On April 23 and 24, a cover of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was circulated on Russian-language Facebook accounts (1, 2, 3, 4). The caricature shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Pope Francis inside the Vatican Bank. The image includes a caption: “It’s me, Pope Francis. Please transfer all my money to Ukraine.” The issue is dated April 23 and marked with serial number 1710.
The cover circulating under the name Charlie Hebdo is fake. While the official issue of April 23 does pertain to the Pope, it has a different visual and does not feature Zelenskyy.
There is no such cover featuring the Pope and Zelenskyy on Charlie Hebdo’s official website or social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, X). The most recent issue was published on April 23 with serial number 1709 and addresses the death of the Pope, but Zelenskyy is not depicted. No similar visual is found in the archive issues either.
The spread of fake covers is a well-known tactic in Russia’s information warfare, aimed at discrediting Western support and Volodymyr Zelenskyy using the name of Western media. Myth Detector has verified many such fake covers.
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