Again I reference you to the Prof. Gerdes video on this particular subject -- alleged purchases of two yachts worth supposedly $75 million.
Again I note that while Gerdes is properly skeptical of the original video report on which all others are based, Gerdes imho is not nearly skeptical enough.
My view is that not one word of all this is established as "fact".
Rather, all of it is based on 100% dubious accusations which should not be accepted in any way, shape or form until confirmed by reliable investigation.
ransomnote: "If you read up on Zelensky, he got where he is now in part by the support of an oligarch.
He’s got mansions to retreat to once the Ukraine collapses. MANSIONS.
Multiple mansions."
Sure, this is one of Zelenskyy's mansions, his main residence:
As for other alleged "mansions" here is all I can find on those:
- "There is no credible evidence that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, owns property in the US1234.
Specifically, there is no evidence that he owns a $35 million villa in Miami234.
The Florida Public Registry of Real Estate does not feature any real estate linked to Zelenskyy or the companies named in the Pandora Papers2."
- "Fact Check: False claim that Zelenkyy bought parents multimillion-dollar house Isabella Fertel USA TODAY
"The claim: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy bought his parents an $8 million mansion
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, social media has been flooded with false and misleading information about the conflict.
One popular topic is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's property assets.
"An Oct. 5 Instagram post claims that Zelenskyy recently bought his parents an $8 million villa.
The post includes an image of a lavish estate.
"I see that Zelensky just bought his parents an $8,000,000 villa, complete with a salt water pool & 3 brand new vehicles," reads text included in the post.
"But let's just keep on sending billions of our tax dollars for 'foreign aid to Ukraine.'..."
"But the posts are false.
There is no evidence that Zelenskyy made such a purchase for his parents.
The property pictured in the posts is still listed for sale on Sotheby's international website."
Of course I understand, for people eager to believe Russian propaganda lies, "fact-checks" themselves are all fake and you can only reliably depend on information flowing directly out of the Kremlin's propaganda sewer pipes.
ransomnote: "Do you recall his choosing to be photographed with his wife and a stack of money?
Do you recall her being exposed for Paris shopping sprees while her country was struggling?"
No, but I'm certain that in the fervid imaginations of our pro-Russian propagandists it's all very real and important.
ransomnote: "I’m sorry but Ukrainian actors/producers don’t amass the kingly wealth that is common in Hollywood.
He wasn’t particularly good or popular - to propose he bought yachts off his ‘actor/producer’ earnings seems preposterous to me.
So there’s nothing but his puppet wages and skimming off of the ‘foreign aid’ from the US/NATO, originally intended for the war, to explain his net worth now."
Zelenskyy was obviously outstanding in his long-running acting role as Ukraine's president in the series "Servant of the People", because Ukrainians came to love him enough to elect him their real president.
In the USA we once had a president with an acting background.
He was very effective in helping bring down the Old Soviet Union, which Vlad the Invader is determined to restore.
Any American who remembers the Gipper still loves him.
So how much is Zelenskyy's net worth?
Forbes Magazine puts it at circa $30 million, most of which is in his 25% share of the production company which made the "Servant of the People" series.
- "Forbes estimates Zelensky’s entire real estate portfolio is worth $4 million, including two more wholly owned apartments, two that he co-owns, a single commercial property and five parking spaces.
Zelensky did own a $4.6 million villa in Forte dei Marmi, Italy as of December 2019, according to the most recent filing by his holding company.
He apparently sold it during 2020 (it had shown up in his declarations for 2018 and 2019 but not 2020) along with a small plot of land and 5 hotel rooms in Georgia (popular upper-middle-class investments in Ukraine).
The cash from these sales was declared and is included in Forbes’ estimate"
- "Internet sleuths, or more likely Russian propagandists, have credited Zelensky with owning as many as five luxury yachts and three private jets, in addition to $60 million of shares in companies like Saudi Aramco, Meta and Tesla.
"Forbes found no evidence of such a fleet, and if Zelensky does own stock in those companies it’s hard to believe those shares would be worth anywhere close to $60 million.
We estimate he and his wife Olena Zelenska share a bank account that holds roughly $2 million in cash and government bonds.
Their other assets, consisting of two cars and some jewelry, are worth no more than $1 million."
No, the comparison of Zelenskyy's $30 million honestly earned to Vladimir Putin's $70 billion, all stolen, is exactly the point, since the lies about Zelenskyy originate with the Russian Ministry of agit-propaganda.
There's no evidence that Zelenskyy skimmed anything from anyone, while Putin's guilt is manifest after 24 years of ruling over Russia, becoming perhaps the world's wealthiest man.
ransomnote: "Many heads of state (and legislators) of countries like the US, Britain, France etc. use their position in unethical ways to build wealth through means I don’t like - and Putin is no different.
But those of us in the United States aren’t sending him 113 Billion dollars to fight a proxy war, and being asked to send him another 100 Billion to go yacht shopping."
All of that is Russian propaganda, none of it is verified as true.
ransomnote: "As usual, the Ukrainian zealots are accusing Putin propagandists of doing what Zelensky propagandists are actually doing - saying ‘What about this?’ re Putin’s yachts to deflect from the fact Zelensky constantly begs America for more money and claims the Ukraine could win if we would just keep the cash flowing swiftly - while he skims foreign aid money and his country literally dies."
"Constantly begs for more money" is what US diplomats in Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and many other countries did from the years 1776 until 1781 during the US Revolutionary War.
When you are fighting for independence against a world super-power (or even semi-super power), it's kind of the thing you have to do.
As for "skimming" that is still just Russian propaganda projecting their own behaviors onto their enemies.
Still not verified as true.