Does Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky actually have a secret talent for belly dancing? That’s what a number of accounts on Twitter and TikTok are saying, with video to prove it. However, it turns out that the viral video is actually a deepfake that’s been circulated by pro-Russian accounts in an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian president.
If you only have a minute:
- Pro-Russian accounts have been sharing a video showing a man belly dancing in a tight-fitting outfit, claiming that the dancer in question is none other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- However, we located the original video using a reverse image search. Turns out, the original footage shows a Russian dancer. The Ukrainian president’s face was then superimposed on the man’s dancing body.
- Because Volodymyr Zelensky had a career as an actor and comedian before he became a politician, pro-Russian propaganda outlets often share both clips of his past performances and doctored videos in an effort to discredit him.
The fact check, in detail:
A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) on January 5 seems to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wearing a tight-fitting outfit and doing what looks like a belly dance in front of a crowd.
"Everything happening as expected #UkraineRussiaWar", reads an ironic tweet in French featuring the video.
The video was also posted on Facebook and TikTok in several languages. This post from December 31, 2023 has already garnered more than a million views.
A 'deepfake'
When we carried out a reverse image search (check out how here), we found the original video, published on TikTok in October 2020 by a Russian dancer who calls himself "Vusaaal". Zelensky’s face has been superimposed on Vusaaal’s body – making this a deepfake.
Volodymyr Zelensky shouldn’t be taken seriously, say certain Russian accounts
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ensuing war, pro-Russian social media accounts have circulated a number of fake stories and videos targeting the Ukrainian president, making it seem as if he shouldn’t be taken seriously as a political leader.
For example, this isn’t even the first time that Zelensky has been portrayed as a belly dancer. He also appeared to belly dance in a tight-fitting outfit in a deepfake that circulated back in September 2023.
However, German media outlet Deutsche Welle investigated and concluded that that video didn’t show the Ukrainian president either – it actually shows an Argentine dancer, choreographer and dance teacher named Pablo Acosta. The Ukrainian president’s face was superimposed onto Acosta’s body. You can find the original video of Acosta on his Instagram.
In late 2022, the FRANCE 24 Observers team also looked into another video featuring a man, said to be Zelensky, dancing with a rocket launcher. In reality, the video showed a Russian comedian imitating the Ukrainian president.
These videos might appear credible, especially as Zelensky had a career as an actor and comedian before being elected president in 2019. A number of videos from his acting career are available online.
