Since early April, Kremlin propaganda has celebrated “Grandma Anya”, an elderly Ukrainian woman waving the Soviet red flag, as a symbol of Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine.

This came after a video of his encounter with the Ukrainian army went viral.

The woman is known by the nickname “Babushka Z” which means “grandmother” in Russian. The “Z” refers to a symbol frequently used by Russian troops during the war.

Just a peasant woman

Past BBC who tracked down the woman to try to determine the truth behind the incident. The real name of “Babushka Z” is Anna Ivanovna, a 69 year old woman from Velyka Danylivka. In a village near Kharkiv she lives with her husband, dog, cat and rabbit.

Ivanovna’s image has spread throughout Russia.

– I don’t think they will glorify me. I’m just a peasant woman. “I don’t understand why I became a celebrity,” he told the BBC.

The woman was overwhelmed when the BBC showed her photos of her newfound fame.

– I’ve never seen him, he said.

Spread throughout Russia

The video shows the woman walking towards two Ukrainian soldiers holding red Soviet flags. The soldiers say they came to help, as well as offer a bag of food. Then they took the flag from him, threw it on the ground and stamped it.

Ivanovna responded by returning the food and exclaiming, “My parents died because of that flag in World War II.”

Within weeks, the woman had been immortalized on murals, postcards, posters and sculptures. The images have also gone viral online, and to the Kremlin this is gold. They were not late in exploiting symbolism. They saw an opportunity to show a Ukrainian woman who glorified the Soviet Union and saw Russian soldiers as liberators.

Strikes can be decisive

Big misunderstanding

However, it seems that the image of the glorified Anna Ivanovna is not really relatable to reality. According to the main character himself, it was all a misunderstanding. He told the BBC he did not support war.

– How can I support the deaths of my people? My grandchildren and great-grandchildren were forced to go to Poland. We live in fear and terror, says Ivanovna.

based on Meduz The woman claimed that she confused two Ukrainian soldiers with Russian soldiers. He said he heard them speak Russian, thought they were Russian soldiers and showed them their “Russian sign” which was the Soviet flag.

– I’m just glad that the Russians will come and not fight with us. “I am happy that we will be reunited,” he said.

According to the woman herself, she did not include any political text in her actions. The red flag is not the flag of the Soviet Union or Russia. It stands for “love and happiness in every family, in every city and in every republic. Not for bloodshed. And whoever says something else is wrong “, said Ivanovna.

Considered a traitor

Now the woman fears for her own safety. The people of the small village have rejected him because they see him as pro-Russian.

– I’m not happy that this has made me famous. In Ukraine, they now consider me a traitor, he told the BBC.

Ukrainian soldiers who met Ivanovna said that they later became friends. First Lieutenant Viktor Kostenko, the soldier who stepped on Ivanovna’s flag, admitted that the video ended with a dramatic scene, reports Meduza.

In reality, the situation was less intense: there was a small fight between the soldier and the woman, and then they left.