Russian propaganda fakes France 24 fact-check segment about Ukrainians allegedly “wishing” Trump’s death

Russian propagandists have spread disinformation aimed at discrediting Ukraine

Russian Telegram channels are circulating a video bearing the logo of the French TV channel France 24 and the intro of its fact-checking program Truth or Fake. The video claims that journalists allegedly uncovered information that Ukrainian businessmen hired fortune-tellers and psychics across Europe to “curse” U.S. President Donald Trump. The supposed fee for such services allegedly ranged from $4,000 to $9,000.

This is fake. There is no such video on the website of the Truth or Fake project. It should be noted that the program has a different format overall. In original episodes, the host stands next to a screen analyzing false content. Meanwhile, the fabricated video consists of various images and clips in a Reels-style format, which global media typically use for short social media posts.

The host Vedika Bahl, whom Russian propagandists reference in the video, is indeed one of the presenters of the fact-checking project. However, she has not produced any such segment. The most recent piece related to Donald Trump that she analyzed concerned the “Easter Bunny.” That episode was published on the channel’s website on April 6.

The images used by Russian actors to create the fake are freely available online. In particular, a photo of Vedika Bahl dates back to at least 2018. Another video fragment relates to a January 21 episode, as indicated by the host’s clothing.

Images featuring spiritualist and occult paraphernalia, which appear in the fake video, are widely used in advertising.

Separately, Russian propaganda outlets also circulated a video bearing the logo of the reputable media outlet Reuters, claiming that the U.S. National Security Agency had allegedly discovered a “Ukrainian trace” in the financing of the “No Kings” protests against Donald Trump.

This is also fake. The video does not exist on Reuters’ website or its social media accounts. No such statements have been made by the U.S. National Security Agency.

The fact that the video is fabricated was also confirmed by the Center for Strategic Communications SPRAVDI.

These fakes are aimed at discrediting Ukraine and promoting a false narrative about alleged “interference” in U.S. domestic politics.

As reported by Ukrinform, Russian propaganda previously spread false claims about an alleged preparation for mass mobilization of women.

By Andrii Olenin