Fact check: Image shows fabricated CNN tweet about Ukrainian 'mass migration'

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read
5
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The claim: Image shows CNN tweet about Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 'mass migration' plans

An April 27 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be a tweet from CNN about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Ukrainian President Zelensky plans on using mass immigration to fix the country's demographics issues," reads the supposed tweet. "'We will become a new diverse and multicultural nation that will be the model state for the rest of Europe.'"

The post garnered more than 300 likes in four days. Similar posts have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: Altered

The tweet is not real, according to a CNN spokesperson. Experts say Zelenskyy has no such mass migration plans.

Tweet is digitally fabricated

Emily Kuhn, a CNN spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email that the image is fabricated and not something the outlet reported.

It can't be found on CNN's Twitter account or on archived versions of the news outlet's account.

Ukraine hasn't released any official statements or press releases announcing plans for mass migration.

Fact check: No proof to back claims on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's assets and income

Marta Dyczok, a professor at the University of Western Ontario and an expert in Ukrainian politics and migration, told USA TODAY there's no record of Zelenskyy making the statement attributed to him in the purported tweet anywhere on his official channels.

Lubomyr Luciuk, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada with similar expertise, labeled the claim disinformation in an email to USA TODAY.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post and the Department General for Public Diplomacy and Communications in Ukraine for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The claim has been debunked by AFP and Reuters as well.

Our fact-check sources:

  • Emily Kuhn, May 1, Email exchange with USA TODAY

  • Lubomyr Luciuk, May 1, Email exchange with USA TODAY

  • Marta Dyczok, May 2, Email exchange with USA TODAY

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: CNN tweet about Ukrainian 'mass migration' plan is a hoax