Does a viral image confirm that the Ukrainian government issued new rules prohibiting taking pictures of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from certain angles? No, that's not true: Talking to Lead Stories, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States referred to the image as "fake". The "rules" were self-contradictory and lacked any specific identifying information tying it to Ukrainian officials.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on May 15, 2025. It opened:
🎥 Rules for reporters on how to photograph Zelensky in Istanbul. The main rule is not to show that he is a bunker dw@rf. -FRWL
The post contained an image of a printed page that read:
Requirements for Photographing Events Involving Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Istanbul, 15.05.2025
Please adhere to the following requirements while taking photographs:
1. Permissible Angles
The primary shooting angle should be at eye level or slightly above, waist-up or higher.
2. Prohibited Angles and Situations
- Shooting from a low angle (emphasizes short stature).
- Wide-angle distortions (make body proportions appear unnatural).
- Comparative shots (photographing the politician next to taller people without prior approval is not allowed).
3. Composition requirements
- Do not draw attention to shoes or other details that may highlight height.
- For group photos, the politician's positioning must be approved in advance.
- Shots that could be used for memes or derogatory publications are not permitted.
Sinserely,
The Press Service
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot by Lead Stories)
The entry implied that the shared image showed authentic guidelines for the press distributed during a Zelenskyy's visit to Istanbul, Turkey. Yet, on May 15, 2025, the Ukrainian president met with his Turkish counterpart in a different city (archived here): the nation's capital, Ankara.
The image lacked official logos or any other identifying information tying it to either Ukrainian or Turkish government officials, thus, casting doubts on its authenticity.
The printout contradicts itself: Its stated objective was to avoid highlighting that Zelenskyy is not very tall, but what the "guidelines" supposedly banned were low-angle shots, which photographers can use to make people and objects appear taller (archived here) and more heroic (archived here).
On May 16, 2025, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States told Lead Stories via email:
Confirming that this "guidelines" are fake.
Read more
Other Lead Stories fact checks mentioning Volodymyr Zelenskyy can be found here.
Articles concerning claims related to the Russian-Ukrainian full-scale war are here.
