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What’s happening: Pro-Kremlin media accounts claim that Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska appeared at a July 13 meeting of Ukraine-allied countries in Paris wearing an 800,000 euro dragonfly pendant stolen from a French museum, citing supposed reporting from the BBC.
The pendant joins a slew of other luxury items that the Russian influence campaign Storm-1516 has falsely connected to Zelenska, including a 4.5 million-euro Bugatti and $1.1 million worth of Cartier jewelry.
Context: On July 5, three masked burglars used sledgehammers to break into the Lalique Museum in eastern France, making off with 27 items of jewelry worth approximately $5 million, according to press accounts. The stolen items included the renowned “Woman-Dragonfly With Open Wings” pendant created around 1900 by French artist René Lalique.
A closer look: On July 22, pro-Kremlin and conservative X users began sharing a video bearing the BBC News logo that said that Zelenska was filmed flaunting the stolen dragonfly pendant, which the video said was purportedly valued at an estimated 800,000 euros. The video garnered 3.27 million views across 13,700 posts, according to a social media...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...