A compilation video posted to X, formerly Twitter, on March 1 appears to show the presidents of Ukraine and France dancing. While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears to be belly dancing and dancing on stage in multiple clips, President Emmanuel Macron seems to be dancing at a club wearing a variety of clothing and hairstyles. Most of these clips are fake. All of the clips of Macron dancing are digitally manipulated, however all but two clips of Zelenskyy showing off his moves appear to be real.
"We can all agree this is strange right," asks the caption of shared on X on March 1 by a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø account. The video goes back and forth between clips of France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing as German singer Haddaway's 1993 hit single "What Is Love" plays in the background.
There are seven clips of what looks like Macron dancing in a club in various 1980s fashion and hairstyles. Zelenskyy is seen dancing on a stage in most of the clips, and belly dancing in two.
The video was reposted from that claimed the recordings were made before the two men became presidents.Ìý
As of March 6, the combined posts had received more than 855,000 views and 7,000 shares.
Rating: Mostly fake/digitally manipulated
More than half of the 14 clips of the two leaders show signs of being digitally manipulated, with all clips of Macron dancing appearing to be fake.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø ran a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video. The search results included similar videos that had been shared in previous years on multiple social media platforms.
A from March 2024 debunking a similar video of Macron dancing found that the clips were pulled from published in 2009 by the channel StratusDanceClub.
The YouTube account says its videos were recorded inside a San Diego, Calif. dance club, Stratus, that operated in the 1970s and '80s.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø went through the videos and found clips of people dancing from 1986 to 1987 that were identical to the ones of Macron dancing in the X video.Ìý
Macron's face has been superimposed on the dancers, likely using an artificial intelligence tool.
For example, a person with long hair and a white collared short-sleeved shirt matches the clip of Macron that appears 36 seconds into the X video. Their movements are also identical.
A clip of Macron dancing in a red, black and white sweater at 19 seconds also matches a clip of a man in the same clothing.
Macron does not appear in any of the YouTube videos and, in fact, would have been about 10 years old when the videos were recorded.
Zelenskyy dancing: some fake, some real
The clips of Zelenskyy belly dancing in the red costume that appear at 14 seconds and 48 seconds into the X video are digitally manipulated fakes.Ìý
Results from a search on Google Images found a named Vusal Mehdiyev of himself belly dancing on TikTok in 2022.
Zelenskyy's face has been superimposed on the face of the dancer in the X video.
This video, along with other of Zelenskyy supposedly belly dancing, have been previously by other fact checkers.Ìý
Zekenskyy worked as an entertainer before he became the president of Ukraine in March 2019, and the other clips of him dancing appear to be taken from shows he starred in through the production company he co-founded, .Ìý
For example, posted to Kvartal 95's on Oct. 27, 2018 shows a comedy performance by Zelenskyy wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt and kissing his own biceps, which matches a clip shown three seconds into the X video.Ìý
Other that appear in videos shared by Kvartal 95's YouTube channel also appear in the background of clips in the X video.Ìý
The clips of Zelenskyy dancing have also been posted on various social media platforms in different contexts, including that posts videos of Zelenskyy.
Sources
Claim can be found on X () and (), both posted March 1, 2025Â
Loreben Tuquero. These clips of Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy dancing are altered. PolitiFact , March 22, 2024 ()
Circa 1986-1987 Part Three. StratusDanceClub, on , July 15, 2009 ()
Circa 1986-1987 Part Four. StratusDanceClub, on , July 17, 2009 ()
, accessed March 3, 2025 ()
, accessed March 3, 2025 ()
@vusaaal , Jan. 12, 2022 ()
History of the studio. Kvartal 95 , accessed March 5, 2025 ()
, accessed March 3, 2025 ()
Ритмично-Ð’Ñ‹Ñ€Ð°Ð·Ð¸Ñ‚ÐµÐ»ÑŒÐ½Ð°Ñ Ð¥Ñ€ÐµÐ½ÑŒ - ÐŸÐ°Ñ€Ð¾Ð´Ð¸Ñ Ð½Ð° Танцы Ñо Звёздами | Вечерний Квартал 2018. Kvartal 95, , Oct. 27, 2018 ()
Ð’Ñе мы немного Ñнежинки - монолог Ð’. ЗеленÑкого | Ðовогодний Квартал 2017. Kvartal 95, , Dec. 31, 2016 ()
@_ze.love_ , April 2, 2024 ()
Rachel Baig. Fact check: Fake Zelenskyy video raises fears of AI disinfo. DW , Sept. 23, 2023 ()
Fact Check: Video does not show Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy belly dancing. Reuters , Jan. 10, 2024 ()
About ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Press fact checks
You can find out more about ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø here and about ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Press Fact Checks here. To reach our fact-checking team with any tips, corrections or comments, please email us at cpfactcheck@thecanadianpress.com.
