Russian Propagandists Circulate Forged Investigation About Zelensky’s Alleged Russian Passport

Russian propaganda outlets and pro-Kremlin Telegram channels have launched a coordinated disinformation campaign falsely claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky possesses a Russian passport issued in Crimea. The fabricated story, designed to appear as investigative reporting by the respected Ukrainian news outlet NV, has been debunked as entirely fraudulent.

The disinformation campaign centers on a video bearing the logo of NV’s English-language website and YouTube channel. According to the falsified report, hackers from the Anonymous collective supposedly breached Russia’s Federal State Registration Service (Rosreestr) and discovered evidence of a Russian passport issued to Zelensky in Crimea in 2015, after Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula. The fabricated story further claims these hackers used this passport information to uncover a $2 million apartment allegedly owned by Zelensky in Moscow-City, an upscale business district in the Russian capital.

An investigation into these claims quickly revealed multiple inconsistencies. The supposed “exclusive report” does not appear on NV’s official website or its English-language YouTube channel, where the most recent video was published approximately four weeks ago.

Further examination exposed the amateurish nature of the forgery. The passport image was clearly manipulated using basic photo editing software. Most tellingly, the photograph used in the fake passport is a screenshot taken from Zelensky’s video address on February 24, 2022 – hours before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The specific video addressed Russia’s recognition of the so-called “LPR/DPR” separatist regions.

This represents a pattern of similar disinformation tactics from Russian propagandists. In 2022, Russian sources circulated another fabricated Russian passport allegedly belonging to Zelensky, claiming it was issued in the Moscow region in 2001. That particular piece of disinformation was attributed to former Ukrainian MP Illia Kyva, who fled to Russia and has since become a prominent voice in anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

Media analysts note that these forgeries align with Russia’s broader information warfare strategy, which frequently attempts to portray Ukrainian leadership as hypocritical and secretly aligned with Russian interests. By suggesting Zelensky maintains Russian citizenship and property, propagandists aim to undermine his credibility both domestically in Ukraine and internationally.

“This is a textbook example of Russian disinformation tactics,” explained a European Union disinformation monitoring expert who requested anonymity. “They create a completely fabricated story, attribute it to a credible news source, and spread it widely through their propaganda networks. The goal is to sow doubt about Ukraine’s leadership and create confusion about Zelensky’s loyalties.”

The timing of this disinformation campaign coincides with critical military developments along the front lines and important diplomatic discussions about continued international support for Ukraine. By targeting Zelensky personally, Russian propaganda aims to weaken Western resolve in supporting Ukraine’s defense efforts.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of Russian propaganda efforts targeting Ukraine. Previously, Russian sources forged a Charlie Hebdo magazine cover related to Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian visit to Ukraine, demonstrating their willingness to falsify Western media content to serve propaganda objectives.

Ukrainian officials have not directly addressed this specific forgery, consistent with their approach of avoiding giving oxygen to obvious disinformation. However, Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications regularly documents and debunks Russian propaganda narratives as part of the country’s information defense strategy.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues into its third year, the information battlefield remains as active as the physical one, with Russian propagandists continuously developing new tactics to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and leadership legitimacy.