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| - Fact Check: Did Russian defence minister advise Indians in Ukraine to display Indian flag for special protection?
We found that the claim of Russian defence minister advising Indians in Ukraine to display Indian flag for special protection is not true. Although it is true that the Union Government has advised Indians to carry the national flag while moving outside, no such communication has yet been conveyed by the Russian government.
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India Today Fact Check
Although Union Minister G Kishan Reddy asked stranded Indian students in Ukraine to carry and display the Indian flag, there are no reports of the Russian defence minister stating anything like this.
As war rages on in Ukraine, the plight of Indian students stuck in the war-torn country has been reported extensively. Many Indian students have reportedly continued to face harsh conditions and even harassment at the hands of soldiers.
Amid all of this, a Hindi postcard featuring General Sergey Shoygu, the Russian Minister of Defence, has gone viral on social media. The postcard says Indian nationals in Ukraine should display the Indian flag on their homes and vehicles. It also claims that following this, the Russian Armed Forces would ensure safe passage for them.
The text in Hindi inside the postcard quoted Shoygu saying, “The Russian soldiers in Ukraine will not hurt those Indians who will display the Indian flag on their cars and houses. They will be moved to a safer place by the personnel of the Russian army instead.” The postcard also included some praise for the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating “Our tea-seller has guts.”
Archived versions of some similar claims can be seen here and here.
The India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the claim in this postcard is not true. Although it is true that the Union Government has advised Indians to carry the national flag while moving outside, no such communication has yet been conveyed by the Russian government.
AFWA Probe
We came across an Economic Times report from February 26, 2022, that mentioned Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy advising Indian students to carry the national flag on their vehicles for safety.
We also found an ANI tweet carrying an advisory issued by the Embassy of India, Budapest, Hungary. The advisory asked Indian nationals to print out the Indian Flag and paste it prominently on their vehicles.
Govt of India & Embassy of India working to establish evacuation routes from Romania & Hungary. At present, teams are getting in place at CHOP-ZAHONY Hungarian border near Uzhhorod, PORUBNE-SIRET Romanian Border near Chernivtsi: Indian Embassy in Hungary#RussiaUkraineConflict pic.twitter.com/cLHCUWYbEg — ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2022
However, there were no reports on the Russian defence minister saying the things claimed in the post. We searched some for relevant keywords on Google Russia and Google Ukraine, but nothing came up.
AFWA also visited the official Twitter handles of the Indian Embassies of Ukraine and Russia but found the same advisory made by the Indian Embassy earlier.
Therefore, we concluded that while the Indian Government put an advisory to carry the national flag, nothing as such has been stated by the Russian defence minister.
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