PHOTOFAKE: Protest against Zelenskyi in Kyiv in November 2025

On the internet, photos are being circulated, allegedly from a protest that took place in Kyiv in November 2025. The posters held by participants read: “Zelenskyi is a thief” and “Zelenskyi out.”

However, this is a photofake. The inscriptions on the posters were edited, and the photos are old: they were taken in 2013 during the Euromaidan and in 2023 during a peaceful protest against the setting of fixed terms of service for the military.

The photos shared in the post indicate a filming date of November 14. However, on that day, the media did not report any protests in Kyiv. In reality, a peaceful action in the capital took place the next day, November 15, 2025. 

The protest on November 15 was a reaction to an NABU investigation into the embezzlement of budget funds in the energy sector. Among the suspects in the case were two ministers who later resigned. There is no reliable data on the course of the action or the number of participants: some media reported that fewer than 30 people gathered on Khreshchatyk, while others reported around 50 citizens. Protesters came out with posters reading “There is no more trust, you are stealing from the people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” and “No to corruption in Ukraine and its instigators.”

However, in photos from the protests published by the media, there are no people or inscriptions on posters like those circulated in the fake post. We also did not find any evidence online that protesters called on the president to resign.

Using reverse image search, we found that these images were edited. Thus, the photo of the girl with the inscription “Zelenskyi out” was taken from a 2023 action organized by relatives of servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They demanded the demobilization of soldiers after 18 months of service. In reality, the poster reads “They are not robots, but people.” The photo was mirrored to complicate reverse-image searches.

Using the PimEyes tool, which finds facial matches in open sources, we found the girl with the poster “Zelenskyi is a thief.” In 2013, she participated in the Revolution of Dignity wearing the same clothes and hairstyle.

At that time, she was holding a poster reading “I want to join the EU.” We were unable to find a photo identical to the one in the propagandists’ post of the girl. However, the woman’s identical appearance indicates that photos from that period were used to create the fake.

Russians are not using the tactic of editing posters in real photos for the first time. Previously, we debunked a fake claiming that a protest by relatives of servicemembers with the slogans “Syrskyi, where is our dad?” took place in Kyiv. In reality, no such protest occurred, and the inscriptions on the posters were fabricated.