The story rests on a forged screenshot attributed to the British tabloid The Mirror and is not corroborated by any credible source. CNN has issued no statement on the matter. The identity of the woman shown in the video has not been established, and nothing links her to Ukraine.
Posts circulating across social media and pro-Kremlin outlets claim that CNN issued an apology for the conduct of a “Ukrainian correspondent” identified as Olesya Bezruchko. According to the posts, the woman exploited the chaos of an emergency evacuation — prompted by a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — to remove several bottles of wine from the tables. A screenshot of an article purportedly from The Mirror, along with video footage of the incident, is being offered as evidence.
The story is a fabrication. The Mirror screenshot is a forgery, CNN has issued no statement on the matter, and the identity of the woman shown in the video has no confirmed connection to Ukraine.
The claim traces back to a screenshot replicating the visual design of The Mirror’s website, bearing the headline: “CNN has apologized for its Ukrainian correspondent who stole wine while reporters were being evacuated due to gunfire.”
The underlying event was real — guests did leave with wine — but the details driving the narrative have been distorted. On the evening of Apr. 25, 2026, the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner took place at the Washington Hilton. During the event, which was attended by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, a shooting occurred near a Secret Service checkpoint at the hotel entrance.
According to media reports, the Secret Service moved swiftly to escort the President and First Lady from the hall, and guests were ordered to evacuate under security protocol. The suspect was detained on the scene.
It was during the ensuing chaos that the video — dubbed “Wine Gate” online — was recorded. The footage shows a woman in a black dress swiftly collecting bottles from a table before leaving the hall. The claim that she is Ukrainian CNN correspondent Olesya Bezruchko is not supported by the evidence.
A search of The Mirror’s website returns no publication matching the headline or content in question, and the circulating screenshot bears visible signs of graphic manipulation. CNN has issued no apology and has no employee by that name on its staff. No credible source establishes that the woman in the video is a Ukrainian national or a journalist. She is one of the evening’s guests, whose identity has not been officially disclosed. The episode has generated internet memes — not a media or diplomatic scandal.
Grafting fabricated narratives onto real events to allege misconduct by Ukrainians is a well-documented technique of Russian influence operations. The goal is consistent: to discredit Ukraine and its citizens in the eyes of international audiences, cultivate an image of an unreliable and morally compromised society, and erode confidence in Ukrainian media.
StopFake has documented comparable fabrications in earlier reporting, including forged accounts alleging that Ukrainians attacked foreign journalists or committed crimes abroad.
