There Is No Evidence That the First Female Fighter Pilot in Ukraine Has Died
Neither the Ukrainian military nor the Ukrainian authorities have mentioned anything about the death of a female pilot. Official media also did not mention that the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine was killed. Our check showed that in the photos, which are shared with this unconfirmed information, there are two girls who are not fighter pilots. One is Olga Petrovna, a military person in the Ukrainian army, and the other is Natasha Perakov, but she is a model or advertises clothes for online sale
After the Russian military invasion of Ukraine began, photos of people who allegedly lost their lives in the battles on Ukrainian territory began to be posted and circulated on social networks. Such is the case with the announcement of the alleged death of the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine, who died after being seriously injured.
At least that is what is claimed in the posts shared on the social network Facebook, and it is also available on Twitter. However, this Facebook post about the death of the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine was accompanied by photos of two different girls dressed in Ukrainian military uniforms. Both are claimed to be the same person. The title of the text linked in the post says:
GREAT TRAGEDY – DEFENDING UKRAINE NATASHA PERAKOV WAS KILLED, THE FIRST FEMALE FIGHTER PILOT IN UKRAINE
It is claimed that the girl shown in the two photos is called Natasha Perakov. The Truthmeter fact-check showed that the photos, which were shared for this unconfirmed information (it cannot be verified that the first female fighter pilot died), show two girls who are not fighter pilots.
In one of the photos, the one that shows only the face of the girl is Olga Petrova, a military person in the Ukrainian army. A photo of her receiving recognition is posted on the official website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The name Olga Petrova is written on the recognition attached to the photo.
On the social network Twitter, when you search for a photo of a girl dressed in a military uniform, with her hands in her pockets, you come across extremely viral content, which is re-shared dozens of times, and the photo has a description that Natasha Perakov, the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine has died after being seriously injured.
Наташа Пераков, украинская женщина-пилот, погибла после тяжелого ранения в бою за Родину. Не забудем 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/C1lWxpClmP
— Аслан (@antiputler_news) February 28, 2022
Our check showed that in the second photo, the person really is Natasha Perakov, but she is not a fighter pilot, but a model or advertises clothes for online sale.
There were also posts on social media showing only one photo, but with an identical message that the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine died after being seriously injured. Such is the case with this post:
In another post, which was later deleted, the following was published:
Natasha Perakov The first woman on a fighter jet in Ukraine. She died on February 26 as a result of severe injuries sustained in a fight with the Russian aggressor. Glory Ukrainians!
But is that the truth?
Neither the Ukrainian military nor the Ukrainian authorities have mentioned anything about the death of a female pilot. Official media also did not mention that the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine was killed. But the fake photo campaign, given that these are beautiful girls, did its thing – the story quickly went viral and sparked a wave of sadness. However, there is no evidence that the first female fighter pilot in Ukraine died, and our fact-check showed that in the photos shared with this unconfirmed information, there are two girls who are not fighter pilots.
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