An alleged cover of the Spanish satirical magazine El jueves is being circulated on social networks, which depicts Zelenskyi on a roller coaster and “rapidly sliding down”, thus hinting at the political future of the president. It is not true.

The Center for Countering Disinformation writes that information about the issue with such a cover was not published on the publication’s official pages on social networks. Moreover, it was supposedly the March issue No. 2.398, but then the issue for March under No. 2.397 had already been published.

Users of the Russian segment of Facebook and TikTok are spreading a video in which a man in a shiny suit dances a belly dance and claims that this is Volodymyr Zelenskyi. One user put an emoji with the flag of Ukraine and wrote: “Every time you need more money… you should put on a good show for them!”, alluding to Western partners. It is not true.

The fact-checkers of the Reuters media drew attention to the case. In fact, it is not Volodymyr Zelenskyi who is dancing in this video, but belly dancer Pablo Acosta. The dancer posted similar videos on his Instagram on July 1.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to humiliate and laugh at Volodymyr Zelenskyi, saying that the President of Ukraine has to go even to such extremes in order to get weapons from Western partners. Earlier, we wrote that the Spanish magazine El jueves published a cover on which the Ukrainian military allegedly abandoned the counteroffensive and refuted the fake that the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine wrote that Zelenskyi was a “naked clown”.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are distributing the cover of the allegedly Spanish satirical magazine El jueves, which depicts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and eco-activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg scolds Zelenskyi because of the large number of losses during the counteroffensive. It's fake.

The case drew the attention of experts from the Center for Counteracting Disinformation. On the official pages of El jueves in social networks, it is impossible to find an issue with such a cover. The cover of the latest issue of the magazine, published on June 28 under No. 2.389 - 03, depicts Russian President Putin and the leader of the Wagner group  Pryhozhyn.

By ridiculing the President of Ukraine, Russian propaganda is trying to show that he is despised in the West. Also, Russian propagandists seek to sow panic among Ukrainians because of the counteroffensive, which is allegedly laughed at in Europe. Earlier, Detector Media denied the fake that El jueves magazine published a cover on which the Ukrainian military refused to counteroffensive.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that a Spanish satirical magazine recently published the cover of their magazine titled “What counteroffensive? We have the previous one to eat up and up!”. The cover itself shows a skeleton with ammunition, supposedly symbolizing the Ukrainian military. The authors add that the whole world is mocking Zelenskyi's plans for a counteroffensive. It is not true. 

Specialists of the Center for Countering Disinformation investigated this case and found out that such a cover does not exist. The last issue was released on May 3 under the number 2387, at the same time on the edited cover the number 2388 is indicated. We have repeatedly debunked fakes related to fake covers on foreign magazines/newspapers. 

Thus, propagandists seek to show that their rhetoric (for example, that Ukraine will fail the counteroffensive) is also being repeated in the West. So, readers may think that the public is really dissatisfied with Ukraine, especially when the authors use fake covers of humorous magazines, hinting that people are laughing at the situation in Ukraine and that the Ukrainian agenda for Europe is a reason to laugh.

Such information was disseminated in social networks, in particular, on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves has reportedly published a cover with Zelenskyi and Ukrainian soldiers writhing in pain. In front of them is a basket filled with male genitalia. Also, on the cover is the inscription: “Their last holy week”. It is not true.

VoxCheck fact checkers checked this case and found out that there was no such cover in any of the issues of El Jueves magazine. On the cover that was distributed online, the issue number is 2375. Although in fact, the issue with this number has a different cover and was published on November 29, 2022. Actually, on the official website of the publication you can find this issue. However, there is no such cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian military.

VoxCheck fact-checkers checked this case and found out that there was no such cover in any of the issues of El Jueves magazine. On the cover that was distributed online, the issue number is 2375. Although in fact, the issue with this number has a different cover and was published on November 29, 2022. Actually, on the official website of the publication one can find this issue. However, there is no such cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Ukrainian military.

Ridicule is a propaganda tactic designed to undermine and discredit the enemy. Propagandists rely on a psychological technique: if someone is funny, this should not be feared or taken seriously.

