By: Iryna Hnatiuk
February 22 2024
List linking media personalities to pro-Russian disinformation published by VoxUkraine, not by Zelenskyy
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The claim that Zelenskyy published the chart is false. The image was altered and shared with an incorrect description.
Claim ID 9b56dbeb
Context
A publication appeared on social media (archived here) with a complex diagram accompanied by the text, "From Kim Dotcom: "Zelenskyy released a helpful guide on who to follow if you want to learn the truth about the failing U.S. proxy war in Ukraine." The image includes photos of famous media personalities and bloggers.
However, Zelenskyy wasn't the author of this list. It was published by the Ukrainian analytical organization VoxUkraine.
In fact
VoxUkraine is an independent analytical organization that has operated in Ukraine since 2014. VoxUkraine is divided into several smaller sub-projects, including the Analytical department and VoxCheck, a fact-checking unit and member of the International Fact-Checking Network since 2018.
The analytical article "The Russian Propaganda Network: What Links Western "experts" Who Promote Narratives Beneficial to Russia" results from the joint work of these two departments, published on the official VoxUkraine website on February 9, 2024.
The article analyzes the work of "so-called 'experts' who amplify narratives aligned with Russian ones from their platforms," as stated in the report's introduction. The list includes 26 foreign personalities, mainly bloggers and speakers. The pictures of all 26 are included in the diagram, which was cut to hide a source of information and later shared on social media.
The Ukrainian president's official website and social media channels haven't published or shared this chart or article.
The original image and the one that was cut and shared on social media with a false description. (Source: VoxUkraine website, Facebook, screenshot)
The primary source of information about Zelenskyy publishing this list is internet entrepreneur and political activist Kim Dotcom. He posted this statement on his X (formerly Twitter) page, where he has 1.5 million followers. Kim Dotcom was the founder of Megaupload, a widely-used file-sharing site that, at its peak, was one of the internet's most popular websites. Megaupload allowed millions of users to upload and share large files, but it was shut down by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2012 due to copyright infringement allegations.
Dotcom's legal battles included copyright infringement charges, racketeering, and money laundering by the United States. His arrest in New Zealand in 2012 and the subsequent legal proceedings, including a fight against extradition to the U.S., garnered international media attention.
Dotcom has also positioned himself as an advocate for internet freedom and privacy, often speaking out against government surveillance and advocating for the rights of internet users. On his page on X, he published claims about COVID-19 as a weapon created to kill for profit and those supporting a deep-state conspiracy.
The publication of the so-called Zelenskyy guide appeared on his X account on February 15, 2024. As of writing, it has been shared more than three thousand times.
The verdict
The claim that the chart includes personalities "to follow if you want to learn the truth about the failing US proxy war in Ukraine" and was published by Zelenskyy is false. The image was altered and shared with an incorrect description.