The New York Times never published this video, and its real existence has not been confirmed online, despite the claim that it was shown in New York city centre. The footage shown in the video does not match the indicated text prompt, which alludes to editing. In addition, the video first appeared on a pro-Russian Telegram channel and was shared exclusively though propaganda sources, which confirms its fake origin.
- Vance: Zelenskyy has not said, "Thank you" to the United States for its support of Ukraine.
- Vance: Zelenskyy "went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October."
- Trump: "We gave you $350 billion."
A video with millions of engagements on X purports to show a New York Post video reporting that the US government's humanitarian agency paid Time $4 million to feature Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on its magazine cover as its 2022 Person of the Year. But the supposed report is fake, and the claims it makes are inaccurate, according to the New York Post and Time.
WHAT WAS CLAIMED: Volodymyr Zelenskiy has blocked access to Trump's Truth Social across Ukraine.
OUR VERDICT: False. Truth Social has never been available in Ukraine.
Audio purportedly of Donald Trump Jr using his podcast to say the United States should have sent weapons to Russia instead of Ukraine is spreading widely online, with an official Democratic National Committee account among those that shared and deleted it. But the clip is fake, spokesmen for the US president's son and video platform Rumble told AFP. A media forensics expert said the quote -- which is not in the original episode -- appears to be the product of artificial intelligence technology. [...]
"The audio in question, which was amplified by the official X account of the DNC, along with countless other major anti-Trump accounts, is 100 percent fake," a Trump Jr spokesman told AFP in a February 26 statement. "It appears to be an AI-generated deep fake."
Russia's war against Ukraine is not only a military confrontation, but Moscow is also deliberately targetting the Ukrainian president with disinformation and narratives that seek to discredit him. In early February 2025, posts on social media falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased a property known as the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden in the southern German state of Bavaria. However, the site -- which was closely associated with the Nazis during World War II and is a popular tourist destination even today -- is still owned by the state authorities. Furthermore, the false claims seem to have originated from a Russian disinformation network.
Disinformation targeting Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelensky is surging as US President Donald Trump's shift on the war frays relations with Kyiv and threatens to cripple support for the battle-worn nation. [...]
Joseph Bodnar, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (archived here), said the Russian influence efforts are focused "on fostering animosity between the Trump and Zelensky administrations."
"Russia wants to convince US negotiators that Ukraine is their enemy, not their partner. It's a means for the Kremlin to extract favorable terms in whatever peace settlement comes."
Preisdent Donald Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky treated out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “rudely” when he traveled to the capital of Ukraine and didn't even meet with him. But then photos of the two men meeting were posted online, contradicting Trump's story.
Was the social media platform Truth Social blocked in Ukraine by the Ukrainian authorities? No, that's not true: Truth Social and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs's spokesperson denied the claim. Both said that the social media platform was never made available in Ukraine. Lead Stories found no credible reports corroborating the viral rumor.
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a rift between the two leaders as Kyiv remains locked in a three-year-old war started by a Russian invasion. However, claims that Zelensky retaliated by banning Truth Social are false -- representatives for the social network said it had not launched in Ukraine, and the government there said Trump's platform would be welcome.