Video depicting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's belly dance is a deep fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2024
A video of a person’s belly dance at an event is being widely shared on social media. It is claimed that the person in the video is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video depicts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dancing at an event.
Fact: The viral video has been created using deepfake technology and the original video shows an unidentified man dancing. This video is being shared on social media since the year 2020. However, it is not known when and where this video was taken. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search on the screenshots from the viral video led us to a TikTok video shared on 16 October 2020. The visuals in this video resemble those in the viral video, with the only difference being that the person featured is not the same as the one in the viral post.
Subsequently, we also found that the same video was shared on various social media accounts over time (here & here). We could not find the identity of the person in the video, nor could we determine the exact details of when and where the video was shot. However, it is at least as old as 2020 and does not depict President Zelenskyy. Below is a comparison between the viral video and the original video.
Upon comparing the viral video with the original, it becomes apparent that the people in the background, the furniture, and even the outfit worn by the dancing individual appear identical in both videos. Based on this evidence, it can be concluded that the viral video was generated using Deep Fake Technology. It is not Zelenskyy who is seen dancing in the video from the viral post.
Deep Fake Technology:
Deepfake technology refers to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to create highly convincing fake images, videos, and audio recordings. These synthetic media are designed to appear real and are created by training algorithms on large sets of existing data such as images, videos, and audio recordings. The resulting content can be used to manipulate or deceive people by making it appear as if someone said or did something they did not. To learn more about Deepfakes and their detection, click here.
To sum it up, the viral video does not depict Zelenskyy dancing; rather, it is a fabricated video made using deep fake technology.