Hurricane-prone states The day in pictures Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ U.S. Elections Sports Entertainment Life Money Tech Travel Opinion ONLY AT USA TODAY: Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines Investigations Podcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist 24/7 Live Stream Legals OUR PORTFOLIO: 10Best USAT Wine Club Online Sports Betting Online Casino Reviewed Homefront Blueprint Southern Kitchen Best Auto Insurance Best Pet Insurance Best Travel Insurance Best Credit Cards Best CD Rates Best Personal Loans Home Internet FACT CHECK fact-checking Add Topic # Fact check: Viral image shows Ukrainian soldier, not country\'s first female fighter pilot ![\\"Portrait](\\"/gcdn/presto/2023/07/07/USAT/8cfc9f3b-f2c3-4230-aac9-638f64cf6dbf- IMG_3391.jpg?crop=938,938,x0,y0&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\") Sudiksha Kochi USA TODAY ![\\"\\"](\\"/gcdn/presto/2022/03/07/USAT/96d39a94-3ba1-462e-bc09-46b30aa555a9-GTY_1382293010.jpg?crop=4939,2779,x0,y251&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\"/) PlayPause Sound OnSound Off 0:00 27:22 AD SKIP ClosedCaptionOpen ShareEnter Full ScreenExit Full Screen ## The claim: An image shows Natasha Perakov, the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot Since Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine began Feb. 24, Ukrainian soldiers have put up a fierce resistance to defend their country. Some social media users claim a viral image shows one of the soldiers who died in battle. A Facebook post shared Feb. 27 shows a smiling woman in a camouflage outfit. \"Natasha Perakov, the first female hunter pilot in Ukraine, died after being seriously injured,\" reads the caption of the post. The post generated more than 2,900 reactions in less than a week. Similar posts have amassed hundreds of likes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks But the claim is false, as independent fact-checking organizations have reported. The image shows a Ukrainian soldier who won a beauty contest in 2016. USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment. ## Image shows Ukrainian soldier The image in the Facebook post shows Olesya Vorobey, a Ukrainian soldier who won the \"Glory to the Heroines!\" beauty contest in 2016. The event is dedicated to women who have served in eastern Ukraine, according to a Google translation of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense\'s website. Vorobey served in the Operational Command West unit of Ukraine\'s armed forces, according to the agency. USA TODAY did not find any evidence that she was a fighter pilot or that she died during the recent Russian invasion. USA TODAY also did not find any evidence of a Ukrainian service member named Natasha Perakov. The first female Ukrainian fighter pilot is Nadiya Savchenko, according to Politico. As of March 8, Savchenko was active on Facebook and TikTok. Fact check roundup: What\'s true and what\'s false about the Russian invasion of Ukraine USA TODAY has debunked a series of out-of-context photos and videos that circulated online since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ## Our rating: False Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that an image shows Perakov, the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot. The image shows a Ukrainian soldier who won a beauty contest in 2016. Ukraine\'s first female fighter pilot is Savchenko. ## Our fact-check sources: * AFP Fact Check, March 4, Posts falsely claim photo shows Ukraine\'s first female fighter pilot * Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Oct. 12, 2016, Winner of the contest of beauties in uniform \"Glory to the Heroines!\" in the Luhansk region the participant of anti-terrorist operation the senior soldier Olesya Vorobey became * Los Angeles Times, May 25, 2016, Ukraine’s first female combat pilot freed in prisoner exchange with Russia * Check Your Fact, March 4, FACT CHECK: VIRAL IMAGE CLAIMS TO SHOW UKRAINE’S FIRST FEMALE FIGHTER PILOT WHO DIED IN BATTLE * The Washington Post, March 5, Ukraine’s military adapts tactics after enduring Russia’s initial invasion * The New York Times, March 3, How Ukraine’s Military Has Resisted Russia So Far * Politico, June 28, 2016, The eastern weakness for a ‘political savior’ * Lead Stories, March 2, Fact Check: Ukraine\'s First Female Fighter Pilot \'Natasha Perakov\' Did NOT Die In Russia-Ukraine Conflict * Carnegie Europe, May 3, 2018, Ukraine’s New Military Engagement in the Donbas * Nadiya Savchenko, accessed March 7, TikTok profile * Nadiya Savchenko, accessed March 7, Facebook page * Google Translate, accessed March 8 Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 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An image shows Natasha Perakov the first Ukrainian female fighter pilot