Russia has ramped up its disinformation campaign targeting Ukraine’s president
On social media platforms like Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube, Russian bots are circulating a propaganda video that manipulates Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2019 inauguration speech. The video portrays the devastating consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine but falsely presents them as direct results of actions taken by the Ukrainian government. It features several false Russian narratives, including alleged oppression of Russian speakers, forced conscription, and exaggerated war casualties. The video concludes with a fabricated scene of President Zelensky allegedly fleeing the country with bags of money.
This video is entirely fake and manipulative, produced by the Russians with the intent to discredit Zelensky and blame him for a war initiated by Russia.
The main roles in the video are played by Russian actors and athletes.
The elderly woman who is mistreated by people in military uniforms is portrayed by Russian actress Tatyana Korneta. She studied acting in Kharkiv and is listed on a Russian actor database as “fluent in Ukrainian with a dictionary.” Korneta frequently plays elderly women in various Russian propaganda projects, the most well-known being the 2023 crime drama “The Boy’s Word.”
The role of a man killed in the war is played by Eduard Naumov, a collaborator from Luhansk. His profile notes that he speaks Ukrainian. Naumov has appeared in previous propaganda materials, including a campaign video for the Russian political party LDPR.
The soldier who lost his legs in the war is portrayed by Russian Paralympian Yuri Komarov, who competed as part of Russia’s para ice hockey team at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games.
Through this propaganda, Russia is attempting to sow division within Ukrainian society by blaming Zelensky for the consequences of the war it started.
However, according to sociologists, these efforts have not succeeded. A poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between May 2 and 12, 2025, found that 74% of Ukrainian citizens trust Volodymyr Zelensky.
Earlier, Russian propagandists also fabricated claims that staff from military enlistment offices are involved in university examination boards in Ukraine.
Andriy Olenin
Source: How Russian propaganda used actress, collaborator and Paralympian against Zelensky
