Reuters fact-checked a video that allegedly showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The clip features a man, who resembles Zelensky, being shaken awake.
According to Reuters, the video was shared on social media on July 22 with the caption, “unconfirmed reports: Zelensky missing for 24 hours.” However, the report revealed that the viral video is actually a digitally altered clip from 2014.
Such fake videos of political leaders have gone viral in the past as well. For example, during the 2020 U.S. presidential election, videos falsely showing Joe Biden in compromising situations were widely circulated.
Similarly, doctored clips of former President Donald Trump have been spread online, showing him in altered contexts to mislead viewers. These fake videos aim to create confusion and spread misinformation about public figures.
According to the Ukrainian government, in early February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to eliminate Ukrainian leaders. In early March, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Chechen commandos sent to assassinate Zelenskyy had been “eliminated” with help from sympathetic FSB agents.
In February 2022, Redut PMC was given a covert mission to infiltrate and eliminate Ukraine’s political leadership and Secret Service in the Kyiv region. Over a thousand fighters entered the region, but the mission failed because the Ukrainian government had prior intelligence. This resulted in Redut losing up to 90% of their force.
More than 400 Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group were reportedly in Kyiv by late February 2022, ordered to assassinate Zelenskyy and destabilize the government enough for Russia to take control.
In August 2023, another alleged assassination attempt was stopped when Ukraine’s security service arrested a woman suspected of gathering information on Zelenskyy’s trip to the Mykolaiv region.
In April 2024, a man was arrested in Poland for allegedly collecting information about Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, used by Zelenskyy, to aid Russian intelligence services in an assassination plot.
In May 2024, two Ukrainian colonels were arrested for treason in a plot by the FSB to create a network of agents to subdue those close to Zelenskyy and eventually take him hostage and kill him.
The arrested colonels were part of the State Security Administration. Three FSB members — Maxim Mishustin, Dmytro Perlin, and Oleksiy Korne — were identified as the plotters. Ukrainian General Kyrylo Budanov was reported to be the first target in the plan, which was to be carried out before Orthodox Easter Sunday on May 5.
