Category Substance abuse

Three claims accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of being addicted to cocaine

In recent weeks, people have been sharing at least three videos purporting to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky either using cocaine or making incoherent remarks after allegedly consuming drugs. But these videos have been cut misleadingly and sometimes even digitally manipulated.

Read MoreThree claims accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of being addicted to cocaine

Viral videos falsely claiming Ukraine’s Zelenskyy uses cocaine are altered

Two viral videos purported to show that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses cocaine. One video appeared to show cocaine on Zelenskyy's desk as he spoke, while the other appeared to show him saying that he uses the drug routinely.

The first video was doctored; in the original, there is no white substance on Zelenskyy's desk. The second video was deceptively edited; in the original, he denied using drugs.

Our ruling
Two videos claimed to show Zelenskyy either using or admitting to using cocaine.

The first video purports to show a white powder on Zelenskyy's desk as he placed a video call to Musk. But the video was doctored to include the substance, which is not in the original.

The second video appears to show Zelenskyy talking about using cocaine regularly, but the video was deceptively edited to reorder Zelenskyy's words. In reality, Zelenskyy denied using drugs.

We rate these videos Pants on Fire!

Read MoreViral videos falsely claiming Ukraine’s Zelenskyy uses cocaine are altered

This video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show

An image of a woman apparently bursting onto a TV set has been shared hundreds of times in posts claiming she crashed a Ukrainian news broadcast to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to "surrender". However, the picture was taken from a video made by a TikTok creator using a green screen. The original news broadcast shows no interruption from a protester.

Read MoreThis video shows a TikTok creator using a green screen, not a protester interrupting a TV show