Fact check: Photos and videos from Ukraine show Russian invasion
Contrary to a popular narrative on social media, news outlets have verified scores of videos from the conflict in Ukraine.
Category Volodymyr Zelensky
Read MoreFact check: Photos and videos from Ukraine show Russian invasion
Altered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika
Social media posts feature a picture of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a soccer jersey that has a swastika in place of a number. But AFP found that the posts used a digitally manipulated image superimposing the Nazi symbol on a photo taken from the leader's Instagram account.
No, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Did Not Wear a Nazi Symbol
Conspiracy theorists and Russian apologists reached new lows in attacking the Ukrainian president in March 2022.
No, the video of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urging surrender isn’t real. It’s a deepfake
The VERIFY team confirmed a video of Ukraine President Zelenskyy telling his people to surrender is a deepfake. It was created using images from press conferences.
FACT CHECK: Viral Post Claims Woman Who Accompanied Zelenskyy During Hospital Visit Died Weeks Earlier | Check Your Fact
Verdict: False
The woman pictured next to Zelenskyy is not the woman who died weeks earlier. There is no evidence the woman pictured in the post accompanying Zelenskyy has died.
Photo of Ukrainian President Zelensky in military gear was taken in 2021 – before Russian invasion
A photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wearing military gear has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts alongside a claim that it shows him on the frontline after Russia invaded the neighbouring country in February 2022. However, the claim is false. The picture actually shows Zelensky visiting Ukraine's eastern region in April 2021, nearly a year before the Russian invasion began.
Ukraine recognized downed pilot as ‘hero,’ but claims he was the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ are unsubstantiated
Col. Oleksandr "Grey Wolf" Oksanchenko, a decorated Ukrainian pilot, was killed in combat on Feb. 25.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him posthumously with the title of Hero of Ukraine, along with 11 other military service members.
Unconfirmed reports hold that an unidentified pilot, who has come to be called the "Ghost of Kyiv," downed six Russian planes on the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We do not find evidence that this was Oksanchenko.
It's uncertain how the Ghost of Kyiv tale originated, but we know that Ukraine's military reported on Feb. 24 that at least six Russian planes and two helicopters had been downed. Crediting Ukrainian military, CNN and NBC soon reported five Russian planes and one helicopter had been shot down. Russia's defense ministry denied the report, according to Reuters, and said that Ukraine's air force defenses had been "suppressed."
Ukraine's official Twitter account, meanwhile, promoted the Ghost of Kyiv narrative with a video that suggested the mystery pilot could have been responsible for as many as 10 downed Russian aircraft by Feb. 26. That video, too, included footage from a video game.
PolitiFact did not receive a response from Zelensky's administration about Oksanchenko and the Ghost of Kyiv claim.
Finding no conclusive information tying Oksanchenko to the Ghost of Kyiv, we rate this claim False.
A pre-recorded video? The pro-Russian hoax suggesting that Volodymyr Zelensky has left Ukraine
Russian media outlets, including Russia Today, are falsely claiming that the video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to a Kyiv hospital on March 13 was recorded last month, fuelling speculation that he has fled the country.
Video does not show Ukrainian presidential couple singing
Social media posts claim a video shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska singing together. This is false; the clip shows singers from America and Britain recording a cover of the 1981 duet "Endless Love."
FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie? | Check Your Fact
Verdict: False
The video features Boyce Avenue member Alejandro Manzano and English musician Connie Talbot. The music video does not feature Zelenskyy or mention Ukraine at any point.