Deepfake Video of Ukraine’s President Zelensky Belly Dancing Goes Viral

A video apparently showing Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky belly dancing is going viral on social media. Some users are sharing this clip to mock him and to question the support he receives from world leaders. 

Fact Crescendo received several requests to verify this claim via our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770). 

We found that the viral video is a deepfake. The original dancer is Pablo Acosta from Argentina. His face has been digitally altered to look it like President Zelensky.

WHAT’S THE CLAIM?

The 15-second clip shows a man in a glittery dress who appears to be President Zelensky belly dancing. 

In a mocking tweet on X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, “This is the coked up nonce who is going to prevent world peace today, backed by Starmer, Micron and Co. You are being mocked, they show you how powerless you are. Then continue with their wars.”

The same video has also been shared on Facebook with similar claims.

FACT-CHECK

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to the original clip posted by Pablo Acosta on 1 June 2023 on Instagram. 

Pablo Acosta is a belly dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Argentina. 

His Instagram account features several other dance videos of the same style. You can see them here. 

When compared closely, it is clear that the viral video was digitally manipulated to superimpose President Zelensky’s face onto Acosta’s face, creating a deepfake.

In Deepfakes, AI tools are used to replace someone’s face or voice in a video with another person’s face or voice. It is being misused to spread false information and damage reputations.

President Zelenskyy is often targeted with fake or misleading videos because of Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia. It is often done to ridicule him, question his credibility, and weaken international support for Ukraine.

Before becoming Ukraine’s president, Zelenskyy was well known as an entertainer. He even won a dance reality show in Ukraine in 2006. Genuine videos of him dancing are still available online, which makes fake dance clips more believable to many people.

CONCLUSION

The viral clip showing President Zelensky belly dancing is a deepfake. The original video features Argentinian dancer Pablo Acosta, whose face was digitally altered to make it look like Zelensky’s.