Supported by
By Steven Lee Myers
A young man calling himself Mohamed al-Alawi gave that impression in a YouTube video in August. He described himself as an investigative journalist in Egypt with a big scoop: the Ukrainian president had bought a villa near Angelina Jolie’s in El Gouna, a hotel in the city on the Red Sea.
As it turned out, the story wasn’t true. Ukraine denied it and the owner of the villa refuted it. Also out of touch is Alawi’s claim to be a journalist.
Still, his story has circulated on social media and in the media, from Egypt to Nigeria and finally to Russia, where, according to researchers, that’s where the whole story began.
The story seemed to fade, though not for long. Four months later, two new videos appeared on YouTube. They claimed that Mohamed al-Alawi was beaten to death in Hurghada, a town located about 32 kilometers south of El Gouna. Murderers, according to the videos: Ukrainian secret service agents.
These statements were no more objective than the first ones, but they gave new life to the old lie. Eventually, another series of posts and reports reached millions of web users around the world, valuing the narrative so much that even members of the community echoed it. The U. S. Congress is debating the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine.
Since its forces invaded the country two years ago, Russia has unleashed a torrent of disinformation in an attempt to discredit Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and undermine the country’s standing in the West.
We are retrieving the content of the article.
Please allow javascript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access. If you’re in Reader mode, log out and log in to your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertising