Propagandists are circulating an image on social media that allegedly represents the cover of The Nation magazine with the headline: “Unequal duel. Volodymyr Zelenskyi failed to win - everyone is talking about Putin again. Including Zelenskyi himself”. However, this is not true.

This was reported by experts from the VoxCheck project. They found that the actual cover of the January 2025 issue of The Nation looks completely different. On the magazine's website, in the Archive section, all issues and their covers are available, but the one being shared online is not among them—neither on the official website nor on the publication's social media. The fake cover features images of Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Volodymyr Putin, along with the publication date—January 2025. However, according to the editorial team, this issue was finalized for publication by the end of 2024, and its cover does not reference the presidents of Ukraine or Russia.

The dissemination of a fake magazine cover with a critical headline aims to undermine Volodymyr Zelenskyi's reputation, portraying him as a weak leader unable to achieve victory or effectively engage in political confrontation. Such fabricated materials also attempt to suggest that international attention on Ukraine is allegedly fleeting or insignificant, contrasting it with the supposed constant focus on Russia and its leader, Volodymyr Putin. Spreading fake content resembling authoritative Western publications helps create the impression that Ukraine is not receiving the necessary support from its partners or that the international community is skeptical of its leadership. This could affect the morale of Ukrainians and their allies. Propagandists may use such fakes to create the perception that global attention is fixated on Putin rather than Zelenskyi or Ukraine, thereby reinforcing the notion that Ukraine’s struggle for independence lacks sufficient backing or prospects.