CLAIM: Zelenskyy’s wife is vacationing at the luxurious ski resort of St. Moritz in Switzerland. A video shows her arrival at the airport.
CONCLUSION: The claim that Olena Zelenska was spotted in St. Moritz is based on an unreliable source and vague evidence. The individual who initially made the claim avoids confirming her identity with certainty. The link to the president of Moldova is proven false, as the country does not possess such transportation means, and the plane belongs to a private company. Zelenska is currently in Ukraine. The claim was debunked by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation and is part of a series of false narratives targeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife.
The videos presented as “evidence” show the name of a Telegram channel: @mosiychuk72, belonging to Igor Mosiychuk, a far-right former Ukrainian MP accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda.
The claim began spreading from well-known Russian disinformation sources, such as RIA, and RT on X/Twitter, and other accounts and websites known for spreading disinformation. Notably, Irish journalist Chay Bowes, whose post on the matter garnered over 1.2 million views. Bowes lives in Russia and has worked for Kremlin-controlled RT.
Mosiychuk’s Telegram post, the sole source of the claim, states:
“At the airport of the coolest ski resort in Switzerland, St. Moritz… a plane used by the president of Moldova lands, and a motorcade led by a cool Rolls-Royce picks up a woman who looks a lot like Olena Zelenska with her children and a red-haired lady who closely resembles millionaire Kateryna Zagoriy.“
Mosiychuk mentions that the woman “looks like” Olena Zelenska, avoiding confirming her identity. He also fails to specify the date of the supposed arrival. Bowes later claimed in a post that Zelenska arrived in St. Moritz on “Monday” (Jan. 13). Regardless, the video provides no evidence that any of the women are Olena Zelenska. Below is a screenshot from the video showing “Zelenska”. The individual bears no resemblance to Ukraine’s First Lady.
The claim also states that the plane is the one used by Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu. However, Sandu does not own a private plane, and Moldova’s presidency lacks VIP flight capabilities since the national carrier Air Moldova suspended operations, and the country’s Air Force does not have aircraft for this purpose.
Upon reviewing the video, the registration number of the plane (9H-ICE) can be seen. It is an Airbus A318-112(CJ) Elite owned by the Maltese company DC Aviation Malta, a subsidiary of the German DC Aviation GmbH company.
Olena Zelenska was not in St. Moritz. Based on her numerous public appearances, it is clear that she was in Ukraine during the alleged trip.
The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation also refuted the claim.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife have frequently been the target of false narratives about their allegedly lavish lifestyle. Previous claims, such as Olena Zelenska allegedly purchasing $1.1 million worth of jewelry or a €4.5 million Bugatti Turbillon, have been debunked.
Conclusion:
The claim that Olena Zelenska was spotted in St. Moritz is based on an unreliable source and vague evidence. The individual who initially made the claim avoids confirming her identity with certainty. The link to the president of Moldova is proven false, as the country does not possess such transportation means, and the plane belongs to a private company. Zelenska is currently in Ukraine. The claim was debunked by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, and is part of a series of false narratives targeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife.