Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 24/05/2023
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has visited several European countries and also attended the G7 summit in Japan. During his international tour, Zelensky sought to secure greater political and military support in defending his country against Russia. Given that the Ukrainian president spent significant time outside his country, this development served some commentators to develop a new theory.
One headline captured public attention in the region:
BREAKING NEWS: AFTER THREATS FROM MOSCOW, ZELENSKY WILL NO LONGER RETURN TO UKRAINE
The article further states:
“May became a month of active travel for the President of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky started his tour of Europe on May 3 with a surprise visit to Finland, continuing with visits to other European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the UK.
At some point, the Ukrainian leader’s rush tour of Europe began to raise questions: Is Zelensky afraid to return to Kyiv after Ukrainian drones attempted to attack the Kremlin?…”
These claims quickly began to spread on social media.
The text is based on a comment by journalist Anna Van Densky, who wonders if Zelensky intends to govern the war-torn country from exile.
However, this claim was quickly refuted.
Zelensky has already returned to Ukraine. He visited troops in the Donetsk region. Additional evidence is his address in video and written format, in which he says:
“Today, I was on our frontlines near Vuhledar and Maryinka in the Donetsk region. I was honored to congratulate our marines on their professional holiday, the Marine Corps Day.”
The official website of the President of Ukraine states that the article was published on May 23 at 22:24. The video was also published on the same date, and based on the surroundings in which it was filmed (as well as on previous occasions), it appears to be the Presidential palace in Kyiv.
Based on all the information provided, this post is rated as “Fake news.”
The “Fake news” rating is given to an original media report (completely produced by the media that published it) that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be reliably determined to have been created and disseminated with the intent to misinform the public, that is, to present a completely false claim as fact.