As concerns continue to grow that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent, NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and other western journalists tweeted out a now-viral photo of Valentina Constantinovska, whom Engel identified as a "Ukrainian great grandmother…on an Ak-47 training to defend against a possible Russian attack."
"Your mother would do it too," the woman reportedly told Engel. According to other media outlets, she said she's "ready to shoot if something happens" to "defend my home, my city, my children."
She acknowledged, however, that she wouldn't make the best soldier "because my body doesn't serve me that much anymore and the weapon is too heavy for me."
As many social media users pointed out, however, there's also more to the photo Engel tweeted than meets the eye.
She's "training" (doing a photo op) with an infamous neo nazi militia called the Azov Battalion. Surely, you noticed?
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel) February 14, 2022
This Irish Times caption - "organised by a Ukrainian National Guard unit, in Mariupol" - pretty much confirms the Czech reporting. pic.twitter.com/ZeE8GThwCr
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) February 14, 2022
Ok it's confirmed here, with the Azov Battalion guy and his Nazi Wolfsangel symbol overseeing Baba Valentyna. Naturally the US tv media beaming this into our homes keeps disciplined silence—the Nazi insignias are fine, just don't mention them out loud.https://t.co/JqNMakY9uW
— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) February 14, 2022
File this under ??Propaganda https://t.co/M4ogGOCeDa
— DrKatPhD?? typer of typos (@KathMLee1) February 13, 2022
It turns out that the photo shoot @RichardEngel, and other Western media reporters, has amplified was organised by a group of Neo-Nazi fighters.
— Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) February 14, 2022
Of course, they have ommitted to mention this fact.
Look out for the 'Wolfsangel' on the uniforms. https://t.co/7zAdiAZko6
I don’t know, is your mother a neo-Nazi? The Azov Battalion, who staged this media stunt, sure are. https://t.co/UloJM3yTvm pic.twitter.com/KElbCyDwpC
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) February 14, 2022
And here's @NBCNews Chief Foreign Correspondent @RichardEngel promoting a media stunt by Ukraine's far-right, neo-Nazi Azov Battalion on air.
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) February 14, 2022
Looking forward to see how many resident MSNBC extremism and disinformation experts speak out against this. (https://t.co/ubRoazpFGt) pic.twitter.com/jZK1fHFj2M