Russia Faked a BBC Report to Claim Zelensky Has a Stolen Cézanne Painting, Earning 2.4 Million Views on X
A falsified BBC report shows a valuable stolen painting behind Zelensky (left). A real photo of the same room shows a different painting (right). NewsGuard photo
NewsGuard
A Russian influence campaign featuring a fabricated BBC news report claims that a famously stolen painting by French impressionist Paul Cézanne was visible behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a recent address.
A closer look: The claim has garnered 2.4 million views on X, where it is being cited by pro-Kremlin users as proof of Zelensky’s involvement in crime and corruption.
• An April 22 X post by pro-Kremlin user @its_The_Dr, which has since been removed, shared the falsified BBC report and stated: “Cezanne painting worth $3M, stolen from an Italian museum a month ago was spotted in one of Zelensky’s now-deleted videos. Any idea how it could’ve ended up hanging on the wall in his office?” The post gained 1.3 million views and 16,000 likes before it was removed.
• Another viral April 22 X post by @ElectBilzerian, an independent account pushing the candidacy of Florida Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian, shared the video and said, “A Stolen Cezanne painting identified in a Jewish Mafia leader[’]s live stream, was stolen along with 3 other paintings from an Italian Museum years ago.” The “Jewish Mafia leader” is an apparent reference to Zelensky. The post received 1.6 million views in one week.
Actually: The footage of Zelensky speaking in front of the stolen painting is doctored.
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