Miss Ukraine traded her crown for a weapon. What's the real story?

Anastasiia Lenna has been known as Miss Grand Ukraine 2015 and Miss Supranational Ukraine 2016. However, she recently got a lot of attention by appearing on social media in military gear. She had a rifle in her hands and wrote under her photos that she supported the fight against the Russian invasion.

Miss Ukraine 2015 shared several images on her social media in which she cheered on the Ukrainian people and army in their struggle to defend Kyiv, the city where she lives.

At first, it seemed like the model had joined the Ukrainian army in the fight against the Russian army. However, Lenna clarified a few days later that she had only done a photo shoot to encourage her compatriots.

"I am not a soldier, but a woman, a normal human being," she wrote. "Just a human being, like all the people in my country. She made it clear that her photos were only meant to inspire people and that she had not, in fact, joined the army.

"This is not propaganda. Except to show that the Ukrainian woman is strong and confident," she said.

The model spoke out against the Russian attack, which since February 24 was "killing civilians, women and children, the Ukrainian who is not at fault."

Anastasiia has previously shown through her social media that she is familiar with firearms. She even brags about her love of airsoft, a sport played without live ammunition.

Currently, Anastasiia mainly writes about the war. She wants Ukraine to receive more humanitarian and economic aid so that it can defend itself against the invasion by Russia.

She has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram. The social network has proven itself in recent weeks as a good means of boosting Ukrainian morale.

Miss Ukraine is an example of the determination that many Ukrainians have. Although it's clear that she didn't go as far as to fight in the army, her photos are part of the (psychological) struggle against the Russian invaders.