Is it true that a monument to Zelensky was erected in Milan in the form of a nose with white powder?

A photograph of art installation in Milan, allegedly dedicated to the President of Ukraine, dispersed in social networks. The monument is a huge human nose with a path of white powder leading to it. We checked whether this art object is really dedicated to Vladimir Zelensky.

Many Telegram channels published a photograph of art installations in Milan with the signature “In the center of Milan, they opened a monument to Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky” (channel Saloboy - 26,500 views at the time of writing this analysis, "CIS compromising evidence" - 16 900,"GAGAUS Republic" - 11 800). The same posts appeared on the social network "VKontakte" ("Folk volunteer militia "must"" - 44,000,"Power in truth" - 34 000). About the new monument to Zelensky Wrote And somewhat Russian -speaking Media.

Rumors that the President of Ukraine allegedly use drugs began to spread back in 2019 during the presidential election in Ukraine. Then the accusations of his political opponents led to the fact that Zelensky passed Drug test, the procedure was broadcast live on Facebook. This false narrative acquired a new round of popularity after the start of hostilities in Ukraine and the activation of anti -Ukrainian propaganda. “Checked” ours Colleagues More than once refuted Similar fakes.

Nevertheless, the belief that the President of Ukraine uses drugs remains quite common. Perhaps that is why the news of the Milan art-installation, supposedly dedicated to Zelensky and his addiction to cocaine, did not cause bewilderment among many users of social networks. Judging by the comments on Telegram channels and publics on VKontakte, users decided that this was just another European art object that ridicules the Ukrainian president. Fakes on this topic (for example, graffiti with Zelensky in the image of a black hole absorbing money) “verified” also repeatedly Disassembled. At the same time, proposals to establish intravital monuments to the President of Ukraine actually received. For example, such an idea recently It was discussed In Lithuania. In the USA, a member of the House of Representatives Joe Wilson Offered establish a bust of Zelensky in the building of the Capitol, and in the Estonian city of Tyrva erected Sandy sculpture of Vladimir Zelensky, reminiscent of a statue of freedom.

Nevertheless, the sculpture installed in Milan, in fact, has nothing to do with the Ukrainian president. In one of the central squares of the city, appeared The installation in the form of a nose and a cocaine track, but it was devoted to the fight against drug trafficking and their consumption. The author of the sculpture is an Italian activist and artist Christina Donati Meyerwhich is already known for its street art objects (for example, graffiti With Putin's face in a cloud from a nuclear explosion). This time, Meyer decided to draw the attention of Milan to the problem of drug addiction in the city. The artist called her work Bianco Natale, Milano-Medellin (It. "White Christmas, Milan-Medelin") and wrote In social networks: “This work condemns the large -scale turnover of drugs in Milan and its central areas - the International Center for the Mafiose Business. Over the past year, the illegal turnover of cocaine increased by 62%, and frequent confiscations of large quantities in Milan are not able to stop or affect the black market. According to the chemical analysis of wastewater in Milan, the use of cocaine over the past year has increased by 30%. ”

Some Russian -speaking Sources At the same time, they argue that the sculpture was really not conceived as a monument to Zelensky and that the inhabitants of Milan only christened it. It is difficult to find evidence of this. Nevertheless, in the comments under the published photos In social networks, Meyer, not one of the users at the time of writing this analysis made an analogy with the Ukrainian president. We could not find such comparisons in the Italian media who wrote about a new installation. Anyway, the theses that Zelensky allegedly uses drugs are little common in Italian sources. If you look for such information in Italian, among the first 30 results in the Google search engine you can only find Materials Italian factskeeping agencies, refuting false statements Russian propaganda about the drug addiction of Zelensky.

Another false statement of Russian Media - that the installation was allegedly made based on the story of Nikolai Gogol "Nose". Where did this information come from and what does Gogol have to do with it, the media do not specify. In the description of his sculpture, Christina Donati Meyer does not write about Gogol.

Thus, the sculpture of the nose installed in the center of Milan has nothing to do with Vladimir Zelensky. The sculptor conceived his installation only to attract public attention to the growth of drug trafficking in Milan.

Image on the cover: Instagram

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that graffiti with Zelensky appeared in Paris in the image of a black hole sucking money?
2. Is it true that 3D graphfi with Zelensky, eating money appeared in Poland?
3. Are the videos that Vladimir Zelensky use drugs true?