A surge of pro-Russian disinformation targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine has recently intensified, fueled by a reported dispute between Zelenskyy, former U.S. President Donald Trump, and Vice-President JD Vance in the Oval Office. According to Madeline Roache, managing editor at NewsGuard, there has been a "significant increase in false claims about Ukraine on U.S. social media in recent weeks," particularly following accusations from Donald Trump that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ungrateful for U.S. military support.

Roman Osadchuk, an open-source and disinformation researcher at the National University of Kyiv, noted an "avalanche of different disinformation campaigns… trying to portray President Zelenskyy personally as a bad leader… and that Ukraine is bad, corrupt and should stop the war." These narratives frequently align with pro-Russian propaganda, which often depicts Zelenskyy as corrupt and profiting from the ongoing conflict.

NewsGuard reported a substantial increase in social media posts and articles mentioning Zelenskyy alongside terms such as "villa," "yacht," "winery," or "mansion." Between February 18 and February 24, 2025, approximately 27,600 posts were identified, marking a 2,524% increase compared to the preceding six-day period, which had only 1,050 mentions. Several of these viral claims have been investigated by DW Fact Check.

Claim 1: Zelenskyy Swore at Trump in London

A post on X claimed “Zelensky burning a very big bridge,” featuring a video purportedly showing Zelenskyy swearing at Trump upon arriving to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The TikTok video suggested Zelenskyy used expletives, which were bleeped out, against Trump.

DW Fact Check: False. Original footage of Zelenskyy’s arrival at 10 Downing Street confirms that he did not mention Trump or use any expletives. When asked by reporters about his trip, Zelenskyy simply responded, "Okay, thank you so much."

Claim 2: Zelenskyy Demanded Americans Fight in Ukraine

Viral posts on X claimed Zelenskyy “demanded” the U.S. send its “sons and daughters” to fight in Ukraine. The posts included a video clip of Zelenskyy stating, “The U.S. will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the same way as we are sending our sons and daughters to war. And they will have to fight… and they will be dying.” The video was shared by figures like Alex Jones.

DW Fact Check: False. The video clip is from a February 24, 2023 speech. Zelenskyy was discussing a hypothetical scenario in which Ukraine loses the war and Russia invades NATO's Baltic states, potentially triggering Article 5 of NATO's treaty, requiring U.S. intervention. The 19-second excerpt was taken out of context. His full quote: "If Ukraine loses, Russia is going to enter Baltic states, NATO states, then the U.S. will have to send their sons and daughters exactly in the same way as we are sending our sons and daughters to war."

Claim 3: USAID Paid for Pro-Ukrainian Bots and Fakes About Russia

A manipulated screenshot of a fake Fox News article dated February 10, 2025, circulated on social media, claiming USAID pays $140 million per month to Ukraine's Psychological and Information Warfare Center to create pro-Ukrainian bots and fake news about Russia. The altered image included a Fox News journalist's byline and a statement asserting the center has been fabricating content since 2022.

DW Fact Check: False. Fox News confirmed that no such story was ever published. Official U.S. data reveals that Congress appropriated $182.75 billion for Ukraine-related efforts between 2022 and 2024, with USAID's share being approximately $39.9 billion. This funding was primarily allocated to humanitarian aid, governance programs, and public service support. There was no mention of any disbursement to a “Psychological and Information Warfare Center.” According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the "psychological operations unit" is part of its Special Operations Forces (SOF). A January 2025 U.S. Department of State fact sheet stated that SOF received a total of $42 million since 2014 for training and other services to develop SOF and Ukraine’s National Guard.

Claim 4: Ukraine Staged War Scenes to Get More Money from the US

An X user claimed, “Ukraine 'soldiers' have resorted to faking combat in order to appear 'war torn' so the slush fund from the US keeps churning money their way!” The post included a video of a woman in combat uniform receiving makeup.

DW Fact Check: False. The video was filmed during the production of the music video for the song “Brothers” by Ukrainian artists Misha Skorpion and Vitsyk. Vitsyk, a paramedic serving in the Ukrainian army, addressed the allegations in another TikTok video, stating they are fighting and evacuating, not making a movie. The woman in the video is Mariana Checheliuk, a former police officer from Mariupol who was held in Russian captivity for over two years and liberated in May 2024. Similar claims have been debunked by DW Fact Check in the past, including alleged “living corpses” after the Bucha massacre.