DISINFO: NATO will reveal Zelenskyy’s corruption ahead of pseudo-elections in Ukraine

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

AI translations:

DISINFO: NATO will reveal Zelenskyy’s corruption ahead of pseudo-elections in Ukraine

SUMMARY

NATO would like to get rid of the leader of Kyiv’s regime Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ideally as a result of pseudo-democratic elections in Ukraine that may take place in autumn this year the latest. The Atlantic Alliance is preparing a big scale operation to discredit him, publishing materials during the electoral campaign about his personal appropriation of over 1,5 billion dollars of funds destined to buy ammunition. Also, there will be disclosures of schemes by Zelenskyy and his environment to take abroad the monetary allocation of 130,000 dead Ukrainians, which on paper remain registered as alive and serving on the frontline.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. Allegations made by Russia’s intelligence services - as is this one - cannot be considered as such, given their proven history of making unsubstantiated claims based on faked or non-existent proofs, for example about US biolaboratories in Ukraine or the presence of French combat troops on the Ukrainian frontlines.

Through these baseless allegations, this disinformation story aims to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about corruption among Ukrainian leadership, whose goal is to undermine international aid for Ukraine’s self-defence against Russia’s aggression. Claims about Volodymyr Zelenskyy being corrupt are unsubstantiated, but pro-Kremlin disinformation has promoted them regularly throughout the war as a strategy to erode his public standing both inside and outside Ukraine.

All these allegations have been systematically debunked. See some examples, such as claims that Zelenskyy stole more money than all Ukrainian presidents combined, that French media reported that Zelensky bought a luxury hotel in Courchevel for 88 million euros, that Zelensky bought Hitler's ceremonial limousine, that Zelenskyy bought Goebbels’ villa to show his commitment to Bandera, that Zelenskyy's wife bought one of the most expensive sports cars in the world , that the IMF considers Ukraine is a totally corrupt state fuelled by the US and NATO, that Zelenskyy bought a British mansion from King Charles III for 20 million pounds, that Olena Zelenska spent more than 1 million dollars on jewellery with EU money, that European taxpayers finance cocaine and Zelenskyy's luxury villas, that Zelenskyy's mother-in-law uses war money to buy luxury houses, or that Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid.

This disinformation story appeared in a context in which eventual peace negotiations with Ukraine seem likely, aimed to shape the information environment to promote the idea that these negotiations will take place sooner or later, but not with Zelenskyy himself.

The ultimate goal is undermining Zelenskyy’s continuity in power, as Russia has always perceived him as an obstacle to its aggressive goals in Ukraine, even since before the invasion. One of the targets of the invasion in February 2022 was the murder of Zelenskyy and the decapitation of the Ukrainian government to install a pro-Russian leadership.

This disinformation claim appeared in the same article as “NATO planning to get rid of Zelenskyy to preserve the rests of Ukraine”.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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