Former Miss Grand Ukraine on Wednesday posted photos to her Instagram account of her wearing military garb and holding a rifle, which appears to be an airsoft gun, adding the captions #standwithukraine and #handsoffukraine.
Beauty queen Anastasiia Lenna, who was born in Kyiv and recently graduated from a university in the city, has posted numerous messages and images in support of her country and against Russia’s aggression over the past five days.
The New York Post reported that Lenna has a reel on her Instagram showing the beauty queen participating in airsoft shooting, but now appears “to have swapped plastic pellets for lead bullets.”
News18 reported Monday that though initial reports claimed Lenna had “joined the military to fight against the Russian invasion,” it now “seems that she is holding an airsoft gun.”
It’s also unclear if Lenna is actually fighting. A more recent post from the beauty queen emphasized that she doesn’t “do any propaganda except showing that our woman of Ukraine – strong, confident and powerful.”
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“I AM NOT A MILITARY, JUST A HUMAN,” another post said. “Due current situation I want to talk!”
“I am not a military, just a woman, just normal human,” she continued. “Just a person, like all people of my country. I am also a airsoft player for years. … All pictures in my profile to inspire people. I had a normal life just on Wednesday, like millions people.”
“I don’t do any propaganda except showing that our woman of Ukraine – strong, confident and powerful,” she wrote. “I appreciate all attention and support to my country, all people in Ukraine we fight every day against Russian aggression. We will win!”
“I was born and live in Kyiv. This is my city. Ukraine is my country,” Lenna said. “On February 24 Russian federation step on our lands and begin to kill civil people, women, children. Ukrainian people have no guilt. Non of us have any guilt. We are on our lands! I speak to all people of the World! Stop war in Ukraine! No people should die!”
“We can stop all this together,” she closed the post. “Share information about situation. Ask @nato to close sky! Help us Ukrainian people to stop Russian aggression.”
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A post from two days ago that has been saved to her Instagram reel reads: “Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!”
Instagram: Anastasiia Lenna
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday that “prisoners with combat experience will be released from jail and allowed to serve their debt to society on the front lines of the conflict with Russia,” the Daily Mail reported.
“Ukraine’s leader, who has gained plaudits from around the globe for his response to Russian aggression, said inmates will be able to ‘compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots’, in a presidential video address this morning,” the report added.
“Under martial law, Ukrainians with real combat experience will be released from custody and will be able to compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots of the conflict,” Zelensky said.