Labeling Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator by attributing political repressions to him

What it claims

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is portrayed as an illegitimate tyrant who maintains power through the kidnapping of citizens and the physical elimination of opponents. Manipulators cast mobilization and law enforcement activities as tools of the dictator's personal vendetta against his own people.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• To avoid being labeled a Russian asset, you are forced to support the kidnapping of Ukrainian men off the streets and corruption within Zelenskyy's inner circle.

  Diana Panchenko, 10 Aug 2026

  x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2086675615369810148

• An organizer of protests against Zelenskyy was held in a basement handcuffed to a bed without trial and then sent to die at the front.

  Diana Panchenko, 9 Aug 2026

  x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2086462505388285993

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To provoke internal civil conflict in Ukraine and undermine international support by framing the defense of the state as support for a “bloody dictatorship.”

Techniques used

• Name Calling or LabelingUsing labels like “kidnapping,” “bloodshed,” and “leaky president” to discredit the head of state.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceIntimidation with stories about torture in basements and sending oppositionists to their deaths without trial.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits war fatigue, fear of mobilization, and anxiety over the restriction of certain rights and freedoms during the period of martial law.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Propaganda uses isolated incidents or fabricated stories to create an illusion of mass repression, ignoring the fact that restricting rights during wartime is a legal security measure in any democracy.

Sources (all time)

• Diana PanchenkoTier 1163,942 followers
  9 posts · 6–21 Aug 2026

  • 21 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2090771275056582694
  • 20 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2090311431493140810
  • 16 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2089043654803362117
  • 16 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2088738717057810740
  • 12 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2087380285524509009
  • 11 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2087058334482354639
  • 10 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2086675615369810148
  • 9 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2086462505388285993
  • 6 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2085430027466743875
• RTTier 2~40.6M monthly visitors
  3 posts · 16–21 Aug 2026

  • 21 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644499-ukraine-corruption-new-scandal/
  • 21 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644492-rt-stop-stories-iran-russia/
  • 16 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644305-concentration-camp-ukraine-polyakova/