Doubts about the video were also sown by a “Facebook” user from Lithuania.
Last Thursday, August 29, he shared a clip with the caption: “Zelka recorded an uplifting video from Zaporizhzhia, in which he says he is with people and the army.
However, suddenly during the recording, two cars appear behind him out of nowhere – probably hallucinations from Colombian powders (text uncorrected – editor’s note).”
In the 14-second clip, the President of Ukraine states that everything is being done to bring victory closer and thanks everyone who is helping.
Meanwhile, two cars appear behind him on the road as if out of nowhere – a small truck and a passenger car. Judging by the dark green color, they could be military transport – a sign that V. Zelensky is speaking near a place where fighting is taking place.
This is confirmed by a sign visible behind him marking the entrance to Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. The nearby nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces since 2022, is the largest nuclear facility in Europe.
Analysts from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently reported on counterattacks by Ukrainian defense forces on the front. According to experts, they counterattacked near Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region and Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region.
One of the commenters on this post even published a photo allegedly showing V. Zelensky filming himself next to a huge photo with the same Zaporizhzhia sign.
In recent days, the same photo has been shared by several users of various social networks.
Internet users thus try to create a false impression that V. Zelensky could have actually filmed elsewhere and is using drugs. These are myths repeatedly propagated by propaganda.
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Moreover, this frame was most likely created using artificial intelligence. The program “Was It Ai,” designed to identify such images, shows a 68% probability that the photo is not authentic, while “Undetectable AI” and “Is This AI” indicate 93%.
V. Zelensky recently indeed visited Zaporizhzhia and filmed near its sign. A much higher quality video, now shared on social networks, was published on August 26 on the official website of the Ukrainian leader, as well as on the YouTube and Telegram channels. The Ukrainian media also reported on the visit.
VIDEO: Volodymyr Zelensky’s video from Zaporizhzhia
Volodymyr Zelensky’s video from Zaporizhzhia
In the recorded selfie, the president announced that he visited the soldiers, set further steps with the military leadership, and finally thanked everyone who defends Ukraine and helps limit Russia’s ability to prolong this war.
In the clip (at the 2:19 timestamp in the YouTube video), two cars really appear as if out of nowhere. This became an opportunity for internet users to speculate that V. Zelensky was filmed against a green screen and then inserted into the Zaporizhzhia frame, or that the clip was created using artificial intelligence.
This technical glitch proves nothing and can have various explanations. Two shots could have been combined because, for example, the president made a mistake while speaking, coughed, or someone came to talk, or the video was compressed at that point.
Several cars passed normally both before and after the discussed moment. The clip shows nothing special – no destruction, injuries, or battle that could be more easily assessed as staged, since filming nearby would not be easy. V. Zelensky could have recorded the same speech in Kyiv or elsewhere; the Zaporizhzhia sign just added extra color.
V. Zelensky has filmed in the same place more than once. A similar video from the same location (confirmed by the view of trees and bushes growing next to the Zaporizhzhia sign) was published on November 13, 2025.
15min verdict: manipulation. Claims that V. Zelensky films his traditional videos elsewhere or even in a studio and then they are edited are just Russian propaganda.
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.
