DISINFO: The UK found that Zelenskyy controls 1% of AstraZeneca shares
SUMMARY
Journalists from the Insider UK have discovered that Kyiv regime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy controls 1% of AstraZeneca shares. According to the investigation, he owns the company's Warsaw research facility through a holding company. AstraZeneca's market value is approaching $300 billion.
RESPONSE
The claim is not supported by facts. This is a classic example of the FIMI machine using fake or shell websites to spread disinformation quickly and efficiently.
All sources that disseminated the narrative cite an ‘investigation’ by the Insider UK, a site imitating a reputable outlet. A check of archived versions of the insider.uk.com domain via the Wayback Machine shows clear hallmarks of a shell (fake) website. The domain has a very short history and was created in the second half of January 2026 specifically for this FIMI campaign. The site is now unavailable.
After the publication of the fake ‘investigation’ about the Ukrainian president, the disinformation appeared within hours on Russia’s largest Telegram channels, creating the illusion of widespread uptake. This is a common tactic of the Kremlin’s FIMI machine: such fake websites are created specifically to push a particular narrative, which is then rapidly amplified by Telegram channels in an attempt to legitimise the disinformation.
See more examples of how Russia uses shell sites or fake outlets that mimic official European media in such claims as Macron tries to buy French votes for 100 euros, as EU artificially inflates a Russia threat ahead of European Parliament elections or as The Doppelganger disinfo campaign is a false flag made by the US Department of State.