Cancellation of Zelensky’s address, protests, and vandalism at Colosseum: Russia spreading fake news ahead of Olympics
Russian Telegram channels and X bots have been spreading claims that Italy supposedly refused to broadcast a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the opening of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on February 6. As “evidence,” the propagandists used a video with the logo of investigative journalism platform Bellingcat.
This is fake. No such video exists on Bellingcat’s official website or social media. Furthermore, no reputable international media outlet or the Office of the President of Ukraine reported any intention for Zelensky to speak at the Olympics opening ceremony.
In addition, Russian Telegram channels circulated a video with the Eurosport logo, claiming that there were massive protests by Ukrainian refugees outside Italian embassies in Europe, demanding that the Winter Olympics be canceled due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
On Facebook, a video appeared with the AFP logo showing a purported Femen protest against the Olympics, claiming that Ukrainian women were involved and damaged the façade of the Colosseum.
These are also fake. Neither Eurosport nor AFP published such videos.
All of the above clips were created by propagandists using video-editing software.
Russian propaganda is spreading these narratives against the backdrop of statements by Ukrainian skeleton athlete and flagbearer Vladyslav Heraskevych regarding threats from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to Heraskevych, IOC representatives urged the Ukrainian side to refrain from any protest actions against Russian aggression during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
It should be noted that the Winter Olympics are organized by the IOC, not the Italian government. Therefore, reports of protests allegedly targeting Italian authorities in connection with the Olympics are manipulative and aim to discredit Ukrainian refugees in Italy. The IOC allowed 13 so-called “neutral” Russian athletes to participate in the Milan Games.
The Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council also warned that, ahead of the February 6 Olympics, Russia is conducting a campaign to discredit Ukrainians in the Olympic context and intensify hybrid attacks against Italy.
The campaign’s goal is to destabilize the information space before the Olympics and preemptively discredit potential protests against the participation of so-called neutral Russian athletes.
Previously, Russian propaganda also spread fake videos to discredit Ukrainians in France.
By Andrii Olenin
