A picture is currently making the rounds on the Internet in which you can see French President Emmanuel Macron, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Behind Putin are Zelensky and Macron. Zelenskyj shows the so-called victory sign with his hand. The caption of the picture: “THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN”

A victory sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are extended into a "V" shape, while the ring finger and little finger remain tucked in. The thumb is placed over the two fingers and the palm of the hand faces away from the performer. The gesture is often seen as a sign of victory.

The bunny ears

In the picture, however, it has a different meaning because it is what are known as “rabbit ears”. In this case, this sign is shown behind the person at head height. Since this person usually has their back to you, they usually don't notice the gesture. The aim is to create the impression that Zelensky is making fun of Putin with this gesture.

The picture is a fake. Zelensky, who stands next to Macron, is not making fun of Putin with "rabbit ears."
Screenshot: Facebook. This is a fake. Zelensky, who stands next to Macron, is not making fun of Putin with “rabbit ears”.

The image has been manipulated

The pictures are from 2019. At the end of 2019, Putin and Zelensky met for the first time in Paris for the Normandy summit on the eastern Ukraine conflict, mediated by Merkel and Macron.

The picture is a photomontage and fake. Two images were used here that were taken on the same day, but not at the same time, but one after the other. In one picture you see Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky and in the other you see Vladimir Putin and Macron.

The images can be found on “Imago-Images” HERE and HERE, among others

Both images, taken from a different perspective, were put together to form a photomontage.

In this video from December 9, 2019 from the “Washington Post” you can clearly see that Zelenskyj shows the so-called victory sign 00:37 Putin and Macron can only be seen in the picture 1:10 greets the camera.

>> More fact checks on the Ukraine war


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )