FAKE: Olena Zelenska purchased a Bugatti for €4.5 Million — Verite Cachee France

On social media platforms, including Threads, an article from Verite Cachee France is being spread. The article claims that Olena Zelenska purchased one of the most expensive sports cars, the Bugatti Tourbillon, for €4.5 million. The article cites a Bugatti dealership employee named Jacques Bertin and includes a published invoice for Olena Zelenska’s new car.

However, this is a fake. The Bugatti Paris dealership refuted the information that Olena Zelenska bought a sports car from their showroom. Verite Cachee France is a fake website created by Russians.

Verite Cachee France is a fake website created by a group of Russian propagandists. It masquerades as a Western media outlet and spreads pro-Russian articles, including those promoting the advantages of Russian missiles and anti-tank systems. The so-called “editorial guidelines” for authors also indicate a Russian influence on the site’s news. For instance, the article “Russian Military Shoots Down Kamikaze Drone” specifies that the piece should portray Trump, Republicans, and Russia positively while negatively covering Ukraine, the war, and Biden.

Furthermore, the publication’s name lacks the accents typical of the French language; it should be written as “Vérité Cachée”, not “Verite Cachee”. Additionally, the site appeared only recently, with the domain registered on June 22, 2024.

BBC fact-checkers revealed in an investigation that a network of Russian websites posing as local publications is behind similar disinformation. One of the leaders of this network, which publishes stories about the “luxurious lives of the Zelenskys”, is John Dougan, a former police officer from Florida who now lives in Moscow.

Regarding the “news” of Zelenska’s car purchase, the Bugatti Paris dealer denied it on their official Instagram page. They pointed out that the invoice lacked legal details and that the car’s price was incorrect. Additionally, the description of services was inaccurate and contradictory, and the document’s visual design was outdated. Moreover, while the Bugatti Tourbillon was announced on June 20, deliveries to customers will only begin in 2026. The car’s price starts at €3.8 million.

Open sources, including the Bugatti Paris website, do not mention a Bugatti dealership employee named Jacques Bertin. A search for the Instagram handle jacques_bertin_Is showed that the account no longer exists; it was likely deleted or renamed. At the time the fake news was published, Bertin’s account had only four posts, with the first appearing at the end of June this year.

An analysis of the screenshot showing the video with the “dealership employee” indicated that the video was created using artificial intelligence. The face appears of lower quality with blurriness, and the movements of the eyes and mouth look unnatural as if a filter was added over the face.

Previously, we debunked fake that Olena Zelenska spent $1.1 million on jewelry from Cartier in the USA.