Jarryd Jaeger
July 6, 2022
-The Post Millennial
A Canadian man who gained internet fame for “volunteering” to fight in Ukraine has been exposed as a fraud.
Social media users pointed out numerous discrepancies in the man’s story, and revealed that he had been using airsoft gear.
The “Canadian Ukrainian Volunteer” quickly gained a massive following on Twitter after posting what he claimed were first-hand accounts of the war.
As the Telegraph reports, he even told followers at one point that he had “infiltrated Russian-occupied Kherson in south Ukraine on a bicycle disguised as a Russian soldier.”
The volunteer’s days of being taken seriously came to an end recently, however, as people with expertise in the realm of weapons and war began to take notice and scrutinized his claims.
Let’s take a look at the rifle itself first. It’s a CYMA Standard Stamped Legal Airlift AK74 with a folding stock. We’ve included a side-by-side so you can see for yourself. You can pick one up on Amazon for $223.10. pic.twitter.com/0ppmVuHThs
— Kung Flu Panda (@con_punk) July 1, 2022
One user pointed out that the gun the volunteer purported to use during the war was actually an airsoft replica that could easily be purchased via Amazon.
Let's talk about what's going on with these magazines. The AK-74 is chambered for the 5.45×39mm cartridge and the AK-47 for the 7.62×39mm. For some reason, he's decided to tape his dummy AK-47 magazine to the AK-74. An AK-74 cannot receive an AK-47 magazine. Very silly. pic.twitter.com/hTHMlXP3Ge
— Kung Flu Panda (@con_punk) July 1, 2022
The user pointed out that not only was the volunteer’s gun fake, but that he hadn’t even done a good job fitting it with the proper attachments.
His helmet was also revealed to be an airsoft replica.
Another user even went so far as to locate the volunteer via his IP address. According to him, the volunteer was based out of Ontario, Canada, not Ukraine.
People that have sacrificed all selflessly and he is not one. He can bring attention to the conflict without all the theatrics, staged basement photos and costumes but he degrades those that serve in my opinion. Had he been real he could simply 🧵⬇️
— NexusIntel (@NexusIntel1) June 12, 2022
The user highlighted that even though the volunteer did not appear to be profiting from his following, his actions should still be condemned.
“There are people that have actually dropped everything to put it all on the line,” he wrote. “People that have sacrificed all selflessly and he is not one.”
“He can bring attention to the conflict without all the theatrics, staged basement photos and costumes,” the user continued, suggesting that the Volunteer “degrades those that serve.”
The volunteer’s Twitter account no longer exists.
