A recognized Russian disinformation operation has as soon as once more focused Ukraine’s first woman Olena Zelenska, spreading false claims that she tried to flee to Europe amid a “strained relationship” together with her husband Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
There isn’t a fact behind these claims, and there are indicators they’re a part of a coordinated, Moscow-backed disinformation operation.
A faux video report bearing the emblem 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 Fb.
The voiceover within the clip falsely claims Zelenska had been planning to flee to an unnamed Europe nation for “six months” and is being held by Ukraine’s safety providers after her plans had been foiled.
The clip has been doctored to imitate the appear and feel of the BBC.
Shayan Sardarizadeh, a senior journalist for the BBC’s fact-checking service, stated in a assertion on X that the “BBC by no means revealed this video clip.”
He added that the manipulated video was the work of “a widely known Russian disinformation operation” that makes use of the “emblem and branding of main information retailers to publish faux movies that disparage Ukraine.”
Euroverify has up to now detected related fraudulent movies bearing the Euronews emblem.
Our fact-checkers have additionally monitored the exercise of the Moscow-backed ‘Doppelgänger’ marketing campaign, which clones the web sites of famend media retailers by buying similar-looking domains and imitating their format and elegance.
Ukraine’s Middle for Countering Disinformation, a authorities company, additionally detected faux entrance pages of British newspapers, with headlines equivalent to “The place’s Olena Zelenska?”, circulating on Russian propaganda channels on Telegram.
The pictures have but once more been manipulated and such content material was by no means revealed by the information retailers in query.
Claims linked to recognized disinformation operation
The faux BBC video was first shared by an X account referred to as “Peacemaker,” and had been considered 500,000 instances on the time of publication of this text.
The account, which has some 40,000 followers, is understood to fact-checkers.
It persistently shares unfounded claims concerning the warfare in Ukraine.
Euroverify has up to now debunked related disinformation being shared by the identical account, equivalent to unfounded claims Zelenska had spent €4.5 million on a Bugatti throughout a go to to Paris.
Regardless of documented proof that the account types a part of a Russian disinformation marketing campaign, together with an investigation by the BBC in July final yr, the account stays lively on X.
It additionally bears the blue verification checkmarks, indicating it’s half to the platform’s Premium subscription.
The blue tick was traditionally an indication the account was notable or genuine.
Euroverify reached out to X’s press workforce to know what measures it was taking to deal with the unfold of such blatant disinformation on these accounts, however has but to obtain a reply.
