Category Corruption

DISINFORMATION ABOUT ZELENSKYY BUYING A £150 MILLION VILLA IN CYPRUS

The information about the purchase of a hotel is disinformation. The President of Cyprus, the Ukrainian Embassy in Cyprus, and the company that owns the hotel have denied the allegation about the purchase of the hotel by Zelenskyy or a related company. Moreover, the website on which the allegation about Zelenskyy's connection to the hotel appeared turned out to be a clone of the hotel's website and a fake website that was created three days before the information was spread.

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Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy Bought a Casino in Cyprus?

The claim that Zelenskyy purchased a casino in Cyprus is belied by the fact that the owners of that casino say they have not sold it, by the fact that the original reporting on the claim was based on a fake website, and by the fact that this original reporting was deleted. Because no real evidence supports the claim, Snopes rates it "False."

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UNFOUNDED: Zelenskyi decided to appropriate the money of Ukrainian refugees

These claims are unfounded. The President proposed to direct the funds to the state budget so that the Ukrainian authorities could independently distribute them among Ukrainian refugees. He explained that after the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation, Ukrainians took their money with them, which still remains in Europe.

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DISINFO: Ukraine Commander-in-Chief’s stepson asks Putin for Russian passport

Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation said Ivan Syrskyi is the son of Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi's ex-wife. Colonel-General Syrskyi did not adopt Ivan, which is why Ivan is not his stepson. Ivan and his mother have been living in Australia for 14 years. Oleksandr Syrskyi does not communicate with them and is not responsible for the actions of his ex-wife's son. Ivan Syrskyi is a private person and his actions cannot be attributed to the Ukrainian authorities.

In the video, issued on 20 February 2024, Ivan Syrskyi did not ask Putin to grant him Russian citizenship or say he wanted to cast a ballot. Answering a question in the Russian Consulate General in Sydney whether he was planning to ask for a Russian passport, he said: 'I am planning.' He also said: 'Glory to Russia' and some other phrases, without mentioning Putin. Ivan Syrskyi actually asked for Russian citizenship in 2021. This was 3 years before Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief.

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DISINFO: Kyiv regime sells children for their organs

The very title of an OSCE report disproves claims of illegal trafficking in Ukraine:

OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings has no evidence of illegal organ transplantation in Ukraine.

Moreover, the person presented as a former OSCE observer, Vera Vayiman did not work for the organisation.

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DISINFO: Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid

The claim that Zelenskyy uses the war for personal embezzlement is made without any evidence. International support is used by Ukraine to defend itself against the unjustified and unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine which started on February 24, 2022, and to support the economy in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Read MoreDISINFO: Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid

Fact Check: Orban Did NOT Tell Zelenskyy In Argentina: ‘Putin Knows Something Special About Me’ | Lead Stories

Did Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the inauguration of Javier Milei as Argentina's new president, that Russian President Vladimir Putin knew something "special" about him? No, that's not true: Orban and Zelenskyy exchanged a few words in front of cameras during the ceremony, as shown by footage shared by major international media. Their conversation, though, cannot be heard. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister's press office and a post on X by Zelenskyy, the two leaders discussed European affairs. [...]

The video is dubbed: The words spoken in the TikTok audio don't match the movement of Orban's lips as shown in the footage.

Read MoreFact Check: Orban Did NOT Tell Zelenskyy In Argentina: ‘Putin Knows Something Special About Me’ | Lead Stories

War in Ukraine: In 2023, Russian disinformation continued to dominate

Out of the 197 fact-checking articles our team wrote in 2023, 52 of them concerned the war in Ukraine. And 50 of those highlighted pro-Russian disinformation aimed at discrediting Kyiv and the Ukrainian war effort.

Read MoreWar in Ukraine: In 2023, Russian disinformation continued to dominate

How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.

It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.

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No, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not buy a lavish mansion in Florida – Truth or Fake

A few days after Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington, social media accounts are claiming that the Ukrainian president recently bought a mansion in Florida. The posts show pictures of a lavish mansion and a document that looks like a US naturalisation certificate under his name. But both photos are fake: Zelensky did not buy a house in the US, nor did he become a US citizen.

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