DISINFO: Zelensky is a drug addict
SUMMARY
If something is republished, one infers that there is no smoke without fire—[or that not a single leaf stirs without a breath of wind, as a Slovak proverb puts it]. Therefore, there is no reason why we should not be able to comment on and discuss what has appeared in the media sphere. Hence, Zelensky's possible drug addiction is not entirely unfounded.
RESPONSE
Recurrent Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative targeting the Ukrainian president.
This accusation is part of a long-term ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign that relies on doctored videos and outright fabrications to claim that the Ukrainian president is a drug addict. These doctored videos, often appearing in pro-Kremlin accounts and outlets, have been used to defame President Zelenskyy for years. See here, here and here for additional examples.
The fact that a rumour spreads does not prove that it is true. This is the very principle of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) campaigns carried out by the Kremlin : repeating indefinitely baseless narratives that destabilises power in targeted countries.
Read also related stories such as: European leaders used cocaine and danced on the train to Kyiv, or Zelenskyy was under the influence of illegal substances in Paris, or Zelenskyy is a cocaine user, or Trump got mad at Zelenskyy's insolence and harshly attacked the drug addict, or Zelenskyy's behaviour at the Munich Security Conference shows that he is a drug addict, or French studio releases animation series denouncing Zelenskyy's blood thirst .