Zelensky misrepresents South Korean missiles in New Year’s speech
(MENAFN) Ukrainian Leader Vladimir Zelensky has come under criticism from several media outlets for allegedly showcasing South Korean missiles as Ukrainian-made in his 2025 New Year’s address.
In the 20-minute speech released on Tuesday, Zelensky highlighted what he described as Ukraine’s achievements in weapons production, framing them as tools to secure a “just peace” with Russia.
“Ukraine is once again building its own, its own missiles. And for the first time, it produces over a million drones in a year. Forcing the enemy to learn Ukrainian. Palianytsia, Peklo, Ruta. Making them tremble at the words Neptune and Sapsan. All these are our missiles. Ukrainian,” Zelensky declared.
The speech included footage of drones and missiles in action, supposedly to illustrate Ukraine's military progress. However, when Zelensky mentioned the Sapsan missile, the accompanying video showed a launch that observers noted resembled South Korea's 2017 test of the Hyunmoo-2A cruise missile.
The Ukrainian news outlet Strana and various Russian media sources were quick to draw attention to the similarity, raising questions about the authenticity of the footage used in Zelensky’s address. Neither Zelensky’s office nor Ukrainian authorities have responded to the allegations.
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