DISINFO: Olena Zelenska was the first to buy the new Bugatti model
SUMMARY
According to French media, during the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Paris in June, the Bugatti Automobiles dealership, together with representatives of the manufacturer, held a display of the new vehicle especially for members of the Ukrainian delegation two weeks before the official premiere. Zelenskaya was delighted with the new car and placed an order, thus becoming the buyer of the first of the 250 cars planned for production. French journalists were able to obtain a copy of the invoice for Zelensky's wife's new car. The price, taking into account all options, is almost 4.5 million euros. Its new owner will be able to receive it at the beginning of 2026.
RESPONSE
The claim is false and the document is a forgery. The allegation has been swiftly debunked by professional fact-checkers and has been denied by the firm Bugatti itself. The original source -which included an AI-generated deepfake video of one supposed worker of the Bugatti shop in Paris- is a story published in a pro-Kremlin disinformation outlet in French language, some of whose articles included instructions from what appear to be the handlers responsible of this disinformation operation.
This is part of a wider campaign to erode international backing for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression, by portraying Ukrainian leadership as corrupt and unworthy of support. See other examples in our database, such as claims that Zelenskyy bought a British mansion from King Charles III for 20 million pounds, that Zelenskyy’s fortune is worth at least USD 2 billion, that Zelenskyy's mother-in-law uses war money to buy luxury houses, that Olena Zelenska spent more than 1 million dollars on jewellery with EU money, that Zelenskyy's associates stole weapons money because they believed Ukraine will cease to exist, or that Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid.