Photos of supposedly fifteen-year-old twin girls in military uniforms are being circulated on social networks. Reports say the UK is allegedly repatriating British twins who left home to fight in the Donbas “in a neo-Nazi battalion”. Like, the Home Office wants to return Hayley and Lottie Whiteman to their home in Swindon. Allegedly, a petition for their return “was signed by more than 400 thousand people”. It's fake.

The original source of the message is a Twitter account that systematically distributes satirical content. The comments indicate that social media users perceived this message as truthful and expressed outrage against the participation of children in the war. Screenshots of this post have also been shared on social media. Reuters fact checkers determined that the photo was taken at least six years ago and altered using photo editors. There are two women in the original photo, not underage twins.

It is likely that the fake photo was deliberately used to discredit the military personnel fighting in Ukraine. Like, the Ukrainians are so irresponsible that even children are used in the war. This is in tune with Russian propaganda narratives about the mobilization and combat training of Ukrainian teenagers.