Dismissing Zelenskyy through labels about drugs and weakness

What it claims

Zelenskyy is portrayed as drug-dependent and incapable of leading: insults, cocaine insinuations and mockery of his appearance are inflated into a description of his policies. Statements about negotiations, outside pressure and pauses in addresses are reduced to personal weakness. The condition of holding elections after a 60-day ceasefire is accompanied by the label “expired comedian.”

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.

• One major consumer is buying up every cocaine shipment headed to Ukraine.

  Open Ukraine| Открытая Украина, 10 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

• It is easier to pressure Zelenskyy than Putin because Zelenskyy sees himself as the weak link.

  Open Ukraine| Открытая Украина, 11 Oct 2026

  t.me/OpenUkraine/103511

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 weaken Ukrainian audiences’ trust in the president by portraying him as dependent, weak and unable to make decisions.

Techniques used

• Loaded LanguageZelenskyy is called a “cocaine user” to present drug dependence as an established fact.
• Name Calling or LabelingThe report about possible elections is framed with the label “expired comedian.”

The real grievance it exploits

Anxiety caused by the war, uncertainty around negotiations and elections, and a need for accountable leadership.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Notice how insulting labels and drug insinuations replace verifiable arguments about the president’s decisions.
• Reframe: A pause in addresses or a dispute with foreign politicians proves neither a person’s health nor their ability to govern; the posts turn such details into a judgement of the person.

Sources (all time)

• Open Ukraine| Открытая УкраинаTier 1180,535 subscribers
  11 posts · 10–11 Oct 2026

  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103518
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103516
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103515
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103511
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103507
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103482
  • 11 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103476
  • 10 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103475
  • 10 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103472
  • 10 Oct · Archived copy
  • +1 more
• Анатолий ШарийTier 11,717,313 subscribers
  4 posts · 6–23 Sept 2026

  • 23 Sept · t.me/ASupersharij/60497
  • 23 Sept · t.me/ASupersharij/60486
  • 22 Sept · t.me/ASupersharij/60467
  • 6 Sept · t.me/ASupersharij/59748
• ОЛЬГА ШАРИЙTier 1112,406 subscribers
  6 posts · 7 Sept – 7 Oct 2026

  • 7 Oct · t.me/OlgaSharij/9610
  • 3 Oct · Archived copy
  • 22 Sept · t.me/OlgaSharij/9598
  • 15 Sept · t.me/OlgaSharij/9595
  • 14 Sept · t.me/OlgaSharij/9594
  • 7 Sept · t.me/OlgaSharij/9592
• Одесский партизанTier 33,527 subscribers
  4 posts · 21 Sept 2026

  • 21 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3741
  • 21 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3740
  • 21 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3739
  • 21 Sept · t.me/odessa_partizan/3738
• FREE KHERSONTier 38,592 subscribers
  3 posts · 23–24 Sept 2026

  • 24 Sept · t.me/free_kherson_z/18498
  • 24 Sept · t.me/free_kherson_z/18493
  • 23 Sept · t.me/free_kherson_z/18485
• ШЕЛЕСТTier 1138,803 subscribers
  2 posts · 5–6 Sept 2026

  • 6 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31383
  • 5 Sept · t.me/shelestlive/31372