No Evidence Supports Viral Claim About Zelenskyy’s Russian Passport and Moscow Property

A viral claim circulating widely online asserts that hackers from the Anonymous group breached the Russian state real-estate registry (Rosreestr) and discovered a Russian passport issued in Crimea in 2015 and Moscow-City real-estate owned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, we found the claim to be part of a disinformation campaign. The claim is therefore false.

Social Media Posts

A video circulating on Facebook and X claims that Anonymous leaked Zelenskyy’s Russian passport and real estate data in Moscow. The alleged aim is to show that Zelenskyy holds undisclosed Russian citizenship and Moscow assets.

Source | Archive

Source | Archive

Fact Check

Verification of the Passport Document

The claim states that hackers from Anonymous accessed the Russian Federal State Registration Service (Rosreestr) and discovered a Russian passport issued to Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2015 in Crimea. However, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reports that the passport image is a forged document: the photograph used is dated 24 February 2022, corresponding to Zelenskyy’s video address on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion, rather than a genuine passport photo.

Ukrinform further notes that no legitimate investigation by Anonymous or a hacking of Rosreestr has been substantiated in credible sources. This means the document forming the basis of the claim is demonstrably false.

Claims of Real Estate Ownership in Moscow-City

Using the forged passport, the video claims Zelenskyy owns a luxury apartment in the Moscow-City financial district worth nearly USD 2 million. Because the passport itself is fabricated, the real-estate claim lacks any valid foundation.

BBC Verify confirms that the video is “a complete fake,” falsely presented under the branding of the New Voice of Ukraine. The outlet’s editor-in-chief told BBC that the clip was never produced by them and is likely the work of “Russian-backed actors.” BBC also reports that independent analysts attribute the operation to Storm-1516, a known Russian influence network specializing in fabricated media content. Media-forensics specialist Darren Linvill states: “There is no question this is Storm-1516. Russian influence campaigns have used Anonymous as a vehicle to sow lies in the past.”

Legal and Verification Considerations

Ukraine’s legal framework and transparency requirements provide additional context for evaluating this claim. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has stated that Russian passports issued to Ukrainians in occupied territories are not recognized as legal documents within Ukraine or internationally (Source). 

Additionally, Ukrainian law requires public officials to submit annual asset and income declarations. Zelenskyy’s published declaration for 2024 reports family income of approximately UAH 15.28 million (about US$368,556), with no listed overseas property holdings (Source). These legal frameworks and public disclosures do not support the existence of a valid Russian passport or Moscow real-estate ownership as claimed.

Conclusion

The claim that hackers from Anonymous leaked Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Russian passport and Moscow real-estate ownership is false. Our investigation reveals that the passport document is forged, using a photograph from Zelenskyy’s February 2022 address rather than an authentic passport photo, and the alleged data breach has not been substantiated by credible sources. Furthermore, independent researchers have attributed this disinformation to Storm-1516, a known Russian influence operation that has previously exploited the Anonymous brand to spread false narratives.