On October 29, 2023, a screenshot showing a photo of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dressed in a military uniform, with the caption: “If Ukraine loses the war, it will be because of the Jews – Zelenskyy,” was disseminated on Facebook.
The disseminated quote is fabricated. A similar statement voiced by the President of Ukraine cannot be found either on the official pages or in Ukrainian or Western media.
Along with the quote, Russian-speaking users of various social networks have been circulating an identical photo of Zelenskyy. The anonymous user of social network X “Ленинградец”, whose screenshot was disseminated on Facebook, is actively engaged in anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western propaganda. According to the user’s assessment, the Israel-Hamas war is in the interests of the US. The user calls Russia’s foreign policy correct, and if someone doesn’t like it, advises them to “get over it.”
On October 26, 2023, a photo with the same content and a fabricated quote was shared on the Russian social network “Вконтакте.” The photo was published by the page МУЖСКОЙ ЖУРНАЛ, which publishes posts of entertaining content.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statements regarding the Israel-Hamas war show clear support for Israel. Zelenskyy condemned the actions of Hamas and drew parallels between the current events in Israel and the Russia-Ukraine war.
On October 7, the day of the Hamas attack on Israel, Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned terrorism and emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense in a video address.
Zelenskyy: “Today’s terrorist attack on Israel was thoroughly prepared, and the whole world understands which terror sponsors could have encouraged and organized this attack.
Israel has every right to protect itself from terror. So does any other state. No support for terrorists!
Let the value of human life and the intolerance of terror be the principles that will finally unite the whole world. “
In his October 9 address, Zelenskyy noted that starting a war in the Middle East is in Russia’s interests. Speaking at a NATO summit on the Israeli-Hamas standoff on October 11, Zelenskyy called on NATO leaders to show support for the Israeli people and to go to Israel. Zelenskyy also drew a parallel between Russia and Hamas, calling both terrorists.
The fabricated quote attributed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy may be related to the recently emerged narrative that after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the United States will redirect the aid from Ukraine to help Israel.
Aleksandre Buzaladze
Myth Detector Lab
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