![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) ##Misleading claims # Two luxurious yachts still for sale Published on 5.12.2023, 08:55 (CET) Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, various unfounded rumors about Volodymyr Zelensky are flourishing on social networks. Here the Ukrainian president is accused of purchasing two luxury yachts. \"Zelensky bought two yachts worth a total of 75 million dollars\" protest Internet users on social networks. The president Ukrainian would even have made this purchase under a false identity. The photos which accompanying Facebook posts show two large and luxurious yachts. However, is Volodymyr Zelensky the owner? ## Assessment There is no evidence of any such purchase by the president Ukrainian. Several elements demonstrate the opposite. Sensible contracts prove the sale of the two yachts are unreliable. And the boats are still on sale. ## Facts The two luxurious yachts shared on the Facebook posts bear the names \"Lucky Me\" and \"My Legacy\". According to the SuperYacht website Times, these two boats were still for sale at the time of publication of this article. The Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) contacted Burgess and BehneMar, both brokers in charge of these yachts. The BehneMar Group has confirmed that the yacht Lucky Me is still available. On the Burgess side, a spokeswoman confirmed to the dpa that the yacht My Legacy has not been sold. Origin unclear This false allegation appeared on YouTube on November 23, 2023, in a video posted by a certain Shahzad Nasir, presenting himself as a journalist for a Qatari media. In his video, he exposes the supposed purchase contracts of the two ships and seeks to demonstrate that the Ukrainian president carried out this transaction by borrowing the identity of close collaborators. The information was then picked up by various media, such as the website The Islander whose article content is anti-Ukraine. The manager of this site, Chay Bowes, is an Irish businessman and journalist, who works notably for the Russian public broadcaster RT. Questionable purchase contracts Internet users also share documents supposed to be proof of purchase of these boats by Zelensky (here and here). Except that several elements put questions the reliability of these documents. For example, the signature of the buyer on the first two pages does not correspond to the one used on the last page. Additionally, the format of this contract can easily be found on Google and downloaded online. This is a document issued by Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA), a trade organization for brokers yachts. Corruption in Ukraine In addition to fighting on the front with Russia, Ukraine is also fighting internally against corruption within its political class. The recent resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiï Reznikov, splashed by a corruption scandal, is proof of this. The dpa has already written fact-checking articles on the president's assets Ukrainian and his relatives. (Situation as of 05.12.2023) ## Links Facebook post I, II (archived version I, II) SuperYacht Times \"Lucky Me\", \"My Legacy\" (archived version \"Lucky Me, \"My Legacy\") Shahzad Nasir YouTube video (archived version part I and part II) Profile X Shahzad Nasir (archived version) The Islander article (archived version) X profile Chay Bowes (archived version) RTE article (archived version) On the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (archived version) Article on corruption in Ukraine (archived version) Article on the resignation of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense (version archived) Fact check dpa ### About dpa fact checks This fact check was written as part of the independent program of Facebook/Meta check. More information about this program can be found here. To learn more about how Facebook/Meta manages accounts that spread misinformation, click here. If you have any objections or comments, please send them to the address factcheck-belgium@dpa.com including a link to the publication Facebook concerned (see the model to use here). For more information on how to submit a correction or to dispute a review, please refer to this page. powered by dpa-newslab | Imprint | Privacy | About:
Volodymyr Zelensky bought two yachts for 75 million