The headline of the article says that “a coup has taken place in Kyiv and Zelenskyy is no longer in charge.” This claim is attributed to Iversen. Truthmeter found the connection among her statements and their dissemination in Russia where she is presented as a “journalist”. The fact that Zelenskyy changed the commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Army, Yuriy Sodol, does not mean that “a coup occurred in Kyiv”. That is propaganda and not true

We are fact-checking a post on Facebook which states:

I don’t believe it! This is just to get Zelenskyy off the hook! There is no bigger trader and fascist than him!

The post shares a Serbian article that cites Kim Iversen, who has a YouTube channel and show, which used to spread disinformation regarding Covid-19 which fact-checked and debukned by global fact-checkers.

The headline of the article says that “a coup has taken place in Kyiv and Zelenskyy is no longer in charge.” This claim is attributed to Iversen. Truthmeter found the connection among her statements and their dissemination in Russia where she is presented as a “journalist”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Army Yuriy Sodol will be replaced with the Brigade General Andrey Hnatov. The move came after Sodol was criticized for excessive casualtie sin the battlefield, as well as for his outdated tactics on the front.

Contrary to what is stated in the post, Zelenskyy did not explain why Sodol was being replaced.

However, as the BBC reported, a few hours prior to the replacing of Sodol, change, the head of the Azov Brigade, Bohdan Krotevych complained to the State Investigations Bureau about General Sodol for “killing more generals than any other Russian general”, accusing Sodol for causing significant military failures and great staff losses.

The fact that a complaint was received from Krotevich and that Zelensky replaced the commander of the Ukrainian Joint Forces, Yuriy Sodol, does not mean that “a coup has taken place in Kyiv.” This is propaganda and untrue. The very fact that Zelensky is the changing the commander of the Ukrainian military proves that Zelensky has power and control.

In addition, Zelenskyy has previously dismissed other military personnel, in accordance with Ukraine’s strategic goals. It is not true, as stated in the post’s text, that Sodol’s resignation is evidence that the Azov Battalion is in charge of the war, a favorite “anchor” that Russian propaganda always clings to when trying to discredit the Ukrainian army.

It is absurd to claim that “Zelenskyy was intimidated by the Azov Battalion and that was the reason he replaced the general,” considering that Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine who protects the national interest, which includes avoiding losses on the battlefield. He also has access to all field information, thus having sufficient information to base his decision on.

All the military personnel now understand who am I talking about, because 99 percent of the military hates him for what he does, said Krotevyich about the dismissed Sodol, but did not mention him by name.

There have been numerous critiques on Sodol, not only from the head of the Azov Battalion, but from other parties as well. As reported by the Guardian, Ukrainian military observers welcomed the Sodol’s dismissal.

Illia Ponomarenko, a former defense correspondent for the Kyiv Independent, described Sodol as “exceptionally unpopular senior military commander with a notoriously dreadful service record.”

Zelenskyy is constantly a target of propaganda narratives that claim that he is controlled by Nazis, that he himself is a Nazi, that he is a puppet in the hands of the West and that he has been purchasing luxury property with the Western military aid funds. All these claims have already been covered and debunked by Truthmeter.

Commenting such accusations, Zelenskyy once stated that Moscow “is following the same concept of Goebbels and they are using the same methodology” in an attempt to justify the war against Ukraine.

In addition, Zelensky’s legitimacy has been particularly targeted in recent months, especially by high-ranking officials in the Kremlin.  Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, former Russian president, and one of Moscow’s main propagandists, issued a series of Russian disinformation narratives about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with TASS, which were subsequently covered by some Macedonian-language media.

Following Ukraine’s capitulation, we are not indifferent to the fate of Vladimir Zelensky. He must be arrested and tried for crimes against Russian and Ukrainian citizens. If extradition of such a criminal is not possible, the rules applied to terrorists should be used. Such was the fate of Zelensky’s spiritual mentor, Stepan Bandera,  said Medvedev according to media outlers.

Medvedev thus reiterates Zelensky’s connection to figures and events from the period before and during World War II, drawing an analogy with today’s accusations from Moscow regarding a neo-Nazi regime that is the target of the so-called Special Military Operation, a term used for the aggressive attack since February 2022.

It is not the first time that narratives that on social media claiming that Ukraine is Nazi and fascist, that Nazism (neo-Nazism) is glorified there, and that Zelensky is a Nazi are making rounds on social media. This is all done to justify the Russian aggression against the sovereign country of Ukraine, which has lasted for more than a year.

Zelensky’s legitimacy, incidentally, has been questioned by Moscow several times over the past period.

Additionally, the post falsely claims that “Zelensky is subject to some charges,” which is not true; there have been no charges.

Due to all of the above-noted facts, the fact-checked post is assessed as untrue.