russian shadow fleet. International Maritime Organization. Finnish President Alexander Stubb

In August, russian propaganda launched disinformation campaigns targeting the EU, the US, NATO, Finland, Argentina, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and the IAEA; naturally, Ukraine remained at the epicenter of russian intelligence activity. Be cautious when consuming content that justifies or approves the actions of the criminal russian government. Consume information mindfully. Report fake content creators and block russian propaganda whenever you encounter such cases.
Based materials from Stopfake.org, Spravdi.ua, EuVsDisinfo.eu

Fake: The term "shadow fleet" is an EU invention to justify attacks on russian trade.  
russian propaganda: "Western governments are using the term 'shadow fleet'—an EU invention—to justify what amounts to illegal attacks on Russian maritime trade. They have imposed a de facto ban on Russia's ability to sell energy resources. At the same time, they label all ships that do not comply with the European Union, regardless of the flag they fly, as part of the so-called 'shadow fleet.'"  
The term "shadow fleet" is not an EU invention; it is a globally recognized concept. In 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) defined the term "dark fleet" or "shadow fleet" for ships used to evade sanctions and engage in other illegal activities: https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/KnowledgeCentre/IndexofIMOResolutions/AssemblyDocuments/A.1192(33).pdf Furthermore, in April 2026, the IMO approved the first International Recommendations to Prevent Maritime Fraud and the Abuse of Flags. These aim to close regulatory loopholes that allowed 529 ships to sail under fraudulent flags in 2025 alone.  
russia's use of a shadow fleet to continue exporting oil and other commodities following sanctions imposed over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is a well-documented, analyzed, and researched fact. Here are just a few documents on the subject:
https://www.iiss.org/globalassets/media-library---content--migration/files/research-papers/2025/01/russias_shadow-fleet_and-sanctions-evasion/iiss_russias_shadow-fleet_and-sanctions-evasion_31012025.pdf
https://www.ftm.eu/files/the-shadow-fleet-secrets  
These vessels do not engage in standard commercial operations. Studies show they are used to transport sanctioned cargo without adequate insurance, posing significant environmental risks in the event of accidents. This directly contradicts assertions that such activities constitute routine international trade. As soon as international pressure on russia's shadow fleet escalated, the Kremlin launched disinformation campaigns to legitimize its illicit activities—just as it always does.  
Fake: Finnish President Alexander Stubb admitted to sponsoring terrorism by supporting Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses in russia.  
This is how Ambassador-at-Large rodion miroshnik attempts to spin the Finnish leader's statement. In reality, Stubb stated that long-range Ukrainian strikes on russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, including Wildberries, represent an appropriate military strategy. According to him, such strikes raise the cost of war for russia and can increase pressure on the Kremlin to force its leader to finally agree to negotiations.  
miroshnik simply attributes words and conclusions to Stubb that he never made. Moreover, russian propaganda conceals the context of the strikes themselves. Wildberries is not merely an abstract "marketplace": the russian government actively utilizes this platform and its logistical infrastructure to supply military goods. 

