He is draped in the flag of Ukraine. She has the Russian flag wrapped around herself as they share a hug. Against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing military conflict between the two countries, this striking image takes 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.
Poignant: A man draped in the Ukrainian flag embraces a woman wearing the Russian flag. Let us hope love, peace & co-existence triumph over war & conflict. pic.twitter.com/WTwSOBgIFK
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 25, 2022
Several other Twitter users have also shared the image since yesterday, calling for an end to the conflict.
A picture is worth a thousand words!#StopWar #Ukraine #Russia #NATO #Putin #worldwar3 #WWIII #RussiaUkraineConflict pic.twitter.com/Ly3W6Xj0Sw
— Rajat Nagpal (@RajatNagpal07) February 24, 2022
Love not war ???? #Ukraine #Russia pic.twitter.com/ZH5M5YlTSD
— Roger (@starkfithl) February 24, 2022
While this picture has seen a resurgence in popularity since Russia launched an invasion against Ukraine on Thursday, the image is actually three years old.
According to the The Washington Post, it was taken when Juliana Kuznetsova (the woman in the photograph) and her fiance were at a concert in Poland in 2019. Tension between the two countries had been brewing even at that time - after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
The image, shared on Instagram, 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, reports news agency Reuters.
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