Russian propagandists are circulating fake photos and videos to discredit Ukraine's President
Russian Telegram channels and bot accounts on X and TikTok have been spreading videos and images of citylight advertisements and billboards featuring President Volodymyr Zelensky. The displays carry the slogan: “Volodymyr Zelensky – Smile More.” The posts claim that the advertisements are part of a nationwide social campaign that has allegedly sparked public outrage over the war and battlefield losses. As supposed evidence of Ukrainians' negative attitude toward the President, the propagandists share photographs showing people making obscene gestures in front of the billboards.
This claim is false.
In reality, describing the initiative as nationwide is misleading. While the advertising materials were indeed displayed, they appeared only in the city of Cherkasy in March, not across Ukraine. The campaign was announced by Volodymyr Braim, owner of the outdoor advertising company BraimMedia.
The organizers also linked the initiative to a response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's election campaign, which featured posters bearing the slogan: “Don't let Zelensky have the last laugh.”
