Fake Ukraine-Iran claim spreads after satirical post goes viral

What started as a joke became a weapon of disinformation. Russian media twisted a satirical post into a fake diplomatic scandal—here's how it unfolded.

, and Administrator

2026 April 25 . 2:06 PM

1 min read

The image shows a man in a suit and tie speaking into a microphone in front of a blurred... — The image shows a man in a suit and tie speaking into a microphone in front of a blurred background. He appears to be making a statement, likely in response to the Supreme Court's decision to ban the use of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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Fake Ukraine-Iran claim spreads after satirical post goes viral

A post circulating on social media claims to be a statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in which he allegedly demands that the U.S. accept all of Iran's demands and pay reparations to Tehran. The minister is also said to accuse Washington of wasting resources needed by Ukraine on a "senseless war in the Middle East."

This statement is fabricated. It first appeared in a satirical Telegram channel.

A keyword search revealed the original source of this "news": the humor-focused Telegram channel Panas Shevchenko's Notes. The channel's profile description explicitly warns that it is a parody account and that "any similarities are purely coincidental."

Initially, the fake "news" was picked up by other satirical channels, but Russian and pro-Russian outlets later spread it as an authentic statement by the foreign minister.

Just before this fake claim surfaced, the foreign minister had outlined Ukraine's actual position on the Iranian regime: "For many years, the Iranian regime has been one of the main sources of regional and global destabilization. It has undermined European security by directly supporting Russia's aggression against Ukraine. [...] The collapse of this regime would significantly improve security across the region and the world."

In 2024, we debunked a similar false claim alleging that former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had urged Israel to de-escalate tensions with Iran, arguing that U.S. aid would not be enough to cover all conflicts.