FACT CHECK: Image Claims Zelenskyy Faked Going To The Front With A Green Screen

Elias AtienzaJune 24, 2022

An image shared on Facebook claims Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used a green screen to simulate him appearing in Ukraine during the country’s conflict with Russia.

Verdict: Misleading

The image shows Zelesnkyy using hologram technology to appear before European technical conferences. The president was also recently photographed visiting cities along the front-lines.

Fact Check:

Zelenskyy declined a U.S. offer to be evacuated from the capital of Kyiv during the first days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to CNN. The Ukrainian leader made his first trip outside Kyiv during the conflict to the front-line city off Kharkiv, BBC News reported.

The Facebook image, shared over 170 times, shows a photo of Zelesnkyy in front of a green screen, suggesting he is not actually in Ukraine. “Be safe in there guy…Keep your eyes open so you don’t trip over an extension cord. Cgi can be dangerous,” the post’s caption reads.

The context in the Facebook image is inaccurate. The technology is being used to have Zelenskyy appear as a hologram at several major European tech conferences, according to the Odessa Journal. A Business Wire release from Evercoast, a metaverse technology company, states the “volumetric video” production took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, also providing the photo seen in the Facebook image.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses global tech innovators in 3D volumetric video, produced with Evercoast’s industry-leading, portable, volumetric capture technology,” the picture’s caption reads on the release. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Volodymyr Zelenskyy And His Wife Singing ‘Endless Love’ By Lionel Richie)

Images released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service showed that Zelesnkyy visited the cities Odessa and Mykolaiv earlier in June, according to The New York Times. He also visited the Donbas region as well to meet with troops, the Wall Street Journal reported.

This is not the first time Zelesnkyy’s whereabout have been the subject of misinformation. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim suggesting the Ukrainian leader purchased a $35 million villa in Florida.