Zelensky's double and moving corpses: conspiracy theories appeared on the net that there is no war in Ukraine

The first anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (February 24) has sparked a surge of fake news on social media. However, many of these posts have gained millions of views. Edition with the BBC decided to collect the most popular fakes and debunk them.

Photo: IStock

At the same time, many manipulative misrepresentations were spread by right-wing accounts in the United States with a large number of subscribers. They published a series of baseless posts claiming that the entire war in Ukraine could be staged by Western media and governments.

Among the users who spread the most viral statements were those who were banned from Twitter in the past, but were allowed back after the purchase of the network by Elon Musk.

War is not fake

One of the false claims that is spreading on social media is that the entire war is somehow staged.

As evidence, some well-known accounts cited the alleged lack of footage from the front lines.

So, one of the commentators complained about the "lack of military footage" and added that it "smells like a scam." The post went viral.

Another Twitter user, who has 1,4 million followers, said there were "no videos and no detailed reports" about the war.

The post was later shared by Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, adding: "Let someone prove him wrong!"

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In fact, the course of events of the war in Ukraine has been carefully documented. Along with eyewitness accounts, the world media are filming a large amount of video footage from the Ukrainian front line. They examined false claims about some of the key events in the military confrontation. There is also evidence from governments and agencies from many countries around the world that confirms that war is a reality.

From the start, social media has been full of videos of the war, most of which have been confirmed as authentic by journalists.

The hole in the Kyiv high-rise building is not fake

Just two days after the Russian invasion, footage of a high-rise residential building in Kyiv with a huge gaping hole after being hit by rockets went around the world.

Journalists covered in detail the consequences of the strike from the scene.

But in the last few days (a year later), videos and photos of the house, which has since been renovated and partially refurbished, have gone viral again.

These photos and videos became the reason for discussion and allegations that this house was not shelled at all. And all because, according to the arguments of the people who claim this, it is impossible to restore the building during the ongoing hostilities.

Among those who shared this statement was a right-wing podcaster and anti-vaxxer whose previously suspended Twitter account was recently reinstated.

However, apart from regular rocket attacks from Russia, Kyiv has ceased to be a front-line city since the end of March 2022, when Russian troops from northern Ukraine transferred the main forces to the south and east. The process of repair and reconstruction began in May last year and was covered in detail by the Ukrainian media with photographs of the house under construction in summer and autumn.

Video of moving corpses

The video, which allegedly shows a reporter in Ukraine standing in front of rows of sacked corpses with one of the bodies "moving", has been viewed millions of times over the past few days.

As a result, there have been claims that this is "proof" that actors were hired to represent the dead bodies. And all this to illustrate the narrative of the Western countries about the war in Ukraine.

“Stop moving - you should be dead,” read one popular tweet from one account. The video was shared by several users on Facebook and TikTok with similar claims.

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But in reality, this video has nothing to do with the war. It is taken from a report by the Austrian newspaper Osterreich about the climate protest in Vienna in early February 2020, during which activists tried to draw attention to the danger of carbon dioxide emissions to human life.

This is not the first time this video has been used as “evidence” of some kind of fake. It has previously been cited as “proof” that deaths from COVID-19 are faked. Moreover, both times are an obvious deception.

"Double" Zelensky

Viral photos and videos posted online claim to show the "accidental" discovery of a doppelgänger of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

One video, which has garnered millions of views, is being promoted as evidence that the Ukrainian president allegedly has a "secret doppelgänger" who mistakenly appeared on footage shown on Polish television, apparently dressed in the same clothes as the president.

Other videos show the same man in the background during US President Joe Biden's visit to Kyiv.

However, the “random” double turned out to be Zelensky’s non-random personal bodyguard. His name is Maxim Donets. He has headed the presidential security service since May 2019.

Photos in which he accompanies the Ukrainian president in public in different clothes can be easily found on the Internet.

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