On October 18, a Georgian-speaking Facebook user known for frequently spreading disinformation, Jeni Burjanadze, published two videos of a rally with the caption, “Mass protests have begun in Ukraine. 80 percent of the population demands Zelenskyy’s resignation.”
The circulated videos do not depict ongoing protests in Ukraine, but rather demonstrations that took place in July 2025. On July 22, protests began against a law concerning anti-corruption agencies. The demonstrators demanded a veto of the law, not Zelenskyy’s resignation.
In July 2025, the Ukrainian parliament supported bill #12414, which placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under the authority of the Prosecutor General, thereby limiting their independence. On July 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law. At the same time, Ukrainians were holding protests calling for a veto. Zelenskyy justified the legislative changes by citing the need to clear anti-corruption bodies from “Russian influence.” It is noteworthy that the law was criticized by opposition members, experts, and Western leaders. In July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke with Zelenskyy and expressed concern about the legislative changes.
Amid protests and criticism, on July 24, Zelenskyy introduced a new bill aimed at restoring the independence of the anti-corruption bodies. On July 31, he signed the new law, already adopted by the Rada, restoring institutional independence. This new legislation repealed the law adopted on July 22 and, according to Zelenskyy, would ensure proper and independent functioning of the anti-corruption structures and all Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
The two videos published by the Facebook account show citizens gathered in Kyiv to protest the law signed on July 22. Both were originally posted on TikTok on July 23-24 (1;2).
The first video shows a rally held in Kyiv. The same footage appeared across other media and platforms (1;2;3). The second video, also filmed in Kyiv, shows the Ivan Franko Drama Theater in the background. The same footage appears in video compilations about the July protests against the law.
Open sources, including Ukrainian media, contain no information indicating that large-scale protests are currently taking place in Ukraine demanding Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s resignation. The videos posted by the Georgian-speaking Facebook user were filmed in July, and the main demand of those protests was a veto of the law, not Zelenskyy’s resignation.
In July, Myth Detector had already fact-checked similar disinformation claims alleging that the protests were pro-Russian or that citizens were calling for a peace agreement with Russia.
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