Altered Image Falsely Claims ‘Putin Pub’ Was Renamed ‘Zelenskyy’
The Claim
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ‘Putin Pub’ in Jerusalem was recently renamed after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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A verified social media account has posted the image of “Putin Pub,” in Jerusalem, claiming it was renamed after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Social media users have widely circulated the image. Other accounts claimed that the Israeli Ambassador in Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, has shared the photo with a caption reading: “In Jerusalem, the pub ‘Putin’ was renamed in honor of Zelenskyy.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be fake. The image was digitally altered to add the Ukrainian President’s surname.
‘Putin Pub’ Was Renamed ‘Generation Pub’
Our team has looked up the “Putin Pub” and found the same picture matching the doorway and the building facade. The same images were added to a Google Maps location under the name “Generation Pub.”
Description: More “Putin Pub” pictures were added to a Google Maps location.
Our team has found that the old “Putin Pub” announced, in a statement on its Facebook page posted on March 10, 2022, that it was renamed “Generation Pub.” The page transparency section on the Generation Pub JLM has also confirmed the pub’s name has been changed recently into “Generation Pub.”
Description: The page has changed its name to “Generation Pub JLM.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the bar’s owners chose to change the bar’s name and remove the large “Putin” sign on the doorway. Leonid Teterine, the bar’s co-owner, told Israeli media outlets: “We’ve decided to remove the sign and change the pub’s name.”
The Image Is Digitally Altered
According to Israeli news outlets, the “Putin Pub” in Jerusalem, which was “popular among Jerusalem’s Russian-speaking community and tourists,” has removed the name “Putin” after 15 years and attached two pictures of the bar before and after removing the “Putin” sign.
Based on our investigation, the “Generation Pub” in Jerusalem used to be called “Putin Pub.” We also found that the bar’s Facebook page has denied, in a Russian-language statement posted on March 7, 2022, the story of renaming the pub after the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Generation Pub’s statement reads: “Dear friends! We ask you all to ignore the fake news that the bar will now be named after Zelenskyy. This is not true. It was done by inexperienced photoshoppers.”
