Online posts claim the Statue of Liberty in New York City was adorned with a Ukrainian flag as a sign of solidarity following the Russian invasion. But a reverse image search found that the photo shows a replica Statue of Liberty located in Colmar, France, that was also photographed on March 2, 2022 by AFP.
"The Statue of Liberty in New York, veiled in the Ukrainian flag," says a March 3, 2022 Facebook post.
An online article incorrectly stating the photo was taken of the 305-foot Statue of Liberty in New York can be found here, and social media posts spreading the claim can be found on Facebook and Twitter.
Ukraine's national flag has become a way for people to show support for the country, following Russia's February 24 invasion, which has forced more than three million Ukrainians to evacuate their homes and sparked a wave of inaccurate information about the conflict.
A reverse image search showed that the photo was shared on March 2 on Twitter by Belarusian politician and journalist Franak Viačorka, who later took to Twitter, clarifying that the photo was not taken in New York, but in Colmar, eastern France.
Additionally, AFP photographer Sebastien Bozon captured similar images of the 40-foot replica statue on March 2, 2022, in Colmar.
The Colmar sculpture is the largest replica of the Statue of Liberty and was constructed to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, who was born in Colmar and designed the landmark located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
Although several New York monuments did beam lights -- the colors of Ukraine's flag -- to show support for the country, the Statue of Liberty was not listed as one of them.