Photo of Zelensky in front of green screen doesn’t mean he was ‘never’ in Ukraine

Several posts on Facebook claim that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was “never in his own land”, based on a photo of him in front of a green screen. 

The photo is real, but it doesn’t mean Mr Zelensky was “never” in Ukraine. He has largely remained in Kyiv since the Russian invasion of the country, with politicians such as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron travelling to Ukraine to meet with him. As recently as 7 July, it was reported that Mr Zelensky met US senators in Kyiv.

During this time, his appearances at events outside the country have been virtual.

The picture in the post of Mr Zelensky in front of the green screen is from a recording for one such virtual appearance—simultaneously addressing audiences at several different technology conferences as a hologram on 16 June. 

A press release issued by technology company Evercoast, which was involved in the event, states that Zelensky’s speech was filmed in Kyiv. Another company involved in the production of the hologram said in a press release that Mr Zelensky was filmed “from an undisclosed location in Ukraine”. 

Image courtesy of the Presidential Office of Ukraine