A false rumour spread by a dubious AI-powered website caught the attention of leading politicians.

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money.

Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.

It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts.

But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.

Despite being false, the story reached members of the US Congress, where leaders say any decision on further aid to Ukraine will be delayed until next year.

  • AnonTwo@kbin.social
    14·
    11 months ago

    …Why would someone buy even a single Yacht while they’re in the middle of a war, while likely also being a #1 target of said war?

    Like if it was true I’d think he’s an idiot, cause that’s a hefty purchase that he likely wouldn’t even be able to use right now. Why would anyone believe that at face value??

    • Endorkend@kbin.social
      11·
      11 months ago

      Because American policy makers and most of the public don’t know what being at war is.

      They send people to war across the world. They haven’t experienced war in 150 years.

      So for them, especially a high level politician can easily chill on his yacht one day while voting to send a bunch of soldiers to their death the next day.

      They have no concept of what it means to be like Zelensky, being the primary target for assassination, being in the thick of it in a nation undergoing a full scale war.

      And since a good chunk of politics, especially the far right, is stuffed to the brim with people incapable of empathy, they can only imagine what they’d do and not what someone like Zelensky would do.

      • TallonMetroid@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        11 months ago

        I feel like that’s honestly giving them too much credit. They’ll buy into this because it’s a convenient excuse to sabotage things like their Russian masters have told them to.

        • Endorkend@kbin.social
          3·
          11 months ago

          The “imagine what they would do” part is being corrupt traitors that would take money from just about anyone and buy stupid shit like yachts.

    • Hubi@lemmy.world
      8·
      11 months ago

      Because that’s the kind of thing people like these senators would do, so it makes sense to them.