In a speech he delivered in the evening hours of February 24, 2022, the President of Ukraine refuted the claim that he had left the territory of Ukraine.

On February 24, 2022, the website Informer published an article with the title claiming that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky “is packing his suitcases for London”:

WHEN YOU HAVE A COMEDIAN FOR A PRESIDENT, THEN THE ENDING IS USUALLY TRAGIC! This morning, Zelensky promised the people of Ukraine that he would be with them until the very end, and now he is packing his suitcases for London!

The article claims that Zelensky is “currently out of the country”:

This morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised the people of Ukraine that he would be with them until the very end, but he changed his mind in the afternoon. According to diplomatic sources, Zelensky is currently out of the country. Since the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson offered him asylum, it is assumed what will be his next destination.

The claim, more precisely the assumption that “London is the next destination”, is also repeated at the end of the article.

For a start, Zelensky went abroad, and then … It is assumed that London is the next destination…

On February 24, 2022, an identical article was published on the website Intermagazin. It was also published by the website Nacionalist. All three mentioned articles were shared in the entire region, and besides Raskrinkvanje.ba from BiH, Raskrinkavanje.me from Montenegro also published the debunk of these false claims.

What are the facts?

Before the same claims reached our speaking area, they spread in other countries as well.

Zelensky addressed the nation in a speech he gave on the evening of February 24, 2022. The transcript and video of the entire speech are available on the official website of the President of Ukraine. Clips of the speech can also be found on the YouTube channel of the Reuters news agency.

Zelensky also referred to incorrect claims suggesting that he left Ukraine in his speech. Part of his speech in which he denied these allegations was shared, among others, by the Business Insider:

He used the opportunity to dispel rumors that he had fled Kyiv, and that his family had left the country.

“I stay in the capital, I stay with my people. During the day, I held dozens of international talks, directly managed our country. And I will stay in the capital”, he said. “My family is also in Ukraine. My children are also in Ukraine. My family is not traitors. They are the citizens of Ukraine. But I have no right to say where they are now”.

In addition, the very fact that Zelensky gave a speech in Kyiv on February 24, refutes allegations that he left the country that same day.
Given all of the above, the claims shared by Informer on February 24, 2022, suggesting that the President of Ukraine is “currently out of the country”, are considered fake news. The claims shared by Intermagazin receive a rating for the distribution of fake news.

(Authors: Semir Džebo, Raskrinkavanje.ba and Goran Delić, Raskrinkavanje.me)