Russians spreading fake claim of stolen Cézanne painting in Zelensky’s office

Russian news websites, Telegram channels, as well as bot accounts on X and Facebook, are circulating a video bearing the BBC News logo, claiming that during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s video address on April 16, 2026, a painting by French artist Paul Cézanne – allegedly stolen on March 30 from the Magnani-Rocca Foundation Museum near Parma, Italy – could be seen in his office. The claim has been widely spread among international audiences. In particular, a pro-Russian Spanish-language channel on X posted a screenshot featuring the painting, which garnered over 600,000 views. The video with this “report” was also shared on Chinese social media platforms.

However, this is fake. Using graphic editing tools, propagandists altered an original BBC News broadcast from March 31, 2026. They removed key details about the robbery, as well as footage of the studio anchor. In addition, the original audio track was completely deleted and replaced with narration suggesting that Volodymyr Zelensky was allegedly involved in the theft.

The remarks of Christopher Marinello, an expert in recovering stolen artworks, were also taken out of context.

To create the fake, Russian actors also fabricated a video of the Ukrainian President’s address. They used footage from January 19, 2026. In the original video, a different painting is visible on the wall – a work by Crimean artist Andrii Chebotaru.

It should also be noted that on April 16, 2026, the President of Ukraine did not publish any video addresses. No such videos dated that day appear on the official website of the head of state.

In Italy, on the night of March 22-23, criminals stole paintings by world-renowned artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse from a museum near Parma, with a total value of several million euros.

According to police, four masked men broke into the Magnani-Rocca Foundation gallery and stole a number of paintings. The robbery was carried out in just three minutes. Italian media report that the thieves were prevented from taking more artworks by an alarm system that was triggered, after which they fled through the museum garden.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Russian propaganda had earlier spread a fake claim involving Ukraine’s ambassador and an alleged “insult” to the Hungarian flag.

By Andrii Olenin