Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Did Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy buy the Highgrove mansion from the United Kingdom's King Charles III? No, that's not true: A representative of Grant Harrold, a former royal butler who was cited as the main source in an online article making the claim, told Lead Stories that the claim is "completely false." Lead Stories found several signs pointing to AI-generated…

Does the TV channel's name "Nickelodeon" translate from Latin as "I don't care about God"? No, that's not true: The channel's name derives from the American name for a five-cent coin and the Greek word "odeon" used to refer to spaces dedicated to theatrical performances. The etymological meaning of "Nickelodeon" is "the poor man's theater." The claim appeared in a…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doing a crotch-jiggling belly dance in a nude sparkly leotard? No, that's not true: The footage is doctored -- it uses video of Argentinian dancer Pablo Acosta with the head of Zelenskyy. Acosta posted the original video showing himself in the bedazzled flesh-colored bodysuit with high boots on his own Instagram page…

Did France 24 report that French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a visit to Ukraine over fears of an assassination attempt? No, that's not true: France 24 debunked the claim. The video purporting to show the network report the news is a deepfake, generated by AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy post a monetary reward for capturing the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson? No, that's not true: As of February 9, 2024, there were no credible reports about that. The claim shared on social media misleads about the discovery of Carlson's name on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacekeeper). The claim appeared in a video (archived…

Is a video that shows social media personality Damon Imani interrupting World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab at its 2024 Davos meeting with the f-word real? No, that's not true: Imani wrote on his social media account that the video was satire. The video is edited to show Imani cutting in on Schwab's speech and heckling him with comments where…

Does a viral video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing in a red suit? No, that's not true: The footage of a different person was altered to add Zelenskyy's face. The dance in question was performed by a man from the Russian city of Lipetsk. The story appeared in a post (archived here) published on Instagram on January 14, 2024.…

Did U.S. Marines arrest Assistant Defense Secretary for Acquisition Tanya Skeen? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim is "false." This claim appeared in an article on a website that regularly publishes fabricated content often mistaken for real news. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News on…

Is a photograph that purports to show a U.S. certificate of naturalization for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy real? No, that's not true: The certificate is counterfeit. It's missing key components, such as his signature and the signature of the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The image appeared atop an article (archived here) published by DCWeekly on November 29,…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begging Western leaders to spend their money on Ukraine? No, that's not true: In the Fox News Channel interview, Zelenskyy was directing his comments toward domestic critics, not anyone in the West. Additionally, he did not call for Western leaders to send all their funds to Ukraine, contrary to the assertion in…