A known Russian disinformation operation has once again targeted Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska, spreading false claims that she attempted to flee to Europe amid a “strained relationship” with her husband Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
There is no truth behind these claims, and there are signs they’re part of a coordinated, Moscow-backed disinformation operation.
A fake video report bearing the logo of the BBC and detailing Zelenska’s alleged failed escape surfaced on X and Telegram earlier this week and has since been amplified on TikTok and Facebook.
The voiceover in the clip falsely claims Zelenska had been planning to escape to an unnamed Europe country for “six months” and is being held by Ukraine’s security services after her plans were foiled.
The clip has been doctored to mimic the look and feel of the BBC.
Shayan Sardarizadeh, a senior journalist for the BBC’s fact-checking service, said in a statement on X that the “BBC never published this video clip.”
He added that the manipulated video was the work of “a well-known Russian disinformation operation” that uses the “logo and branding of major news outlets to publish fake videos that disparage Ukraine.”
Euroverify has in the past detected similar fraudulent videos bearing the Euronews logo.
Our fact-checkers have also monitored the activity of the Moscow-backed ‘Doppelgänger’ campaign, which clones the websites of renowned media outlets by purchasing similar-looking domains and imitating their layout and style.
Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, a government agency, also detected fake front pages of British newspapers, with headlines such as “Where’s Olena Zelenska?”, circulating on Russian propaganda channels on Telegram.
The images have yet again been manipulated and such content was never published by the news outlets in question.
Claims linked to known disinformation operation
The fake BBC video was first shared by an X account called “Peacemaker,” and had been viewed 500,000 times at the time of publication of this article.
The account, which has some 40,000 followers, is known to fact-checkers.
It consistently shares unfounded claims about the war in Ukraine.
Euroverify has in the past debunked similar disinformation being shared by the same account, such as unfounded claims Zelenska had spent €4.5 million on a Bugatti during a visit to Paris.
Despite documented evidence that the account forms part of a Russian disinformation campaign, including an investigation by the BBC in July last year, the account remains active on X.
It also bears the blue verification checkmarks, indicating it is part to the platform’s Premium subscription.
The blue tick was historically a sign the account was notable or authentic.
Euroverify reached out to X’s press team to understand what measures it was taking to address the spread of such blatant disinformation on these accounts, but has yet to receive a reply.