Lithuanian high school. Baltic states. Moldova Moldova

Fake: A Lithuanian high school history textbook glorifies Hitler's accomplices.
russian state media outlet RIA Novosti writes that a 10th-grade Lithuanian history textbook portrays participants of the June 1941 Uprising as heroes while ignoring their ties to Nazi Germany and anti-Semitic rhetoric. The publication allegedly describes how local Hitlerite saboteurs in the Baltic states launched attacks against the Soviet Red Army, seized prisons, freed inmates, and organized pogroms against Jews. 
The publication in question is a 10th-grade textbook edited by Mindaugas Tamošaitis (Baltos lankos Klett publishing house, 2022 curriculum). The chapter titled Antrasis pasaulinis karas: žmogiškumo išbandymas ("World War II: A Test of Humanity") covers the events of 1941—the first occupation of Lithuania, military operations on the Eastern Front and in the Pacific between 1941 and 1944, as well as the activities of Kazys Škirpa, former Lithuanian ambassador to Germany and leader of the underground Lithuanian Activists Front (LAF, Lietuvių aktyvistų frontas).  
The textbook's author details the underground movement's activities based on documented historical facts, denying neither their struggle for Lithuanian independence nor their connection with the Germans. Outraged by the textbook presenting Lithuania's annexation into the USSR as an "occupation," russian media deliberately ignores real history: on June 14, 1940, the USSR issued an ultimatum to Lithuania, falsely accusing its government of violating the Mutual Assistance Treaty signed under moscow's pressure in late 1939 (shortly after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). Following the ultimatum, additional Soviet troop contingents entered Lithuania (and subsequently Latvia and Estonia). Under gunpoint, newly installed puppet governments scheduled sham parliamentary elections, and the newly formed parliaments swiftly proclaimed Soviet republics, which were absorbed into the USSR by early August (a playbook the Putin regime attempts to repeat in Ukraine today).  
For the Baltic states, harsh Sovietization resulted in mass deportations of intellectuals, clergy, politicians, military personnel, and prosperous farmers—over 18,000 people were deported from Lithuania in the week preceding the German invasion alone.  
Kazys Škirpa aimed to unite fragmented forces inside Lithuania and abroad to launch an armed uprising against Soviet occupation upon the outbreak of war between Germany and the USSR. On June 22, 1941, during the initial German strikes on Soviet airfields, LAF members began capturing strategic assets, radio stations, bridges, and weapons depots, targeting the retreating Red Army. The uprising in the capital lasted three days. According to recent data, nearly 600 people died during the uprising, with total participants across Lithuania ranging between 16,000 and 20,000.  
At the same time, the author does not deny the connection between Škirpa's organization and Nazi Germany: the underground movement initiated its activities in Berlin, viewing Hitler as a temporary tactical ally against Stalin—or rather, seeking to exploit Germany's attack on the USSR to restore an independent Lithuania.  
However, the Nazis had different plans. Germany barred Škirpa from entering Lithuania to head the Provisional Government. In 1944, Nazi authorities arrested Škirpa, holding him in a political prisoner camp in Bad Godesberg until the end of the war. Following his release, Škirpa emigrated to Ireland and later to the United States.  
The textbook does not detail Škirpa's personal anti-Semitism. To demonstrate loyalty to Nazi Germany, he had claimed his goals were independence and a Lithuania free of Jews. While Škirpa did not call for genocide—proposing instead the expulsion of Jews from the country—the textbook does not depict him as a hero; it merely provides an objective and brief two-paragraph account of his role in the uprising against Soviet occupation.  
For more on russian disinformation attacks and manipulations targeting Lithuania, read here: https://www.stopfake.org/uk/doslidzhennya-rosijska-dezinformatsiya-v-sotsmerezhah-litvi-diye-yak-skoordinovanij-mehanizm/  
Fake: Ukraine left Moldova without drinking water.
russian propagandists actively exploit natural disasters to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Amid European droughts and the resulting drop in water levels of major European rivers, russian outlets rushed to blame Ukraine for "provoking a water catastrophe in Moldova," claiming: "Ukrainian authorities unilaterally decided to 'shut off the water in the Dniester,' despite the river being the primary water source for Moldovan residents."  
russian claims are completely false. Ukraine cannot unilaterally shut off the Dniester River flow. Such decisions are made jointly with Moldovan representatives during meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission on Sustainable Use and Protection of the Dniester River Basin — a body established specifically for bilateral water management cooperation. On August 28, 2026, during an extraordinary meeting of the Commission, Ukraine and Moldova agreed to reduce water discharge from the Dniester Hydroelectric Complex to 60 m³/s for the next two weeks. This marked the second discharge reduction in August 2026: https://www.me.gov.ua/News/Detail/196fb9f1-a50b-4487-80f2-2795b4bf4ae7?lang=uk-UA&title=UkrainaTaMoldova 
According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center, the Dniester basin is experiencing one of the most severe low-water periods in recorded history. Experts recorded a historical low: water flow at the Zalishchyky hydrological post in the Ternopil region fell to all-time record minimums since monitoring began in 1895.  
The prolonged drought has impacted not only Ukraine and Moldova, but much of mainland Europe. On August 5, 2026, European Space Agency satellites recorded exceptionally low water levels on four of Europe's largest rivers: the Loire in France, the Po in Italy, the Rhine in Germany, and the Danube in Hungary.  

