Russian telegram channels, citing material from the Italian publication Database Italia, report that the Zelenskyi family acquired a wine estate from the English singer Sting. The text notes that the corresponding agreement was concluded on June 28, 2024, and the value of the property is about 60-75 million euros. Moreover, according to the publication, data about this agreement was published in the tax register of real estate in Italy.

However, this information is fake, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council. The Database Italia website, which became the primary source of the fake, was included in the rating of web resources disseminating misinformation in Italian in 2021. This pseudo-publication published a number of fakes about Ukraine, in particular about “American biological laboratories”. After all, the “news” from Database Italia has been repeatedly refuted by Italian fact-checkers.

This fake is being spread as part of Russia’s large-scale disinformation campaign to discredit the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

We have previously recorded similar fakes by Russians. In particular, Olena Zelenska’s purchase of a Bugatti Tourbillon for 4.5 million euros, as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s purchase of one of the largest casino hotels in Europe, the approximate price of which was 150 million pounds sterling.