FALSE: Zelenskyi Purchased One of the Largest Casino Hotels in Europe — Vuni Palace

Russian Telegram channels are spreading a news story from Turkish media outlet Oda TV. The story claims that in early May 2024, Zelenskyi’s company Film Heritage Inc. purchased one of the largest casino hotels in Europe, Vuni Palace, for approximately 150 million pounds sterling. The video adds that, according to Booking.com, it was impossible to book a room at the hotel at the end of May due to the change of ownership.

However, this is false. The hotel has not changed ownership and has not ceased operations. The website screenshot shown by the Turkish media is fake. Oda TV has a history of spreading fake news about Ukraine.

The company Film Heritage Inc., mentioned in the post, is indeed related to the Zelenskyi family. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s 2023 property declaration, Film Heritage Inc. is owned by the president’s wife, Olena Zelenska. Previously, we debunked the fake news claiming that Volodymyr Zelenskyi bought Joseph Goebbels’ villa through Film Heritage Inc. 

To “prove” that the hotel belongs to Film Heritage Inc., the Turkish media shows a screenshot of the supposed hotel-casino website, where the company’s name is allegedly listed next to the phrase “All Rights Reserved”. However, this is a fake site. Its domain was registered on May 29, 2024, just a few days before the fake news spread, while the real Vuni Palace site was registered in 2006.

On the original site, next to “All Rights Reserved”, it says “Vuni Palace Hotel Spa & Convention”. Additionally, the name of the company that developed the site, Pixel Creative, is listed after “All Rights Reserved”, which is missing on the fake site. Furthermore, the propagandists provided the wrong email address.

Moreover, the claim that the hotel-casino was not accepting visitors at the end of May is false. First, no announcement about the hotel ceasing operations was made on the website or social media. On May 23, Vuni Palace’s Facebook page posted an invitation to stay at the hotel with contact numbers for booking rooms. Similar announcements were made on May 22, 25, and 30. It would be odd to offer accommodation if the hotel was closed.

Second, there are reviews on Booking.com in Turkish and Russian about staying at the hotel, all written at the end of May or early June 2024.

Turkish media outlet Oda TV is one of the most visited online portals in Turkey. It was created as an “independent source of news and political analysis”, but it has become a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda in Turkey. The outlet has previously spread fake news about Ukraine, accusing the USA of starting the war in Ukraine and publishing articles claiming that then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi wore a bracelet with a Nazi symbol, which we debunked.

Interestingly, Oda TV deleted the news about Volodymyr Zelenskyi allegedly buying Vuni Palace, but the article remains in the web archive. Reliable Ukrainian or international media did not report on the purchase of the hotel-casino. 

Moreover, a representative of the hotel confirmed to Cyprus Mail that Vuni Palace belongs to the Oscar group of companies, and Volodymyr Zelenskyi is not one of its shareholders. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides also stated that the government is investigating the matter but “has found nothing of the sort so far”.