One of the most flourishing disinformation narratives deployed by Russian propaganda is the one targeting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. In the past years, countless false news spread in almost all the EU languages provided “evidence” that Zelensky is a drug addict, a coward, a satanist, a nazi, gay and of course corrupted. About the latter characterization, a sub-narrative that never ceases to be hammered in Western public opinion is the one about Zelenesky buying expensive properties and goods. Olena Zelenska, the Ukrainian president’s wife, is also a target of this narrative, which  is a clear attempt to provide the public with “evidence” of the Ukrainian government  corruption and the  embezzlement of the economic aid the West provided to Ukraine.

Debunking each false news consistent with this narrative is obviously important, but it’s also important to spread the knowledge around the existence of this trend. This way, when confronted with  the next incredible story about Zelensky purchasing expensive things, citizens will have a healthy skepticism defending them from Russia’s information manipulation.

We then gathered here a list, most likely non-exhaustive, of the things that president Zelenskly and his wife allegedly bought in the past years, according to pro-Kremlin disinformation.

The List

Only in the first months of 2025 Zelensky allegedly bought a 20 million dollar villa in Florida, the 51% share of a South African mining company, another villa but this time in the Caribbeans (worth 18 million euro), and a private French bank. According to this narrative, his wife Olena Zelenska purchased a dress that was Lady Diana’s for 2.9 million dollars.

The previous years the couple had even more extravagant shopping habits, according to Russian disinformation: Zelensky bought two yachts for 75 million dollar, an 88 million euro luxury hotel in France, a 150 million pounds casinò in Cyprus, Sting’s villa in Tuscany (Italy) for 75 million euro, the Royal villa of Highgrove House in the UK (directly from King Charles III) for 20 million pounds, Adolf Hitler’s limousine, and Goebbels’ villa in Berlin. Meanwhile, Olena Zelenska bought a Bugatti “super-car” worth almost 4.5 million euro and spent 1.1 million dollars at Cartier in New York to buy jewelry.

An impressive list of goods, considering that ーagain, according to pro-Russia disinformation ー in the Summer of 2023 Zelensky’s assets already included: one villa worth 35 million dollars in Florida, 1.2 billion dollars in an off-shore account, 15 other houses, 3 private jets and his monthly income is equal to 11 million dollar.

Conclusion

So, to sum up, Moscow wants us to think that Zelensky and his wife have a tendency to spend huge amounts of money (not theirs, but carved out from the economic help the West is providing Ukraine) for luxury goods, villas and nazi memorabilia. But up to now all the evidence that was shared to support these claims has been consistently proved as false.

It is likely that similar false news will appear also in the next months, for example alleging that Zelensky bought yet another multi-million dollar villa in some wonderful location, or that Olena Zelenska purchased the most expensive  emerald on the planet. To be sure that fewer and fewer people fall for these lies, it is then of the utmost importance to disseminate the knowledge about  Russian disinformation operations and techniques such as this one. To defend our democracies, Western public opinion needs to become as impermeable as possible to the infiltration of the Kremlin’s disinformation.