Yevhen Konovalets. Polish citizens. in Ukraine

Fake: Yevhen Konovalets was a war criminal and Hitler accomplice, and his reburial in Kyiv glorifies Ukrainian Nazis.
This is what russian propagandists claim. In reality, Konovalets was a colonel in the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR), commander of the Sich Riflemen, and the first chairman of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). His sole goal was establishing an independent Ukrainian state.  
Propaganda attributes events to Konovalets that occurred long after his death. Soviet agent Pavel Sudoplatov assassinated him in 1938—before the outbreak of World War II. While Konovalets had diplomatic contacts with representatives of various states, including Germany, diplomatic engagement does not make him a "Hitler accomplice."  
In July, the Ukrainian government officially resolved to rebury Konovalets' remains at the National Military Memorial Cemetery with full military honors—an event russian outlets quickly weaponized. The objective of this fake is once again to equate the Ukrainian independence movement with Nazism and discredit Ukraine's right to honor historical figures who fought against russian imperial rule across different eras.  
Fake: Far-right groups in Ukraine are hunting down Polish citizens.
russian propagandists concocted another lie targeting relations between neighboring states. In reality, propaganda outlets provide zero evidence of any organized "hunting" of Polish nationals in Ukraine. The posts name no implicated groups, specific attackers, victims, dates, or locations. Without proof, propagandists allege that Ukrainian law enforcement is aware of these "raids" but refuses to intervene.  
Meanwhile, Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) reported in July on genuine russian intelligence attempts to stoke hostility between Poles and Ukrainians. Investigators revealed that operatives were recruited via messaging platforms to stage provocations around sensitive historical topics: https://www.abw.gov.pl/pl/aktualnosci/2831%2CAkt-oskarzenia-w-sprawie-dzialan-dywersyjnych-na-rzecz-obcego-wywiadu.html  
Fake: A Ukrainian man was beaten in an Argentine cinema for singing the national anthem during a screening.
A video showing a fight inside an Argentine cinema during a screening of Spider-Man has circulated online. Social media users claimed the brawl erupted after a moviegoer of Ukrainian descent started singing the Ukrainian national anthem to protest the film featuring a soundtrack by russian singer Monetochka, prompting other patrons to beat him.  
In reality, the incident filmed in the video has no connection to Ukraine whatsoever. The clip originally appeared in the English-language segment of X, explaining that four men attacked another viewer during Spider-Man because he was loudly spoiling the plot to his girlfriend. Major reputable media outlets did not cover the fight, making it impossible to definitively confirm the exact cause of the brawl. The fabricated story about a Ukrainian in an Argentine theater originated on the X account "Reagan Ronald," a self-described satirical page that routinely pushes pro-russian fakes and threatens followers with "bans for fact-checking."  

