his helmet.
Since being shared, Mr Gerashchenko's post has garnered more than 349,000 views and over 3,000 likes. In the comment section, several internet users ridiculed the soldier's choice of weapon.
"Russia's "high tech" army," sarcastically wrote one user. "I would initially guess he's an archery enthusiast, but my youngest son has a nicer and more powerful bow," said another.
A third user commented, "Good to see Russia's being supplied with the "very best" of 21st Century military hardware... /sarcasm." "When you've watched Avatar one too many times," wrote fourth user, referring to the science fiction movies directed by James Cameron.
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According to Newsweek, these images first began circulating on Telegram in November. Back then, a video showing the same soldier shooting an arrow after counting to three had also surfaced on social media.
"One Russian soldier from Bashkortostan won't need to worry about having a rusty weapon or faulty ammunition: he's gone to Ukraine with his bow and arrow. No news yet on whether swords and spears will be making an appearance," one Twitter user wrote while sharing the short video.
Meanwhile, the video and the images of the Russian soldier resurfaced online after it was reported that Vladimir Putin's forces are "quickly running out" of weapons in Ukraine. As per the outlet, Mark Hertling, a retired US Army lieutenant general, claimed that Mr Putin is likely quite keen to build up relations with Iran and China because of his army's dwindling supply of weapons and munitions in Ukraine. Notably, it has been nearly 11 months since Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
