A video, claiming to show an Ukrainian female soldier applying make-up in a war zone with allegations that Ukraine is staging fake combat scenarios to gain financial aid from the United States, is widely circulating on social media.
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be FABRICATED.
A video has surfaced on TikTok of luxury cars pulling up to a private jet with a caption suggesting that it shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy using billions to fund such a lifestyle.
The Verdict False
The video comes from the Instagram account of a private jet provider company and nothing in the original post links the jet and cars to Zelenskyy.
Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy buy the French bank Milleis in February 2025 using the offshore company Maltex? No, that's not true: No credible media organization reported this story, as of March 6, 2025. A viral video purporting to be a TV news report about it displayed a non-existent TV channel logo. And the video contained inauthentic, AI-generated audio, according to two AI detectors.
In conclusion, there is no credible evidence that American weapons sent to Ukraine are ending up in Mexico, Syria, Gaza or any location outside of Ukraine, and claims otherwise may be attributed to Russian disinformation campaigns. The United States and Ukrainian governments have attempted strict oversight of their weapons - to mixed results - but any arms trafficking happening in Ukraine appears, as of this writing, to be contained to isolated incidents by criminals.
Donald Trump's criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House led to a surge in misinformation about Ukraine's president, alleging that he swore at Trump, staged the war and misused USAID funds for propaganda.
The claim, shared across Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and X (archived) in the form of an image, read:
The President of Ukraine owns a 35 million dollar home in Florida and has $1.2 billion in a overseas bank account. Zelensky owns 15 homes, 3 private planes, and has a monthly income of 11 million dollars. Why is no one questioning where our AID is going?
However, there was no proof of any of the claims shared within the image.
Verdict: False.
The video shows a behind-the-scenes look at a music video for a song called "Brothers" by Misha Scorpion and Vitsik, not Ukrainian soldiers "faking combat."
Claim: A photograph authentically showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska posing in front of stacks of money.
Rating: Fake
Users are now sharing a viral video claiming to show crisis actors faking injuries for the Ukrainian army in order to "solicit" more money from allies. We debunk these claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Claim: Ukraine was caught faking combat scenes to ask for more money from the US.
Fact: This video does not show Ukrainian soldiers creating fake combat scenes. It's a behind-the-scenes shot from a music video.