“STOLEN JEWELRY,” she began her post in capital letters, immediately giving importance to the news. “A pendant stolen from the ‘Lalique’ museum was found on Zelenska’s neck.
The French luxury glass manufacturer ‘Lalique’ museum was indeed robbed. Two dozen pieces of jewelry were taken, valued at several million euros.
(Ukrainian leader Volodymyr) Zelensky and his wife were visiting Paris, where the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ event took place, when French photographers spotted a pendant on Zelensky’s neck that perfectly matched the famous French artist René Lalique’s ‘Dragonfly Woman’.
(This pendant, along with 19 other artworks, was stolen from the ‘Lalique’ museum in early July.)
The total value of the stolen jewelry amounts to 5 million euros. How Zelenska got the pendant is still unknown. They are not even hiding… (text unedited – editor’s note).”
Some details suggest that the text was most likely translated by an automatic translation program or written by artificial intelligence (AI). For example, the first lady’s surname is written according to Russian rules (with the ending -aja), although in Lithuanian, English, and many other languages it is written only with -a (her full name is Olena Volodymyrovna Zelenska – Олена Володимирівна Зеленська).
Moreover, in the middle of the text, the pendant somehow ended up on V. Zelensky’s neck, although in the photo it is visible on the first lady’s white shirt, which is also mentioned at the very beginning.
Translating the text into Russian with Google Translate and entering it into the search field, you can find more than one post stating that the pendant was worn by O. Zelenska (not the president), some texts even completely match.
The news with similar text is activelyspread in Slovak as well as in English. However, it is not true – O. Zelenska did not wear the mentioned jewelry; it appeared on the woman’s shirt using computer editing.
The pendant is hard to see
In texts accusing Ukraine’s first lady of wearing stolen expensive jewelry, as proof, a supposed British public broadcaster BBC report or at least a frame from it is attached. The screen shows a recognizable logo, the video is well made, and the voiceover presents the information in a journalistic style.
The one-minute video tells about the theft on July 5 from the ‘Lalique’ museum operating in France. It states that about 20 pieces were stolen, valued at 7 million euros. Among them is the art nouveau style masterpiece ‘Dragonfly Woman,’ created around 1898 by French jeweler René Lalique.
In this part of the report – almost half a minute – there is no mention that this piece could have ended up in O. Zelenska’s hands. Only then does she appear – the voiceover reports that French photographers captured Ukraine’s first lady wearing the pendant.
The couple, as stated in the report, was recorded arriving at the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ meeting. A triangular-shaped jewelry piece is indeed visible on the white shirt, but O. Zelenska was filmed not in such a close-up to see exactly what it is.
Finally, it is said that the ‘Dragonfly Woman’ is valued at 800 thousand euros and that it is unclear how the president’s wife got it.
This one-minute video was posted on July 23 by a user on X. So far, it has been viewed almost 250 thousand times and seems to be the first report about such jewelry fate.
Commentators guessed that O. Zelenska might have worn a copy of the jewelry or that the frame was not authentic because no such BBC report could be found.
It definitely does not exist – several Google searches with various keywords were unsuccessful, it is even difficult to find a report about the theft from the ‘Lalique’ museum, but there is a lot of information about last year’s theft from the Louvre and its gallery opening a few days ago.
Also read: The mystery of the Russian passport near the Louvre: lost by thieves, French, or pro-Kremlin internet users?
For a broadcaster of BBC’s level, this report seems unusual. It is made only from so-called coverage – filmed footage – and voiceover. Neither museum representatives, who should be very upset that the stolen exhibit is dared to be worn by the first lady, nor experts who might explain how this is possible, were interviewed, nor was there an attempt to talk to the Zelenskys, who usually do not refuse to communicate with the media.
Only wore earrings
Ukraine’s Center for Combating Disinformation posted the next day on its social network account on X that the news about the allegedly stolen jewelry worn by the first lady is false, and according to experts, Russia is behind it.
The Center states that the video is a fake: “This information is incorrect, and the video is fake. Such material is not on official BBC platforms. Original photos and videos from the event in Paris clearly show that O. Zelenska did not have this jewelry.”
Understand instantly
Were the valuables stolen from the Louvre really found in Ukraine during searches?
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In this photo taken by Turkish agency Anadolu photographer Mustafa Yalcin, which can be found in the Reuters agency archive, the first lady is captured wearing a black suit and white shirt. The only visible jewelry is small earrings; there are no pendants, chains, or brooches.
“The pendant image was artificially added to the edited video. This disinformation campaign is part of systematic Russian efforts to personally discredit V. Zelensky and his family members,” experts explained. Yes, in their words, the enemy aims to create a negative image of Ukraine’s leadership in the eyes of the West and reduce international support for it.
Experts in combating disinformation reminded that hostile networks previously spread false stories about “11 million dollars belonging to Zelensky’s parents,” “luxury real estate purchases,” and the first lady’s “expensive jewelry purchases” abroad.
Also read: Did Olena Zelenska really buy jewelry worth a million dollars in New York?
Also read: Reactions to Olena Zelenska’s visit to Paris: did she really travel to splurge?
A similar fake news was spread this spring – that a painting by French post-impressionist Paul Cézanne stolen from an Italian museum hangs in V. Zelensky’s office. This was also allegedly reported by the BBC. Then the frame was also altered, while in reality, the president’s office is decorated with a work by a contemporary Ukrainian artist.
Also read: Russians spread fake news about a ‘discovered’ stolen famous painting in V. Zelensky’s office
Stolen for 4.5 million euros
There is only a grain of truth in the fake news about O. Zelenska – the French luxury glass manufacturer ‘Lalique’ museum was indeed robbed. Early on the morning of July 5, criminals took two dozen pieces of jewelry valued at several million euros.
As reported by the newspaper Le Monde, at about 5:30 a.m., a gang of masked thieves broke into the museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in northeastern France, smashing six display cases.
“About 20 pieces of jewelry were stolen. Currently, losses are being assessed, but they may reach several million euros, probably almost 4 million euros,” said a source from the AFP news agency.
The museum reported even greater losses – 27 pieces of jewelry were stolen, valued at about 4.5 million euros.
Among them is R. Lalique’s pendant “Dragonfly Woman with outstretched wings,” the first piece of jewelry acquired by the museum. Therefore, this work made of gold, diamonds, and enamel is very symbolic and valuable to the museum.
Additionally, various brooches, necklaces, and pendants were stolen, two bracelets, a neck ornament, a long necklace, a bust, a perfume bottle, combs, a hat pin, a belt buckle, and a mask.
15min verdict: altered frame. The expensive French jeweler’s pendant was indeed stolen, but it appeared on O. Zelenska’s neck using editing software.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social networks. More about the program and its rules – here.
