An image of Ukrainians holding wooden guns has sparked claims that Russia's invasion is fake

There are baseless claims on social media that Russia is staging the invasion of Ukraine.

A photo of Ukrainian civilians taking up arms against Russian forces appeared on Fox News on Saturday. Some social media users claimed the fighting depicted in media reports was exaggerated or false.

A photo was posted on the micro-blogging site and received over 1,880 retweets and 4,000 likes. The same user wrote on Monday that Putin never actually invaded in the first place.

—Brian James (@BrianJamesESQ) February 26, 2022

According to Ukrinform, the picture of the two men with wooden guns was taken during a drill in Kharkiv.

Two men with rifle cutouts take cover behind a corner during a territorial defence drill for civilians, which was given to them by Azov soldiers. Get Ready!, read the caption on Ukrinform. The caption states that the photo was taken five days before Putin declared a military assault on Ukraine.

Several media outlets, including Insider, have reported for weeks that Ukrainian volunteers used wooden replicas of guns to train against a Russian invasion. As of Monday evening, there were still false claims about the photo on social media.

Fox News putting out fake news too cardboard weapons really come on, wrote one user who posted the image.

More fake news entertainment to keep the public scared.

Fox News did not reply immediately.

Russian forces are looking to take major population centers in the east, south, and north of the country, including the capital of Kyiv. According to local media reports, Ukraine has killed over 5,300 Russian soldiers and destroyed hundreds of military vehicles.

Satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies show a Russian military convoy that stretches for at least 40 miles.