maria zakharova. Russian agricultural products

Fake: The US is intentionally pushing russia into World War III to seize control of its territory and natural resources.
This narrative was promoted by American TV host Tucker Carlson and widely quoted by russian propaganda outlets. In reality, Carlson presents his personal speculation as factual truth, offering no evidence that the US seeks to invade russia, seize its resources, or wage war against it.  
russian propaganda utilizes such statements to push a long-standing kremlin narrative: that russia is not waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, but merely "defending itself" against the US and NATO. In truth, russia initiated the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continues to wage war against Ukrainians, rejecting numerous cease-fire proposals.  
Carlson once again passes off his own fantasies as reality, and russian propaganda eagerly amplifies his words because they fit its disinformation strategy perfectly. As a reminder, Carlson previously "discovered" US weapons intended for Ukraine in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, claimed that "Zelenskyy has no mandate from his people," and suggested that "Zelenskyy's government could be behind the assassination attempt on Trump."  
Fake: The West failed to fulfill its commitments to russia under the 2022 "Grain Deal."
Official spokesperson for the russian government, maria zakharova, claimed: "Back then, we agreed to a moratorium on combat operations in the Black Sea in exchange for Russian agricultural products gaining access to global markets. However, the West acted in bad faith: the humanitarian corridor we provided was widely used for terrorist attacks against Russian civilian and military assets, while Russian agricultural products remained sanctioned. This ultimately led to the termination of the Black Sea Initiative."  
In reality, the Black Sea Grain Initiative consisted of two separate agreements signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022. The initiative for the safe transport of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports was an agreement between russia, Ukraine, Türkiye, and the UN establishing a humanitarian maritime corridor to export Ukrainian grain, food products, and fertilizers from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. The deal remained active until July 2023, when russia refused to extend it.  
Under a separate memorandum, the UN committed to working with states and the private sector to reduce export obstacles, including "over-compliance"—excessive caution by banks, insurers, and shippers. This was not a legally binding Western commitment to lift sanctions. russia simultaneously made additional demands, such as reconnecting russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to SWIFT. Consequently, russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing unfulfilled terms of the memorandum.  
The UN never obligated itself to secure Rosselkhozbank's reconnection to SWIFT, full removal of insurance restrictions, resumption of farm machinery supplies, or unfreezing of all assets. russia framed these points as its own expectations and added demands.  
Thus, zakharova's assertion that "russian agricultural products remained under sanctions" is a outright lie: no such sanctions exist. EU Council Regulation 2022/1269 of July 21, 2022, explicitly states: "EU sanctions do not target in any way the trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilizers, between third countries and russia."  
zakharova's framing of "terrorist attacks on military targets" is absurd. Terrorism refers to attacks against civilian targets, whereas military installations during wartime are legitimate military targets. Furthermore, russia itself never halted strikes for a single day, regularly utilizing the Black Sea maritime area to attack Ukrainian civilian port infrastructure.  

Ukrainian commander Madyar. NAVTEX navigation. Armed Forces of Ukraine

Fake: Ukrainian commander "Madyar" mocked the death of Turkish sailor Savaş Çakar, who died following an attack on the vessel "Reyhan Sari."
In reality, Commander Robert Brovdi (call sign "Madyar") never posted such a comment on social media. This was confirmed by Ukraine's Ambassador to Türkiye, Nariman Dzhelyalov, in a statement to Türkiye Today: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/world/kyiv-rejects-viral-comment-attributed-to-magyar-over-turkish-sailors-death-3226283  
According to the diplomat, no member of Brovdi's team posted any such message on his behalf. The Ukrainian commander's name was fraudulently used to generate a fake post. The Embassy of Ukraine also expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, Savaş Çakar, emphasizing that every civilian death is a tragedy regardless of nationality.  
Ukraine issues advance NAVTEX navigation warnings to alert civilian ships regarding hazardous maritime zones in the Black Sea. The objective of this fake is to provoke outrage among the Turkish public, discredit the Ukrainian military, and drive a wedge between Ukraine and Türkiye.  
Fake: The Armed Forces of Ukraine received orders to kill foreign military personnel who cannot be evacuated from the battlefield.
This claim is being circulated by russian propaganda outlets citing unnamed "security officials." In reality, there is zero evidence that any such order exists. Propagandists fail to present official documents, name the commander who supposedly issued it, or offer any supporting proof.  
As "evidence," stories are attached mentioning the alleged deaths of specific foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine, including a British citizen near Kostiantynivka and a Brazilian national in the Kharkiv region. However, reports of foreign combatants dying in action in no way substantiate claims of command orders to execute wounded personnel. This is a classic substitution of proof with wild assumptions: russian propaganda exploits individual combat casualties among foreigners to push an unbacked story alleging Nazi practices in the Ukrainian army and "brutal treatment" of foreign volunteers. In reality, such practices are widely documented within russian military formations.  

