On April 5-6, 2023, Russian-language propaganda media (Ukraina.ru, news-kiev.ru, zmaps.ru), as well as Russian-language Facebook accounts(1, 2) started disseminating a photo of the cover of the French magazine “Courrier International” with the caricature image of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the photo, Zelenskyy steals Easter eggs and runs away.
“Ukraine needs more” – shows the cover of the magazine
The caricature circulating under the name of Courrier International is fabricated. The latest issue of the magazine was released on April 6 and has a different design. A similar caricature with the image of Zelenskyy cannot be found in the old issues of the publication as well.
Cover with the above-mentioned design cannot be found on any of Courrier International’s platforms. The latest issue of the weekly outlet was on April 6 and bears the exact same serial number (N°1692) as the fake version, albeit with a different design. As Courrier International explains, India was selected as the topic of the cover, as the country has become the most populous and attractive place for Western investors. The cover depicts Indian youth, which is a signal that India needs to transform itself and offer prospects to the youth, providing them with jobs.
It should be noted that the cover of this design is not found in old issues of the publication, including special issues.
Fabricating the covers of prominent editions is a common method of Kremlin propaganda. Myth Detector verified a number of fabricated covers disseminated in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. For more details, see our articles:
- Fabricated Caricatures of Zelenskyy in the Name of NEWSWEEK and FRANC-TIREUR
- How does Kremlin Propaganda Fabricate the Covers of Western Outlets to Discredit Ukraine?
- Fabricated Covers Disseminated in the Name of Polish and German Outlets
- Caricatures of Zelenskyy and Sunak do not Belong to the Indian Magazine ANANDA VIKATAN
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