Quick Facts
- The online legend may be related to the recent Russian offensive on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, but the sniper in the online legend law announced in February this year that he will no longer participate in the operation on the front line in Ukraine, and the latest information on his social platform also shows that he is currently traveling in Australia.
Background to the event
Recently, a news circulated on social platforms that Ernesto Barbieri, who is considered "the best sniper in France" in the picture, was killed in a Russian missile attack on a foreign mercenary station in Kharkiv, Ukraine. According to related information, the sniper served in the elite unit "Alpine Jaeger" (Alpine Jaeger), then joined the "Foreign Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine" and participated in combat operations against the Russian army in March 2022.
Screenshot of the Internet Legend Law
The "Alpine Hunter Battalion" refers to the mountain infantry unit of the French Army.
Check clearly
A preliminary keyword search found that the Internet legend method appeared at least in January this year. Among them, the official X account of the Russian embassy in South Africa posted the same post on January 29, when Russia claimed to have carried out a precision strike on a building in the city of Kharkiv where "foreign militants" were located, killing more than 60 people. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the militants were mainly French mercenaries, but the French Foreign Ministry denied this statement.
On January 29, the X account of the Russian Embassy in South Africa posted a screenshot of the same post as the recent online legend.
A reverse search of the photo of Ernest Barbieri, who is said to be "the best sniper in France" in France, revealed that the photo dates back to a news report published on the website of the French Ministry of Defense on October 12, 2021. The report describes that the French "13th Alpine Hunter Battalion" received the first batch of "SCAR-H PR" precision rifles to update the army's combat equipment, but did not specify the person in the picture.
On October 12, 2021, a screenshot of the relevant report on the website of the French Ministry of Defense. The report did not make any claims about the people in the images.
Due to the rapid fermentation of "death rumors", on February 2, 2024, the person concerned, Ernest Barbieri, posted a video on the video platform YouTube to clarify the rumors about his "death". In the video, Ernest Barbiri explains that Russia is using his image for "propaganda" due to previous media reports on his situation in Ukraine. But he stressed that he was not "the best sniper in France" and that he was "alive and well" at the moment. He also revealed that he had returned to France and was no longer involved in the fighting in Ukraine, and thanked all those who cared about him.
On May 14, 2024, a few days after the recent re-spread of online legends, Barbiri updated a video of his current trip to Australia on the social platform TikTok.
On February 2, 2024, the person in question, Ernest Barbieri, posted a video on the video platform YouTube, saying that "this video is enough to prove that I am still alive" and said that he is still far from the title of "the best sniper in France".
Screenshot of Ernest Barbieri's TikTok account homepage. In three recently updated videos, Barbiri says he's on holiday in Australia.
According to a report on March 27, 2022 in the "Le JT de 20h" column of France 2, Ernest Barbiri is a sniper in the French Foreign Legion, who joined the "Alpine Hunter Battalion" at the age of 17 and has participated in five combat missions against Russia. During one of the missions, 4 of his comrades were killed in a missile attack. The day after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the family of one of Ernest Barbiri's Ukrainian comrades-in-arms was killed in the conflict, so he decided to go to the front line in Ukraine to participate in the fighting.
On March 27, 2022, a screenshot of the relevant report of the "France 2" "Le JT de 20h" column of France Télévision.
A number of international media reported that on May 10, local time, the Russian army launched an attack on Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine. Reuters said that the Russian army took this opportunity to open a "new front" in northeastern Ukraine, and said that the Russian army's operation caused shocks in Europe.
In this regard, Macron said on the 11th: "That's why we have to arm ourselves, that's why we have to be deterrent and persuasive to our opponents, telling them 'if you go too far and threaten my interests and my own security, I don't rule out intervening'." But at the same time, Macron said he was "doing everything in his power to hope" that France would not be drawn into hostilities.
Since February this year, French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly spoken publicly about sending troops to Ukraine, and has received widespread media and public opinion for his gradual evolution from a "dovish" stance to a "hawkish" stance in support of confronting Russia. But public information shows that France's current support for Ukraine is still by providing equipment or training.
To sum up, the recent online rumor that "the Russian army recently killed the 'best sniper in France' Ernest Barbieri" is untrue, which has appeared at least at the end of January this year, and the person who was rumored to have died has released a video at the time to clarify the relevant rumors, and said that he is not "the best sniper in France", and the attached picture has nothing to do with the individual described in the Internet legend.
In addition, the online legend may be related to the recent Russian offensive on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, but the sniper in the online legend has stated in February this year that he will no longer participate in the operation on the front line in Ukraine, and the latest information on his social platform also shows that he is currently traveling in Australia.