In May 2025, the news about the escape of one of the representatives of Ukraine at negotiations in Turkey spread - they allegedly became an translator Oleg Golovko. We checked the reliability of this story.
The posts that the Ukrainian translator who participated in negotiations in Istanbul disappeared in an unknown direction, spread over the network on May 19. The authors of some publications report this with reference to CNN Türk and a 44-second video allegedly released by this channel. The video says that Oleg Golovko, a translator from the team of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umarov, fled from Istanbul during a break in negotiations. According to the Turkish authorities, he crossed the border with Bulgaria by car, after which he went to one of the countries of Europe.
They wrote about the alleged escape of the Ukrainian translator Russia Today, Life.ru, "Moscow Komsomolets","Gazeta.ru" And "Business Online", As well as numerous Telegram channels, among which"Dmitry Nicotin"(315,000 views at the time of writing this analysis)"Zerada"(287 000),"KB"(253,000),"Historian Dyukov"(236,000),"NE.SAHAR"(225 000),"Uncle Glory"(187 000) and others.
Some resources reported the disappearance of another member of the delegation-a secretary assistant named Samoilenko. The news was released about this Lenta.ru, "Tsargrad" And Forpostas well as Telegram channels "The world of Mikhail Onufrienko"(208,000 views),"Ukraine.ru"(236,000),"Belarusian security officer"(158 000),"Militaryist Kitten"(120 000),"Bocharik (yeah, the same)"(112 000) and others.
May 16 in Istanbul took place The first direct negotiations of the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in three years. The initiator of the meeting was President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky expressed his readiness to hold the highest level and even flew to Turkey. However, when it became clear that Putin would not fly to Istanbul, Zelensky also did not participate in the meeting. As a result, the Russian delegation was headed by presidential assistant Vladimir Medinsky, Ukrainian - Minister of Defense Rustem Umarov. It was not possible to agree on a ceasefire - Kyiv reportedthat Russian negotiators put forward a number of unacceptable requirements. The only specific agreement was the agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war for the formula “1000 by 1000” (it took place A few days later). In addition, it was decided that each party would present its vision of a possible ceasefire, after which negotiations would resume.
One of the aspects, which was widely covered in the media, was the question of the language in which participants in negotiations communicated. Ukrainian media with reference to sources They wrotethat the delegation led by Umrov took advantage of the services of a translator. In turn, the official representative of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova She saidthat negotiations were held in Russian with a synchronous translation into Ukrainian, English and Turkish (in the meeting also Participated Foreign Minister of Turkey Hakan Fidan). The employee of RT Konstantin Pridibailo that worked that day in Istanbul asserted: "The Ukrainian delegation brought a translator to Ukrainian, but he sits does not do anything, because Russian is the language of dialogue now."
The media and Telegram channels spoke about the escape of the Ukrainian translator with reference to the Turkish television channel CNN Türk, some of the resources laid out the plot that he had allegedly published on this topic. The design of this video resembles what CNN Türk uses, its logo throughout the video is posted in the lower right corner. The 44-second video is made in horizontal format, as well as Short news videos On the pages of the television channel in social networks. The text of the news is played in the lower part of the screen in the form of subtitles in English.
However, “verified” could not find this video on site CNN Türk and verified pages of the television channel in social networks (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X). There are many differences between the viral video and the original plots of CNN Türk. Firstly, the channel releases the news exclusively in Turkish, in its social networks there are no videos in English. Secondly, he does not use subtitles along with sunbathing music-usually original videos voices leading. Thirdly, the CNN Türk logo in the lower right corner is made on a black substrate, and in genuine videos on a transparent one.
However, the most suspicious inaccuracies are contained in the text of the news and the photos used. For example, at the 30th second of the Viral video, Istanbul is called the capital of Turkey-one of the largest Turkish television channels could hardly make such a mistake.
No less strange is the choice of some illustrations. So, in the middle of the video, supposedly given by the Turkish authorities is a comment that Golovko did not leave Istanbul International Airport. At the same time, the Ataturka Airport photo is used to illustrate. does not accept Passenger flights since 2019.
Edition "Like" reportedWhat turned for a comment on this video to two CNN Türk employees. Representatives of the Turkish television channel said that the editors are not related to virus video.
Finally, a translator named Oleg Golovko is not mentioned either on official Ukrainian resources or local media. At the 10th second of a viral video, a photograph of this person appears, but his face is blurred, which prevents the personality of a man.
Information about the escape of the Ukrainian translator was distributed mainly in Russian. The earliest publication, which contained a viral video and which managed to find "verified", appeared In the Telegram channel "Gagauz Republic" on May 19 at 11:12 Moscow time. This channel is already Meet In the analysis of "tested" as the primary source of fake news. Subsequently, the video spread widely through other channels, as well as different languages In the social network X.
In addition to Golovko, the media and Telegram channels say, another representative of the Ukrainian delegation escaped from Istanbul-a certain assistant secretary named Samoilenko. In the video, stylized as a CNN Türk video, nothing is said about it. In the posts themselves, details about the escape of Samoilenko are not given - it is only indicated that he left for Bulgaria with Golovko. Some of the Turkish media call as a source of information, but “verified” did not find notes on this subject in authoritative Turkish publications. The first about the alleged escape of Samoilenko reported Telegram channel "welders" on May 19 at 14:05 Moscow time. After 20 minutes. About him wrote Russian "military commissar" Yuri Kitten, to whom other media began to refer to the future.
It is noteworthy that almost identical Fake The escape of the Ukrainian translator appeared shortly after negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and the USA in Saudi Arabia in March this year. Then the pro-Khremple Telegram channels published a video allegedly released by the Arab News TV channel. Factores from Stopfake found outthat that video was falsified.
Thus, messages about the escape of Ukrainian translator Oleg Golovko from negotiations in Istanbul are based on a fake video of the CNN Türk television channel. The news that another member of the delegation escaped with him is also not confirmed by authoritative sources.
Photo on the cover: X / @rustem_umerov
- The Insider. Fake of the Kremlin media: translator and secretary of the Ukrainian delegation at negotiations in Istanbul escaped in an unknown direction
- "Like this". Russian propaganda writes about the escape of two participants in the negotiations in Istanbul from the Ukrainian side. "So" found out that this is a fake
- False authorities. How BBC has become a favorite brand for the creators of fake videos
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