Ukrainian presidency dismisses claims linking stolen Cézanne to Zelenskyy
A video circulating on X falsely claims Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has a recently stolen Paul Cézanne painting in his office, which is not supported by evidence.
The fabricated video demonstrates a coordinated pro-Kremlin disinformation operation, highlighting the sophisticated use of manipulated media to propagate misleading narratives.
“The allegations that the stolen painting has ever hung in the office are false,” stated the Ukrainian presidency in response to the fabricated video claims.
Key developments
Posts on X claim that a painting recently stolen in Italy is displayed in Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s office, specifically Paul Cézanne’s Still Life with Cherries, valued at €9-10 million.
However, the Ukrainian presidency has officially denied these claims, asserting that the painting has never been in Zelenskyy’s office and labelling the allegations as false.
Fact-finding efforts reveal that the altered video, originally based on a legitimate interview, features different artwork than what actually hangs in Zelenskyy’s office.
Does Zelenskyy have a stolen painting in his office?
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Posts shared on X feature what appears to be a BBC News report of an interview with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy from his office in Kyiv.
In the background of the footage, a painting is visible, identified as Nature morte aux cerises, or “Still Life with Cherries” in English, by the French artist Paul Cézanne.
The posts suggested that the painting, recently stolen in Italy, has somehow found its way onto the wall of Ukraine’s presidency.
It is true that “Still Life with Cherries” was among three works stolen on the night of 22 and 23 March from the Magnani Rocca Foundation near the city of Parma, with the total value of the theft estimated at €9-10 million.
However, there is no evidence linking any of the stolen pieces to Ukraine, or to Zelenskyy personally.
A fabricated video
The video spread on X does not stand up to scrutiny as the supposed BBC report is entirely fabricated.
The voiceover was generated using artificial intelligence, while visual elements, including parts of the Ukrainian presidential website, were digitally altered to lend the clip an air of authenticity.
When contacted by EU News’ fact-checking team, The Cube, the Ukrainian presidency rejected the allegation, stating that claims that the stolen painting has ever hung in the office are false.
The original interview
The manipulated footage is based on an interview recorded three months earlier by the Associated Press.
Comparing the original and altered versions reveals a key discrepancy. In the authentic footage, the painting behind Zelenskyy is different.
So, which pieces of art actually hang in that place on the wall?
Ukrainian artist Andrii Chebotaru confirmed to The Cube that both paintings visible in the office at the time of the interview were his own work.
“I am a landscape painter, and landscape has been the focus of my work throughout my life,” he said. “Both paintings that were displayed in the office are works created in a Post-Impressionist direction of painting, developed through my travels.”
The real painting that we see on Zelenskyy’s right depicts Mount Demerdzhi in Crimea — the artist’s home region.
“This painting on the right was created before the occupation of Crimea, where I am originally from,” Chebotaru said. “It was painted near Mount Demerdzhi, close to the city of Alushta.”
Some of his works, he added, were later given to Zelenskyy as gifts by friends but were not directly purchased from him.
A disinformation campaign made in Russia
The video has been linked to a pro-Kremlin disinformation operation known as “Matryoshka”. Such networks typically rely on coordinated accounts and manipulated media to amplify misleading narratives.
The campaign linked to the stolen painting is not an isolated example. In October 2025, Antibot4Navalny, an anonymous group of disinformation researchers, brought to light a similar network of accounts which circulated false claims that Ukrainian refugees had been arrested by French police in connection with a theft at the Louvre in Paris.