The National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation debunked a fake spread by the Senegalese publication SENE.NEWS, which, according to the source, "journalist" Shahzad Nassir, reported that President Zelensky allegedly concealed yachts worth $75 million through proxies. The fake includes fictitious photos of documents that allegedly confirm the purchase of the yachts; in addition, the author of the source is not identified by his place of work, and his personal channel is generated using AI.
This is reported by UNN with reference to the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
A Russian disinformation company in Africa is spreading fake news about "President Zelensky's yachts.
Context
In November 2023, the Senegalese edition of SENE.NEWS published an article titled "President of Ukraine Zelensky uses proxies to hide his ownership of yachts worth $75 million".
The primary source for the article was a video on the YouTube channel of the so-called journalist Shahzad Nasir. It was found that this channel contains only two videos, both aimed at discrediting Zelenskyy and generated using AI.
Shahzad Nasir's account is also registered on social network X, where he is listed as a reporter for the Emirates 24/7 news website.
According to the CPJ, the author with this name does not actually exist on the Emirates 24/7 website. There are also no previous works by this "journalist".
Important: The fake includes photos of documents that allegedly confirm the purchase of the yachts. However, these vessels are still for sale, which is confirmed by the Italian fact-checking resource Open online.
The CPJ points out that it was Russian propaganda channels that actively spread the fake from the African publication to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Recall
The Russian Federation is spreading the "news" about the presence of foreign observers at the illegitimate "elections" in the temporarily occupied Crimea, while in fact, no reputable international organization has sent its observers to these pseudo-elections.
A Russian missile attack targeted the infrastructure of the Odesa port during Zelenskyy's official visit with the Greek Prime Minister, but did not hit the presidential motorcade, as falsely reported by Russian media.
У Рубіжному голоси "виборців" збирають на маршрутці - Луганська ОВА 14.03.24, 09:18