On April 5-7, Russian-language Telegram channels (1, 2, 3), websites (1,2) and Facebook group Россия — Сила published a cover photo of the French newspaper FRANC TIREUR depicting the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the caricature, Zelenskyy is standing in a house built with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers. The cover has a French caption – “The house built by Zelenskyy. 400 thousand bricks for the architect of new Ukraine.” The authors claim that the French newspaper is referring to Ukraine’s losses in the war.
The cover of FRANC TIREUR is fabricated. The cover photo of the French magazine’s 95th issue does not match the published version. The information that the caricature is fabricated was confirmed to Myth Detector by the artist whose surname is attributed to the fake version.
A fabricated caricature of Zelenskyy was spread in the name of FRANC TIREUR
The 95th issue of the French newspaper has a completely different design. It features teacher Sophie Mazet, while the article is about education. Judging by the images published on the official website, the newspaper has not used such a caricature in its previous issues either.
Myth Detector contacted Kianoush Ramezani, the artist whose signature appears on the fabricated cover. The artist confirmed that the material is fake and that he did not draw a similar cartoon for the magazine.
In addition, there is a mistake on the fake version of the newspaper cover – it reads “Wednesday, September 5” in French. FRANC TIREUR publishes each new issue on Wednesday, but Wednesday was not September 5, but September 6.
Russian accounts and pages often fake the covers of well-known publications – this is one of the Kremlin’s propaganda methods to spread disinformation about the Russia-Ukraine war. Myth Detector Lab has verified a number of such fake caricatures in the past:
- The Nation did not publish a caricature of Zelenskyy and the leopards
- Fabricated Caricatures of the President of Ukraine in the Name of Western Publications Disseminated after the NATO Summit
- Fabricated Caricature about Zelenskyy and Dalai Lama in the Name of the New European
- How does Kremlin Propaganda Fabricate the Covers of Western Outlets to Discredit Ukraine
- Fabricated Caricature about Armed Forces of Ukraine Disseminated in the Name of COURRIER INTERNATIONAL
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