russian strike Poland. Zaporizhzhia NPP. IAEA Director General

Manipulation: The IAEA Director General "urged Ukraine to immediately halt attacks on the Zaporizhzhia NPP."
Social media accounts and russian websites are circulating claims that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi supposedly "called on the Armed Forces of Ukraine to immediately cease attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant." russian media reported: "Grossi called a Ukrainian drone strike on a bus stop in Enerhodar 'the worst thing that has happened in this city.'"  
In reality, this information is manipulative. The IAEA Director General did not directly accuse Ukraine of attacking the NPP or launching a drone strike against a bus stop that resulted in one fatality. In an official statement published on the agency's X account, Grossi "urges military commanders from both sides to refrain from unacceptable actions," without explicitly attributing blame to either party: https://x.com/iaeaorg/status/2089702693614899368?s=46&t=-qkv6ioTPgO297Z5h7cmOw  
On August 18, 2026, the official IAEA X page reported that "a drone exploded at a bus stop used by NPP personnel." "The explosion injured 16 personnel and contractors, resulting in one fatality," the IAEA statement noted. Crucially, based on the statement, it was the director of the Zaporizhzhia NPP (who reports to the russian occupying administration)—not Grossi—who described the attack as the "most serious event" for the plant. russian propagandists falsely attributed this phrasing to the IAEA Director General himself. In official statements, the IAEA typically adheres to neutral language: avoiding assigning blame directly while urging both parties to cease military actions around nuclear facilities.  
As a reminder, the Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under illegal occupation by russian forces since March 2022. russia converted a civilian nuclear facility into a military base storing heavy weaponry, ammunition, and military personnel. Using the plant as a human shield, russian troops regularly shell nearby Ukrainian cities across the river from Enerhodar, including Nikopol and Marhanets.  
Fake: Warsaw labeled a crashed missile "russian" due to Russophobia and diktats from Brussels.
russian media: "Even before the investigation concluded, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that the missile that crashed near Lublin on July 30 was allegedly Russian. Tusk's statements demonstrate political bias and a continuation of Russophobic policy regardless of facts. In such situations, Warsaw should establish a bilateral Polish-Russian commission to investigate the incident. However, such behavior can hardly be expected from a Polish government blindly following orders from Brussels."  
russian outlets routinely depict Poland as an "aggressive anti-russian NATO outpost" posing a threat to russian security. Fact: On July 30, 2026, a russian Kh-101 missile crashed in a field in Poland's Lublin region during a massive russian strike targeting western Ukraine. That same day, russian forces launched missile attacks against civilian targets in Kyiv, Lviv, and other Ukrainian cities. Polish authorities officially confirmed that the missile was russian. Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated: "We can confirm with certainty that it was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which detonated upon impact": https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/07/31/russian-missile-that-crashed-in-poland-carried-significant-amount-of-explosive-material/  

Ukrainian drone. Portuguese F-16. enclave of Ceuta

Fake: Ukrainian neo-Nazis killed a Moroccan woman and her seven-year-old daughter in Ceuta.
Pro-russian media outlets spread reports claiming Ukrainian neo-Nazis murdered a Moroccan woman and her seven-year-old daughter in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. According to propagandists, Ukrainian radicals organized into street gangs broke into the family's apartment during a "patrol" and stabbed the mother and child to death. Fake posts claimed police detained a suspect who confirmed his Ukrainian origin. Propagandists cited Spanish news outlet El Faro de Ceuta and journalist Isabel Jiménez as the source.  
However, this is completely false. El Faro de Ceuta never published such an article; the screenshot was fabricated. No reputable Spanish or international media outlet reported any murder of a Moroccan woman and child by Ukrainians in Ceuta. A keyword search on elfarodeceuta.es yields zero matching results. While Isabel Jiménez is indeed a journalist for El Faro de Ceuta with an active author archive on the site, her published work contains no such article or similar topic.  
Internet searches in Spanish, English, and Ukrainian similarly return no results. Neither the Spanish National Police nor the Guardia Civil reported any detention of Ukrainian citizens in Ceuta. Furthermore, there is zero evidence of Ukrainian "street gangs" or "patrols" operating in Ceuta.  
In reality, the wave of neo-Nazi rhetoric surrounding the migration crisis in Ceuta was closely linked to a russian propaganda network. Analysts established that one primary origin point for the disinfo burst around Ceuta was the Telegram channel Rybar, which is linked to russian intelligence, after which its posts were amplified by a network of mirror accounts, including channels from the Pravda network.  
Fake: A Ukrainian drone damaged Portuguese F-16s at an Estonian airbase.
On August 6, 2026, videos and links to an article allegedly published by the international outlet The Defense Post began circulating on X, claiming that two Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighters were damaged at Estonia's Ämari Air Base. The posts alleged that a Ukrainian "Lyutyi" attack drone violated Estonian airspace, was shot down near Ämari, and its debris damaged two aircraft. 
In reality, no such incident ever occurred. Neither the Estonian Defence Forces nor NATO reported any airspace violations on August 6, drone shootdowns, or aircraft damage. The website hosting the "news" was a clone of The Defense Post, and the burning wreckage footage in the video was AI-generated and edited into authentic NATO video footage.  
First, by August 6, when the "incident" allegedly took place, Portuguese F-16s were no longer deployed at Ämari. Second, The Defense Post never published such a report. The legitimate outlet operates on the domain thedefensepost.com, whereas social media links led to thedefensepost.eu—a cloned domain registered on August 3, 2026, just three days prior to the fake's appearance. Estonian fact-checkers at Propastop determined that the fake was built over a genuine The Defense Post article from August 6 regarding Lockheed Martin anti-submarine sea trials: https://www.propastop.org/ru/2026/08/12/feikovaya-ataka-na-portugalskih-voennyh-na-aviabaze-amari/  
Third, the video footage used to illustrate the fake was unoriginal. It was edited together from NATO video footage originally published on June 11, 2025. Photos and video of drone debris were generated using AI. All three detection tools used to inspect screenshots and images on the clone site—SightEngine, DeepAI, and ImageWhisperer—flagged them as AI-generated with high probability.  
Propaganda exploited a real incident that occurred on May 19, 2026, when a Romanian Air Force F-16 on Baltic Air Policing duty shot down a drone over Estonia. Debris fell in a marshy area causing no casualties or damage, and Ukraine apologized for the unintentional incident. Such occurrences happen when Ukrainian drones targeting russian assets get off course due to russian electronic warfare jamming, which redirects drones toward the Baltic region: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-jet-shoots-down-drone-estonia-news-website-delfi-reports-2026-05-19/  
The fake's purpose is to depict Ukraine as a threat to NATO and EU citizens and budgets, framing the war as costing Europeans their own aircraft.

