
For countless years, all of us have operated under a fairly simple rule: seeing is believing. Unfortunately, we now live in an unprecedented era of fake videos that can make even the craziest things seem true. And it can be hard to debunk those videos because our brains are wired to tell us that what we see and hear must be true.
Case in point: recently, a video has been circulating claiming that the Ukrainian First Lady, Olena Zelenska, has been seeking political asylum in other countries. Many felt this video was accurate, especially because it was branded as a BBC video. In reality, this was a fake meant to smear the First Lady and her country.
What is this video all about? How do we know it’s fake, and who might be behind it? Keep reading to find out!
A video about Ukraine’s First Lady breaks the internet

Below, you can view some of the video in question. It claims that Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, has been trying to seek political asylum in other countries. The goal of this fake video seems to be to undermine the faith of the First Lady’s people by painting her as a coward who is all too happy to run away in the face of continued Russian attacks.
One of the darker aspects of the video is its claim that after the First Lady sought asylum in some unnamed European country, her request was removed, causing Ukraine’s own intelligence forces to keep her confined in a secret location. Again, the smear attempt is quite clear: whoever is behind this video wants the rest of the world to believe that Ukraine is so divided that its intelligence officials are forced to confine its First Lady.
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The video has BBC branding

The internet is full of fake videos. In fact, countless ones have likely been posted since you first started reading this article! Fortunately, many online users have gotten better and better at spotting fake videos or, at the bare minimum, confirming claims that sound dubious. Why, then, did the video about First Lady Olena Zelenska convince so many people that it’s real?
The main reason the video seemed so convincing is that it was made to look like a BBC video. If you compare this fake clip with real clips from the British media giant, you will see that they use the same logo, font, colors, and so on. And because the BBC is one of the most reliable news organizations in the entire world, the fake video’s BBC branding made it seem that much more convincing to those who watched it.
The wildest claims of the video

We’ve already covered the most basic claims of this fake video. But the devil is, as they say, always in the details. And the details behind the most explosive claims in this fake video reveal the depths of its depravity as well as the lengths some will go to in order to reduce the morale of the Ukrainian people.
For example, the video tries to paint Olena Zelenska’s non-existent attempt at seeking political asylum as an “escape attempt.” This language is deliberately divisive, making her sound like a prisoner rather than the First Lady of a sovereign nation. The video also claimed she was seeking asylum because of “a number of unspecified political disagreements” with her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This is more propaganda, of course, meant to imply a major wedge between the country’s leader and his staunchest ally against Russia.
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All of the claims have been debunked

Once the BBC-branded video came out claiming that Olena Zelenska was seeking political asylum in another country, many experts rushed to verify its claims. This was potentially a major scandal involving one of the most famous people in the world. Therefore, it should be pretty easy to prove these wild claims…right?
As you might expect, it didn’t take experts long to verify that the tape was a complete fake. The BBC never released such a video, and the Ukrainian government dismissed it as nothing but fake propaganda. In all likelihood, the video was made to capitalize on the fact that Zelenska hadn’t made any public appearances since late March, lending credence to the idea that she might be tucked away in some kind of government safehouse.
Who was behind this fake video?

Who is behind the fake video claiming that Olena Zelenska is trying to flee from her country? So far, nobody has claimed responsibility. And this might very well be the work of one bored video editor who decided to use his talents to spread malicious lies.
However, we must also consider the notion that another nation might be behind this video. Russia, for example, has long been losing face in front of other nations in the wake of its failed invasion of Ukraine. This video may simply be the latest effort from Vladimir Putin to demoralize Ukraine and turn Western powers against the nation. Fortunately, global sympathy towards Ukraine remains widespread as it fights back against continued Russian aggression.
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