A viral social media post by Jackson Hinkle, a prominent pro-Russian commentator with 2.6 million followers on X, claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife used American taxpayer money to purchase a multimillion-dollar luxury sports car.
Hinkle’s claim is false: Olena Zelenska did not purchase a Bugatti. Hinckle deleted his post on Wednesday afternoon, minutes before this fact check was published, but not before it had been viewed more than 7.2 million times.
A follow-up post has also been deleted.
In June, Bugatti announced the Tourbillion—its first sports car designed to use a new engine in more than 20 years. Bugatti will build 250 of the vehicles at a starting price of 3.8 million euros—or around $4.1 million. The vehicle is currently in its testing phase and will be delivered to customers beginning in 2026. Olena Zelenska, however, will not be one of those customers.
“BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S. respects the privacy of its customers and does not normally disclose any information about its customers. In this case, BUGATTI Automobiles S.A.S. makes an exception because it is a false report and does not correspond to the truth,” Nicole Auger, head of marketing and communications for Bugatti, told The Dispatch Fact Check in an emailed statement. “According to an internal check, Mrs. Zelenska is not a BUGATTI customer.”
The claims against Zelenska follow a pattern of false financial stories about Zelensky that have become increasingly common in anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Last year, The Dispatch Fact Check debunked claims that Zelensky had purchased a mansion in Florida, and the Ukrainian President has similarly been accused of purchasing yachts, private jets, and a British royal residence.
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