A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money.
Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.
It was an incredible assertion – using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts.
But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.
Despite being false, the story reached members of the US Congress, where leaders say any decision on further aid to Ukraine will be delayed until next year.
Some are vehemently opposed to further support.
On X, formerly Twitter, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said: “Anyone who votes to fund Ukraine is funding the most corrupt money scheme of any foreign war in our country’s history.”
She linked to a story containing the yacht rumour.
Tom Tillis, a Republican Senator and a supporter of military aid to Ukraine, spoke to CNN shortly after senators held a closed-door meeting with Mr Zelensky last week.
“I think the notion of corruption came up because some have said we can’t do it, because people will buy yachts with the money,” Mr Tillis said. “[Mr Zelensky] disabused people of those notions.”
Mr Tillis has butted heads with another Republican Senator, J D Vance, who has also mentioned Mr Zelensky and ships in the same breath.
While discussing budget priorities on a podcast hosted by former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Mr Vance said: “There are people who would cut Social Security, throw our grandparents into poverty, why? So that one of Zelensky’s ministers can buy a bigger yacht?”
Although the yacht rumour is false, the BBC has discovered the story was given a major boost by a Russia-linked website that pretends to be located in Washington.
It is, researchers say, a “likely purpose-built tool for narrative laundering with links to the Russian government”.
