Viral Video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy Dancing Is a Deepfake, Ukraine President’s Face Swapped Onto Argentinian Belly Dancer Pablo Acosta
A viral video claiming to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing in a golden outfit has gone viral on X with over 387K views. Fact check reveals the clip is a digitally altered deep fake. The original performer is Argentine belly dancer Pablo Acosta, who had shared the video on Instagram as a humorous act.
Mumbai, August 26: Was Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy caught on camera belly dancing in a golden costume? A viral video circulating on social media platforms claims so, suggesting that the clip shows Zelenskyy performing on stage. The post further alleges "stunning performance, Trump halted weapon supplies to Ukraine and imposed a 25% tariff as part of his #TariffWar.”
The video, posted on the morning of August 26, has amassed over 387.7K views on X. It shows a man confidently belly dancing in a glittering outfit before a cheering audience. Shared widely with mocking captions, the clip has sparked ridicule online, with many questioning whether the person dancing is indeed Zelenskyy. Was a Train Submerged in Floodwaters? PIB Fact Check Clarifies Viral Video Is AI-Generated.
Post Going Viral With Fake Claim About Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Original Video
However, a fact check reveals that the viral claim is fake and misleading. The video is not of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but has been digitally altered to make it appear so. In reality, the original clip features Argentine belly dancer Pablo Acosta. Acosta had originally posted the video on his Instagram account with the caption, "A little humor 😂😂😂😂😂 Ameeeeeee," making it clear that the act was purely for entertainment and had no political links. Is 'British Home Department Document' Stating RSS Did Not Contribute to India's Freedom Struggle Real or Fake? Viral Image Is Likely Fabricated, Lacks Authenticity.
The narrative connecting the performance to Donald Trump’s policies on Ukraine is entirely fabricated. During the verification process, LatestLY found that the video being circulated online is a deep fake, digitally altered to swap Zelenskyy’s face onto the dancer’s body. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Zelenskyy performed in such an event, nor that Trump made any policy changes in response to it.
Fact check
A viral video shows Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy belly dancing in a golden costume.
The claim is fake, and the video is a digitally altered to swap Volodymyr Zelenskyy\'s face with Argentine belly dancer Pablo Acosta.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2025 07:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).