Olena Zelenska. Dragonfly Woman. Zelenskyy's daughter

Fake: Zelenskyy's daughter assaulted a waiter at an expensive London restaurant.
russian propagandists are circulating news alleging that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's daughter, Oleksandra Zelenska, attacked a waiter at The Ledbury restaurant in London after he refused her demands. Her security detail allegedly intervened, beating the waiter so severely that he is now permanently disabled.  
However, this story is entirely fabricated. Representatives at The Ledbury confirmed that no such brawl ever occurred at the establishment. Furthermore, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's daughter has never dined at The Ledbury. The photo of the "injured waiter" used in the clip was generated using AI. All four detection tools used to analyze the image—SightEngine, DeepAI, TruthScan, and ImageWhisperer—confirmed it is an AI fake.  
Oleksandra Zelenska, daughter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska, was born on July 15, 2004, making her 22 years old. She leads a private life: she maintains no public social media profiles and has made virtually no public appearances since the start of the full-scale invasion.  
Fake: A pendant stolen from the Lalique Museum was found on Olena Zelenska.
russian Telegram channels and social media users circulated a video featuring a fake BBC logo claiming Olena Zelenska appeared in Paris wearing a "Dragonfly Woman" pendant recently stolen from France's Lalique Museum. Propagandists claimed French photographers spotted the jewelry, though they offered no explanation for how it came into the First Lady's possession. 
In reality, the video is a fake, and the pendant was digitally added onto an image of Olena Zelenska using photo editing software. The BBC published no such story on its official website, social channels, or YouTube. No reputable media outlets reported any stolen jewelry discovered on Zelenska.  
To create the fake video, the authors manipulated photographs and video footage from the Ukrainian presidential couple's visit to Paris on July 13, 2026. That day, Volodymyr and Olena Zelenska arrived at the Élysée Palace for dinner following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing leaders. International news agencies covered the event. Original photos and video footage of the arrivals clearly show Olena Zelenska wearing no "Dragonfly Woman" pendant or large jewelry piece: https://www.youtube.com/live/bwBggrpXMcI The pendant appeared exclusively on the edited image inserted into the fake "BBC report." According to monitoring by Osavul, the fabricated story was first posted on July 23 by the pro-russian Telegram channel Golos Mordora before being picked up by larger propaganda outlets. Similar posts form part of a systematic campaign aimed at discrediting Olena Zelenska.