In reality, the Ukrainian media did not report such information, and the «debunking» publication on Politico is fabricated.
Pro-Russian resources are spreading a refutation of disinformation allegedly spread by the Ukrainian media: that shortly before his death, Pope Francis allegedly spoke on the phone with Volodymyr Zelensky and expressed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to the president. Publications on propaganda sources are accompanied by a screenshot from Politico, where this statement was allegedly refuted.
But in fact, this whole story is made up by pro-Kremlin resources. First, we were unable to find any confirmation that at least one credible Ukrainian publication wrote about the alleged call between Zelensky and Pope Francis. Second, the refutation allegedly published on the Politico website is also fabricated — this is easily proven by a simple search on the media website by keywords. And thirdly, although the information about the phone conversation was allegedly denied by the Vatican, we also do not find any posts on this topic in any of the official communication channels of the Holy See.
As a reminder, Pope Francis died on April 21 as a result of a stroke, coma and irreversible cardiovascular collapse at the age of 88. The pontiff’s funeral will take place on April 26. A number of world leaders are planning to say goodbye to Francis: in particular, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky together with the first lady. «He knew how to give hope, alleviate suffering with prayer and promote unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. We mourn together with Catholics and all Christians who sought spiritual support from Pope Francis. Eternal memory!», Ukrainian President honored the pontiff’s memory on the social network X.
This is not the first time Russia has accused Ukraine of spreading fakes to divert attention from its own propaganda machine. For a refutation on this topic, read the stories Fake: After USAID Freezes Funding for Ukrainian Fact-Checking Organizations, the Number of Fakes Decreased by 12 Times — Microsoft and Fake: USAID Funded the Work of a «Troll Farm» Which Employed Eastern European Students.
