FACT CHECK: No, Video Of Man Dancing In Red Outfit Is Not Volodymyr Zelenskyy
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, allegedly shows a video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing.
Yaa sure zelensky will dance 🕺 all over Russia 🤦 pic.twitter.com/pWPbuPMrAy
— AbuTrump (@AbuTrump716) January 9, 2024
Verdict: False
The video does not actually show Zelenskyy. It has been digitally altered to put his face on someone else’s body.
Fact Check:
Zelenskyy recently traveled to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland and urged his allies to keep Ukraine’s conflict with Russia in mind as attention has shifted to the Israel-Hamas war, according to AP News. He also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “predator” and he won’t be satisfied with a “frozen” conflict, Euronews reported.
An X video appears to show footage of Zelenskyy dancing. The footage appears to show a man dancing to upbeat music while wearing a red garb. The video was posted in response to a post from Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley that reads, “No cash for Ukraine. No troops on the ground. We should give them the weapons they need to defend their sovereign country.”
“Yaa sure zelensky will dance all over Russia,” the reply with the video reads.
The footage has been digitally altered, however. The original video was posted to TikTok in 2020 by an account called Vusaaal and does not show Zelenskyy’s face. Once translated from Russian, the caption reads, “Dancing, my dancing, how do you like it? Modern or Oriental?” The account shows several other videos of the man dancing. (RELATED: No, Zelenskyy Did Not Purchase A $20 Million Mansion In Florida)
@vusaaal Танцы, мои танцы, как вам ? Современна или восток ? #рекомендации #рек #НиШагуБезDETTOL #танцы ♬ оригинальный звук – Insta: Vusaaaal
Zelenskyy has a history with dancing. He appeared on Ukraine’s version of the show “Dancing with the Stars” in 2006, according to the New York Post.
Check Your Fact has reached out to the original dancer and a Zelenskyy spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.
This is not the first time a video allegedly showing Zelenskyy dancing has spread online. Check Your Fact previously debunked a video of an Argentinian dancer that was claimed to be Zelenskyy.