Update: On July 4, a statement from a representative of Bugatti Paris was added to the article, who confirmed that Olena Zelenska did not buy the car and is not their customer. Taking into account the additional information, “Myth Detector” changed the verdict from “without evidence” to “disinformation.”
Russian (eadaily.com, aif.ru, mk.ru, m24.ru) and Belarusian media, as well as Georgian pro-government outlets (resonancedaily, ongo.ge) and the Facebook page of the pro-Kremlin Alt Info TV, reported that the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska purchased the latest Bugatti Tourbillon for 4.5 million EUR.
The same information was spread by Georgian- (1,2,3) and Russian-language (1,2) Facebook pages and accounts. The posts rely on the French-language publication veritecachee.fr.
Identical information was also disseminated by the pro-government Imedi TV, but the outlet later deleted the news story both from its website and Facebook page.
The article published by Veritecachee.fr is accompanied by an invoice that allegedly proves the purchase. The article also includes a video in which the person speaking is presented as an employee of the Bugatti showroom in Paris and confirms this information. The mentioned video was also distributed on Threads (1, 2).
The claim that Olena Zelenska bought the latest Bugatti Tourbillon is without evidence and is being spread by a website registered on June 22, which has published other materials of anti-Ukrainian content.
The website veritecachee.fr, which is the primary source of the claim about Olena Zelenska, was registered on June 22. The articles published on the website are mainly of anti-Ukrainian content.
It should be noted that a number of new websites have been created recently, which distribute discrediting materials of Ukrainian politicians and their family members. The mentioned page, most likely, serves the same purpose. Articles of similar content were published in The London Crier and The Austin Crier. These websites disseminated disinformation about Olena Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Both websites were created a few days before the spread of disinformation. For more information, see “Myth Detector” articles:
- WHO OWNS THE HIGHGROVE HOUSE – VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY OR THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY?
- DISINFORMATION THAT THE OLENA ZELENSKA FOUNDATION IS INVOLVED IN UKRAINIAN CHILD TRAFFICKING
- DISINFORMATION ABOUT ZELENSKYY BUYING A £150 MILLION VILLA IN CYPRUS
In addition, the Instagram account jacques_bertin_ls, posing as an employee of the Paris Bugatti Tourbillon Motor Show, has a total of 4 posts on Instagram. No additional information can be found about him.
“Myth Detector” contacted Bugatti Paris. The representative of the company, Nicole Auger, confirmed that Olena Zelenska did not purchase the latest car and is not their customer.
As for the invoice used as evidence, it is worth noting that the format of the document is questionable, for example, it does not indicate the currency, and the address of the company, both at the top and at the bottom of the document, is written incorrectly and one letter is missing – instead of “Neuilly-sur-Seine” the document says “Neuilly-sur-Seine.”
The Center for Combating Disinformation of Ukraine also responded to the disseminated claim and wrote that the reports about Olena Zelenska are false. The center also notes that the video contains signs of artificial intelligence generation.
For more information on how such newly-created pages work to spread disinformation, see the joint research prepared by “Myth Detector”, “Maldita.es, StopFake, Delfi, Chequeado, La Silla Vacía, Animal Político, and EsPaja:
Archive links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
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