CLAIM: Zelensky bought Hitler’s Mercedes for 15 million dollars.
CONCLUSION: The image is a collage of two different photographs created to portray the Ukrainian president as pro-Nazi. Zelensky has not purchased this specific car.
Analysis
The posts reference the “Seattle Tribune newspaper”, which allegedly published an article on 9/10/2024, citing a post on the Telegram channel Реальна Війна, which purportedly shows Hitler’s Mercedes in front of the Presidential Administration Building in Kyiv on Bankova Street 11.
To find the origin of the image, we conducted a reverse image search. Although we did not find the exact same photo, we found a photograph of a Mercedes-Benz 770 car (specifically a Mercedes-Benz 770K from 1938), taken from the same angle, but with a different background. This can be verified by observing the light reflection on the car’s windshield, the tag hanging from the interior mirror, etc.
Below is a comparison of the images:
Following is the stock photo used to create the collage with the car:
We also recreated the collage, which proves that the original photo under review, is a product of digital manipulation:
As reported by other news organizations, such as Facta, the “Seattle Tribune” was created on 3/10/2024, just a few days ago, and it is clearly not a reliable or reputable source, but a website set up to spread misinformation.
Russia has been conducting a systematic campaign to tarnish the image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, mainly through the use of propaganda, disinformation, and media campaigns, particularly, following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Conclusion
The image is a collage of two different photographs created to falsely portray the Ukrainian president as pro-Nazi.