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“ZhS Premium” Claims Ukrainian Involvement in Georgian Protests Based on a Four-Year-Old Lost Passport
The WTF team, using the passport holder's name, located the original Facebook post.
A screenshot displaying a photograph of an allegedly found passport belonging to a resident of the Zakarpattia region in Ukraine was shared on Belarus’ pro-government Telegram channel, “ZhS Premium.” The authors linked this to Ukraine's involvement in fueling protests in Georgia. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated the age of the photo associated with the lost documents.
A post claiming Ukraine’s involvement in the protests in Georgia was published by the Telegram channel “ZhS Premium” on December 5, 2024. “Wow, what interesting findings people make! Someone lost a passport on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi last night. Oddly enough, it’s a Ukrainian passport. A tourist, perhaps?
Ironically, two days ago, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry vehemently denied any Ukrainian involvement in the situation in Georgia. But the evidence says otherwise,” the caption reads, accompanying a screenshot from the free classifieds website Cenotavr.
The ad does exist on Cenotavr, posted in the “found items” section in December 2024. However, the WTF team, using the passport holder's name, located the original Facebook post. It was published on December 29th, 2020. This means the passport was lost four years ago, not in Tbilisi, but in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
The photos are identical — down to the texture of the surface where the passport is lying.
