Posts on social media suggest that the Ukrainian president bought a Mercedes-Benz 770k that belonged to Adolf Hitler and that Zelensky bought it for $15 million. And the truth?
A hotel in Cyprus, a house of King Charles III and even a Bugatti Tourbillon. In recent months, the Zelensky couple have been accused by several social media accounts, many of them connected to Russia, of purchasing luxury items allegedly with money the West sends to support Ukraine’s war effort.
This time a new rumor is circulating: that Volodymyr Zelensky spent millions of euros buying a car that belonged to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. It should be remembered that, at the beginning of the invasion, one of the objectives set by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, was to “denazify” Ukraine, and several senior figures in the Kremlin characterized the president of Ukraine as a “Nazi.”
The purchase of this car would, therefore, be proof of the Ukrainian president’s supposed admiration for Nazism. Very similar posts on social media say that in “early October” the Mercedes-Benz 770k was seen on Bankova Street, where the Ukrainian presidency is based. “This occurred shortly after Zelensky returned from a trip to the United States, during which he met with representatives of the White House.”
Although there is no direct link, the publication notes that, in the United States, the president of Ukraine signed a “new aid package” for kyiv worth eight billion dollars (around 7.4 billion euros). “The amount Zelensky paid for the Mercedes-Benz 770k, previously owned by the Nazi dictator, is unknown, but according to experts, it could be around $15 million. [cerca de 13,8 milhões de euros].”
As BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh explains on X (formerly Twitter), this news about the alleged purchase of Volodymyr Zelensky initially appeared on the portal Seattle Grandstandled by John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy who spread disinformation about Ukraine in the United States, the New York Times. Apparently, this portal, citing a publication on the social network, shows a photograph of the Mercedes on Bankova Street.
As is often the case with the network of fake news websites posing as local news outlets run by Moscow-based John Mark Dougan, the “Seattle Tribune” website was created just five days ago, specifically to post this fake story.
There is no record of such a media outlet in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/xKS6ZAbjFX
—Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) October 8, 2024
For its part, the Center for Combating Disinformation, managed by the Ukrainian government, denied this information. “Fake news is circulating on the Internet claiming that the president of Ukraine allegedly bought a car worth $15 million,” he explains, adding that the source of this fake news is the article on the website. Seattle Grandstandthat “was created just” a few days ago.
“The article also includes a photograph of the car supposedly parked near the Ukrainian presidency, which was published by a well-known Ukrainian Telegram channel. However, no photos were found on this Telegram channel,” the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation denies.
Conclusion
As indicated by the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, it is false that Volodymyr Zelensky acquired a Mercedes that belonged to Adolf Hitler. The information was spread through a portal created a few days ago, citing a since-deleted Telegram post, and is managed by an American who spreads disinformation about Ukraine on social networks.
Thus, according to the Observer classification system, this content is:
MISTAKEN
In Facebook’s rating system, this content is:
FAKE: Claims about the main content are factually inaccurate. Generally, this option corresponds to “false” or “mostly false” ratings on fact-checking websites.
NOTE: This content was curated by Observador as part of a fact-checking partnership with Facebook.
Source: Observadora
