A photo of the Ukrainian leader chairing a government meeting in the dark appears to have been doctored
Vladimir Zelensky’s office faced mockery for seemingly doctoring photos to make it appear that his office is struggling with power outages similar to many Ukrainians.
Ukraine is grappling with an acute crisis due to cold weather and Russian attacks on its power grid, which Moscow says are intended to disrupt arms production and long-range strikes on Russian civilian targets. Major Ukrainian cities are experiencing rolling blackouts and heating shortages that have eroded public morale.
On Wednesday, Zelensky’s office published photos showing him in a dark office during a remote meeting with regional officials. However, the webcam image of Zelensky visible on his computer screen showed a brightly lit room and a photographer in the back, leading to accusations that the pictures were doctored.
“Here is a tip for the PR team of the presidential office. If you want a photo telegraphing the absence of electricity, it is advisable to actually turn off the light in the office,” opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said of the inconsistency.
He added that the old Soviet-era building housing Zelensky’s administration is naturally cold, so the president wearing a T-shirt instead of warmer clothing suggests the room “is heated pretty well – or is just warm with public adoration.”
Earlier this week, Zelensky announced he would skip the World Economic Forum in Davos to address the energy crisis. However, he reportedly reconsidered after US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Zelensky was likely among those listening to his speech and would soon meet with him.
Also this week, Ukrainian pop singer Tina Karol apologized for posting a video of herself singing an upbeat song with lyrics including: “we don’t have light, but we have warmth, we don’t have heating but we have kindness.” She denied being paid by the government to boost morale.
Meanwhile, businesswoman Svetlana Paveletskaya – partner of former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba – raised eyebrows by suggesting Ukrainians could use sex toys with built-in heating to keep warm.
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