A supposedly BBC-made report has circulated online claiming that the stolen painting by Paul Cézanne, "Still Life with Cherries," was found in Zelensky's office. France 24 believes that a related network may be involved.
A fake report has circulated on the internet claiming that the stolen painting by Paul Cézanne, "Still Life with Cherries," was found in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The recording features the BBC News logo, although the media corporation has not aired such a story on its website, and its representatives stated that the video is fake, reports DW.
On Friday, April 24, France 24 and Euronews released their own investigations into this material. According to their information, the accounts spreading the false news claimed that Zelensky received the painting from the mafia. Within just a few hours, the video was viewed more than 400,000 times on one social media profile alone.
In the original video, works by Ukrainian artist Andriy Chebotaru hang on the wall in Volodymyr Zelensky's office.
The Fake about the Stolen Painting in Zelensky's Office May Be Linked to the Russian GRU
The publication of fake materials disguised as products made by well-known media is a classic tactic from the "manual" of the disinformation network "Storm-1516," which is associated with the GRU (formerly the Main Intelligence Directorate, now the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), France 24 was informed by the Gnida Project, which tracks this network.
"It is believed that this network, operating for the past three years, has been behind numerous disinformation operations targeting France and Western countries, as evidenced by several reports, including a report from the French government agency that deals with foreign interference, Viginum," France 24 writes.
Additionally, "Storm-1516" has been publicly linked to the GRU and the Moscow "Center for Geopolitical Expertise" in the U.S. Treasury Department.
Euronews connects the publication to the pro-Kremlin disinformation network "Matryoshka."
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