MANIPULATION: Ukrainian army officer kneels before British Ambassador, demonstrating subservience

Russian and pro-Russian channels are circulating a photo showing a Ukrainian officer kneeling before the British Ambassador. These Russian and pro-Russian Telegram channels are presenting the image negatively, suggesting that the Ukrainian soldier is “serving” Western states.

This is manipulation. The photo shows Colonel Mykhailo Drapatyi receiving the Queen’s Sword of the United Kingdom. In Ukraine, the tradition of kneeling is a sign of respect. This gesture is used to honor fallen soldiers, receive certain awards, and accept battle flags.

Since 2023, the British Ambassador to Ukraine has been Martin Harris, so if the event in the photo occurred, it would have been earlier. Also, it should be noted that the soldier in the photo is kneeling on one knee, not both. A reverse image search revealed that this photo is from the 30th graduation ceremony of the operational-tactical and operational-strategic level courses at the Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defense University of Ukraine, which took place on June 18, 2021. Among the attendees was the then British Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons. She presented the Queen’s Sword of the United Kingdom to the top graduate, Colonel Mykhailo Drapatyi. This moment is what we see in the photo.

In Ukraine, the tradition of kneeling is a sign of respect. For example, Cossacks would kneel on their left knee and raise their sabers to honor fallen heroes. There are also references to kneeling in honor of soldiers killed by Russians from the 1st Ukrainian Cossack Regiment named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in 1917: “…During the singing of ‘Eternal Memory’, thousands of people knelt, with tears in everyone’s eyes. Even the biggest men wept like children.” The tradition of kneeling to greet fallen soldiers was revived during the anti-terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine.

During the event, another graduate who received the transitional saber also knelt on one knee. We see something similar when a battle flag is carried past the lined-up soldiers. Soldiers also kneel when receiving battle flags for their units. Therefore, this gesture is simply one of the symbols of a certain etiquette, and it in no way indicates bowing down or serving someone, as propaganda tries to portray.