On August 13 and 14, pro-government media outlets and news agencies (Imedi (1,2;3;4); Rustavi 2 (1;2); Resonance (1;2;3); Mkare (1;2); Media Holding Kvira; For.ge; Newshub; Prime Time; Radio Sivrtse; Info 9; Reportiori (1;2); Exclusive Media) disseminated information claiming that the Turkish media had exposed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a corruption scheme. These media outlets relied on Aydınlık as their source.
According to the disseminated information, members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s close circle were allegedly transferring $50 million per month in illicitly obtained funds to companies registered in the United Arab Emirates. The article also claimed that restrictions on the operations of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO, were connected to “covering up” these financial schemes.
Identical information was also spread by Kremlin-affiliated media (ria.ru; 1tv.ru; Lenta.ru; tass.ru; vesti.ru; ren.tv).
Myth Detector examined open-source information about the authors of this investigation. In reality, the publication Aydınlık, relied upon by Georgian pro-government and Kremlin-aligned media, is linked to a pro-Russian political force in Turkey, and its materials are often based on unreliable, anonymous sources. Kremlin media frequently uses the Aydınlık brand to attribute its own disinformation and manipulative stories to “authoritative” foreign sources.
The allegations cited in Aydınlık are based on anonymous “informed individuals” and allegedly exclusive documents, the authenticity of which is not verified. The author claims that the information was provided by groups “disturbed by Zelenskyy’s corruption scheme” in Ukraine, yet no details about these groups are provided in the article. Moreover, while the Turkish article names two companies in the UAE, along with their registration numbers and one bank account, it does not indicate how this information was obtained, nor does it reference any official investigation or court document confirming its accuracy.
- What do we know about the publication Aydınlık?
Aydınlık is a Turkish-language media outlet that openly expresses pro-Russian and anti-Western views. It is linked to the Turkish political party Vatan Partisi, which follows a Eurasianist ideology and is consequently pro-Russian, pro-Chinese, and anti-American. The party calls for Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO and opposes its EU candidacy. It is the only political force in Turkey to have demanded recognition of Crimea and Abkhazia, occupied by Russia, as independent states. Alongside Aydınlık, the party is also associated with the online media outlet Ulusal Kanal. In the past, articles by Aydınlık’s editor, Samet Can Koçagür, often glorifying Russia, have appeared in Russian propaganda sources. One such article was even titled “Russia Can Turn Off the Lights in the United States.”
Aydınlık has repeatedly spread disinformation and unverified claims against Ukraine and the West, serving Russian information operations. The party’s leader, Doğu Perinçek, maintains close ties with Russian ultra-nationalist circles, including Aleksandr Dugin. Both Aydınlık and Ulusal Kanal actively amplify Kremlin narratives.
Myth Detector has previously fact-checked disinformation spread by Turkish media regarding Ukraine. Specifically, Aydınlık denied the Bucha massacre and questioned the evidence, claiming satellite photos used to “accuse Russia” were taken two days after Russian troops left the city. Kremlin-aligned media also covered this disinformation.
It should be noted that the Russia-Ukraine war is not the only topic on which Aydınlık has spread disinformation. Turkey-based independent fact-checking organization Teyit has several times identified disinformation published by this outlet (1;2).
Aydınlık often cites so-called “local sources” who remain anonymous. For example, in one report, the source was named as Lekolin.org, a website connected to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU. No information about the publication or authors was provided on the site. The article claimed that Ukrainian representatives met with members of a terrorist group in Syria to negotiate on drones.
According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Aydınlık plays an important role in the structure of Russian propaganda. The scheme works as follows: Aydınlık publishes a sensational story or “investigation,” Kremlin media cites it as a “scoop from the Turkish media,” and then this so-called “foreign independent media” information spreads to other countries. This creates an illusion of credibility and often helps false, misleading, or manipulative stories enter the international information space.
As for the specific corruption allegations in this case, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation states that there is no verified evidence for the information published by Aydınlık and that the outlet has close ties with a Kremlin-oriented Turkish political party.