Russian propaganda uses this tactic to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Propagandists distribute fake covers of French cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo, Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves and German satirical magazine Titanik. They also spread fake messages about offensive graffiti allegedly painted in Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Warsaw. They depict Zelenskyi as cowardly, helpless or nasty. Thus, propaganda is trying to create the illusion that the Ukrainian president is despised and ridiculed abroad. Propagandists are trying to make Ukrainians feel ashamed of their leader and divide people because of their likes and dislikes towards Zelenskyi.

In anonymous telegram channels, a message was spread that supposedly Ukraine plans to protect the nuclear power plant from itself. Like, planning the construction of new NPP units, taking into account military threats, is ridiculous. Allegedly, only Ukrainians around the world dared to deliberately shell nuclear power plants. Like, there are no other “suicidal people” anywhere. In this case, the tactics of ridicule were combined with the tactics of substitution of concepts, claiming that Ukraine was deliberately shelling its own nuclear plants.

In Russian methodologies with instructions for journalists on how to cover the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war, propagandists advise using ironic names for Russians who left the country because they did not want to participate in the war. In particular, they are advised to call them “patriots who fled”, “perezhdun” (those who wait), “fugitives”, etc. Because of ridicule, the propagandists are trying to form a dismissive attitude towards the behavior of those who have left and spread the message: “if the Russians do not support Russia's war against Ukraine, they are not patriots, they do not deserve respect, they are not worthy”, and so on.

A seemingly new cover of the Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves is being distributed online. The cartoon depicts a frightened Polish president with the caption: “I don't want war with Russia!”. However, this is not true.

Voxcheck experts said that there is no cover with a cartoon distributed on the web on the official pages of the magazine. On the barcode of the cover of the magazine there are numbers - 02375 (issue number) and a barcode. However, the cover with this number looks different.

Propagandists have repeatedly falsified the covers of various magazines to convince the public that the whole world is actually mocking Ukrainian and Western officials. In this way, they spread theses that are beneficial to pro-Kremlin propaganda: if not only propagandists, but also “the whole world” talk about it, then it seems that the messages are true.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are distributing the cover of the alleged El Jueves magazine, in which foreign media allegedly continue to mock the President of Ukraine. It seems that this time the cover hints that Zelenskyi already made everyone “tired to the point of nausea”. This cover is fake.

Russian propaganda systematically uses fake satirical magazine covers to promote disinformation narratives and ridicule world leaders and the Ukrainian president.

In social networks, the allegedly October cover of the German satirical magazine "Titanic" with a caricature of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the inscription "eternal appetite" is being circulated. It is a fake. Such a magazine cover doesn't exist. Titanic magazine editor-in-chief Julia Matheus confirmed to Reuters fact-checkers that the pictured cover isn't the official Titanic cover. It is also not available on the publication's website. The actual October 2022 cover features King Charles III of Great Britain with the text: "Colonial Crimes: How Germany Suffered Under the British Crown." The magazine was published on September 30. It isn't the first satirical magazine whose cover was used to create fakes about Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Previously, several fake covers of the French cartoon magazine "Charlie Hebdo" and the cover of the Spanish satirical magazine "El Jueves" were also distributed.

Screenshots of the alleged magazine cover with Volodymyr Zelenskyy are being shared on social networks. In the posts, pro-Russian users claim that this disparaging picture allegedly refers to the missile attack on Kyiv on October 10. This cover is fake. According to the fact-checkers of the MythDetector project, the last issue of the magazine under number 2368 was published on October 11. It is dedicated to the history of Spain and has nothing to do with current events in Ukraine. In addition, the barcode on the cover of the viral image matches the number 2365 of "El Jueves," and the caricature on the cover of this issue is about electricity bills. Real magazine covers can be viewed on El Jueves' social media pages.

The magazine is usually published on Wednesdays, but the latest issue on the history of Spain was a particular issue and was published on Tuesday, October 11. Previously, Russian propaganda used fake covers of the French cartoon magazine "Charlie Hebdo" to create contempt for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.