The president of Ukraine is frequently targeted by disinformation campaigns, with numerous online users spreading false allegations of connections between Jeffrey Epstein and various Western politicians.
Users on social media platforms are distributing a set of AI-created images, erroneously presenting them as footage from surveillance cameras showing Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a meeting with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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The images depict a person resembling Zelenskyy shaking hands and conversing with Epstein. Posts accompanying these images falsely claim a close association between the two, alleging meetings in private, exclusive locations such as Epstein’s secluded island.
Nonetheless, ample proof shows these pictures are fabricated. Initially, The Cube, Euronews’ fact-checking unit, analyzed the images using Google’s AI tool Gemini, which identified a SynthID embedded in the content.
A SynthID is an invisible digital signature created by Google, indicating that parts or the whole of the image were produced or altered with Google’s AI technologies.
The visuals also display graininess and reduced clarity, a hallmark of AI-generated material aiming to conceal discrepancies and imitate surveillance footage.
Moreover, the timeline evidence contradicts the claim. The photographs reveal Zelenskyy as he has appeared since the onset of Russia’s widespread invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, wearing his usual green T-shirt.
Conversely, Epstein passed away in August 2019, just months after Zelenskyy assumed the presidency in May the same year.
No verifiable proof exists that the two ever met. The Cube has examined the Epstein case files extensively, including the most recent documents released late January, where Zelenskyy’s name arises only within media reports or related to the 2019 presidential elections in Ukraine.
There is no indication within these records of a personal or direct link between Zelenskyy and Epstein.
This is not the initial occasion of fabricated assertions aiming to associate the two individuals. Past fact-checking efforts have refuted similar claims propagated by pro-Russian Telegram channels, alleging ties involving Zelenskyy, Epstein, and human trafficking.
These investigations revealed that mentions of the Ukrainian leader were confined solely to news citations and the 2019 electoral context.
Additionally, attempts to spread the narrative that members of Ukraine’s elite overlooked Epstein-linked trafficking have circulated, often utilizing manipulated clips from reputable news organizations like the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo.
The practice of impersonating legitimate media to distribute falsehoods is a common technique in pro-Russian disinformation campaigns, including efforts like the Storm-1516 operation.
Zelenskyy remains a frequent target in such operations, part of a coordinated strategy aimed at undermining his credibility and weakening European backing for Ukraine as Moscow’s conflict progresses.
He is not the sole political figure falsely connected to the Epstein documents. France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have also been named in these files.
No evidence supports claims of direct meetings or correspondence between Epstein and either leader, despite circulating AI-generated images and social media rumors suggesting otherwise.