Neither the Wall Street Journal nor AMVETS have reported such information. The U.S. has no authority to prosecute a foreign leader because of sovereign immunity.
Pro-Russian sources quickly spread the news that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was charged with five federal crimes in the United States. These include conspiracy to interfere in elections, embezzlement of state funds, complicity in war crimes committed by the Ukrainian armed forces, and even torture and murder of a U.S. citizen abroad – referring to Gonzalo Lira, an American blogger who died of pneumonia while in Ukrainian custody. This was allegedly reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing AMVETS (American Veterans) and their intelligence sources. These sources suggest that Zelenskyy is unlikely to be arrested in the U.S., but could face extradition from Ukraine or another country. According to these claims, the Ukrainian president could face “multiple life sentences or even the (unlikely) death penalty” in the United States.
This information is false since neither the Wall Street Journal nor AMVETS published such statements, citing their own sources. Furthermore, AMVETS is not a media outlet; it is an organization that supports American veterans. It does not share political content or news on its website or on social media, but instead posts various opportunities, events, and volunteer initiatives for veterans, such as helping them find jobs or educational scholarships. So it’s unclear why this organization would publish such news, especially citing unknown “intelligence sources”. Information about Zelenskyy’s alleged arrest cannot be found in any credible sources – it is being spread almost identically by pro-Russian sources or accounts that resemble bots. Moreover, neither FBI Director Patel nor Elon Musk have commented on this “news,” despite being highly active on social media and, according to Russian sources, directly involved in attempts to arrest Zelenskyy.
Furthermore, this news ignores the fact that the United States has no jurisdiction to prosecute a foreign leader due to the principle of state immunity. Head of state immunity can be limited, but not by an individual country, but by the International Criminal Court. For example, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 for crimes against humanity during the repression of protests, and an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin in 2023 for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. However, the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC and does not recognize the legitimacy of this institution. Other details in the news are also absurd – for example, it’s unclear how the United States plans to extradite the president of Ukraine from Ukraine.
The “charges” against Zelenskyy listed in the publication are a common recurring theme in Russian propaganda. Russia often speaks of alleged war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military, while the UN has documented numerous violations of international law by Russia: executions and torture of prisoners of war, targeted attacks on civilian objects, and child abductions. Regarding Gonzalo Lira, we have previously debunked the fake news claim that the blogger was arrested “for criticizing Zelenskyy” and allegedly “tortured” in a Ukrainian prison. In reality, the U.S. citizen was justifying Russian aggression and promoting pro-Kremlin narratives. After his initial arrest, he attempted to flee the country on a motorcycle. He was apprehended by law enforcement, but later contracted pneumonia while in custody and died. Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of murdering the blogger. However, in a recent press conference, the President of Ukraine stated: “I don’t know this person. I’ve never met him. I don’t know if he has any connection with the secret service or with Russia. I’m not sure that a journalist from Chile, who is half American and half Russian, poses such a significant threat to our armed forces.”
