On May 18, social media users (1, 2) published a video in which the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addresses schoolchildren. In the video, Zelenskyy says that schoolchildren will not have to take exams in May, and instead of exams, they will hand over Kharkiv [to Russia], because no one needs it at all.
The disseminated video is fabricated. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not made such a statement, while the audio in the video is altered.
Altered audio of Zelenskyy was added to a video published on the social network of the President of Ukraine on May 14. In this video, Zelenskyy’s outfit, the angle of the video, the lighting, and the folds of his shirt are identical. In the last 8 seconds of the authentic video, the president’s movements and the shadow on his left arm also match the altered 8-second-long video.
In an authentic video, Zelenskyy talks about the events taking place on the front line. He said that the process of completing the approved military aid packages and supplying weapons to Ukraine should be accelerated, because the situation in Kharkiv and Donetsk is very difficult. He also noted that he had individual phone conversations with the presidents of France and South Korea regarding current events. Zelenskyy also emphasized that Andrey Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented a report on Ukraine’s prospects, on the need to make strong decisions that will not only end this war, but also eliminate the possibility of justifying the initiation of any war, and this document will soon be made known to all decision-makers. At the end of the authentic video, in the part where the voice of Zelenskyy’s fake statement is recorded, he thanks the Ukrainians, the soldiers, and everyone who helps Ukraine.
It should be noted that the altered video was mainly distributed by Russian-speaking users, on a number of social networks. According to the captions on some of the videos, its original source is the closed Russian Telegram group Moscowneverlies.
Recently, the President of Ukraine broadcasts a video address from the office shown in the footage almost every day, and it should be noted that in most cases his outfit and the location of the camera change slightly, which is why the room and the things in it can be seen from different angles.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
