Category Corruption

Fact Check: NO EVIDENCE Zelenskyy Invested $500 Million, $1.5 Billion ‘Of His Own Money’ In Ski Resort In Western Ukraine — Project’s Developer Denies His Involvement

Did President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invest $500 million or $1.5 billion "of his own money" in "a ski resort in Western Ukraine"? No, that's not true: Social media posts misattribute publicly known investment amounts about such a project. Talking to Lead Stories, the project's developer denied not only Zelenskyy's participation but also the presence of any direct government funding. Investment firm BlackRock, named in social media posts as one of the key investors, denied any involvement, too. Lead Stories found no credible sources linking Zelenskyy's personal money to the Ukrainian ski resort project.

Read MoreFact Check: NO EVIDENCE Zelenskyy Invested $500 Million, $1.5 Billion ‘Of His Own Money’ In Ski Resort In Western Ukraine — Project’s Developer Denies His Involvement

Manipulation: Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an “American Weapon Store” – FT

Claim by Viral social media post:
Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an "American Weapon Store" - FT
StopFake rating:
The Financial Times did not write that Ukraine lost a billion dollars on this deal. The newspaper only reported on the arms supply contract that Ukraine signed with an Arizona company in the first months of the full-scale invasion. The company was never able to fulfill it due to the lack of experience in such large-scale deliveries. The irresponsible supplier received 17 million euros in advance, but Ukraine successfully sued for this money after the contract was canceled.

Read MoreManipulation: Ukraine Lost a Billion Dollars by Signing a Contract With an “American Weapon Store” – FT

Fact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

Is there any evidence for a story being spread online about "Olena K.", a Ukrainian anti-corruption official who supposedly defected to Europe and revealed real-estate corruption involving President Zelenskyy worth $1.2 billion ? No, that's not true: The story did not contain any verifiable details or documents and no media reported on the supposed events. The London Telegraph, the website where the story originated, was only registered in August 2025 and the profile picture of the journalist who supposedly wrote the story was stolen from the social media profile of a different journalist.

Read MoreFact Check: No Proof For Zelenskyy $1.2B Real Estate Empire In ‘London Telegraph’ Story — New Website Using Stolen Profile Picture | Lead Stories

US President Trump’s claims about Zelenskyy and Ukraine fact-checked

Claim: Zelenskyy started the war with Russia
Claim: Zelenskyy is a dictator
Claim: Zelenskyy has a 4 percent approval rating
Claim: The US has spent $350bn to help Ukraine
Claim: Zelenskyy said he doesn't know where half of the money the US has given Ukraine went
Claim: Zelenskyy was 'sleeping and unavailable' to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week in Kyiv

Read MoreUS President Trump’s claims about Zelenskyy and Ukraine fact-checked

No, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not purchase a $20 million mansion in Florida

As discussions continue surrounding a potential ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has come under fire for allegedly purchasing a lavish mansion in Florida. But as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, this claim is false.

Read MoreNo, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not purchase a $20 million mansion in Florida

FACT CHECK: USAID Didn’t Pay Time Magazine To Name Zelenskyy Time Person Of The Year

A post shared on Facebook claims the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) paid Time Magazine to name President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Time Person of the Year.

Verdict: False.
There is no evidence for this claim.

Read MoreFACT CHECK: USAID Didn’t Pay Time Magazine To Name Zelenskyy Time Person Of The Year