UPDATE: Following reporting on Lenna’s Instagram post, the former Miss Ukraine released another statement on Instagram indicating that she was not taking up arms against Russian forces and suggested she was posing with an airsoft gun. This story’s headline and text have been changed to reflect this update.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Former Miss Ukraine Anastasiia Lenna posted a photo to Instagram of her holding a weapon with the hashtags #standwithukraine and #handsoffukraine.
Lenna was the winner of Miss Ukraine 2015.
TMZ reported Lenna also wrote a message for Vladimir Putin’s troops: “Everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed!”
Lenna praised Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky as “a true and strong leader.”
Breitbart News noted that Zelensky called Ukrainians to take up arms against the Russian invaders last week, even pledging to supply firearms to those who would stand for Ukraine:
By Thursday of last week, the Ukrainian government had reportedly distributed 10,000 automatic weapons to civilians who vowed to fight.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.