Both the video and the accompanying story are fabricated. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry did issue condolences to Australia following the attack in Sydney, and the official statement contained no such error.
In pro-Russian online spaces, a video circulating under the branding of the German outlet Die Welt purports to describe an embarrassing misstep at Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. The clip claims that, while issuing condolences over a terrorist attack in Sydney, Ukrainian diplomats allegedly confused Australia with Austria. It goes on to suggest this was part of a broader pattern of gaffes, citing an unsubstantiated claim that the presidential office recently referred to U.S. politician J.D. Vance as “DJ Vance.” The video further escalates the allegation by asserting that Australian law enforcement suspects the attackers received weapons and instructions from Ukraine.
However, both the video and the narrative it promotes are fabricated. Die Welt produces almost all of its content in German and has not published English-language reporting since 2018. No such story appears in either its German archive or its defunct English section. Nor have any Ukrainian or international outlets reported that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry confused Australia with Austria, or that the Office of the President misstated J.D. Vance’s name.
In fact, Ukrainian officials did express condolences to those affected by the terrorist attack in Sydney, though not through the Foreign Ministry’s official account. President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the tragedy directly on X, writing: “We express condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and wish a swift and full recovery to all those who were wounded. Terror and hatred must never prevail — they must be defeated everywhere and every time.”
Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko also commented publicly, posting on Telegram that “this day has been overshadowed by tragic news.” Ukraine, she said, stands with the people of Australia following the attack in Sydney and shares its condolences with the victims’ families and loved ones. Svyrydenko made the remarks in a broader post about lighting a Hanukkah menorah at the Government House alongside representatives of Jewish communities, underscoring solidarity in the face of violence.
The shooting took place during Hanukkah celebrations on a Sydney beach on December 14, leaving 16 people dead, including a 10-year-old girl. One of the attackers was killed at the scene, while the second was seriously wounded and later fell into a coma. Australian authorities identified the assailants as a father and son who adhered to a radical Islamist ideology.
The fabrication is further underscored by the video’s implausible structure. The bulk of the segment dwells on an alleged diplomatic slip, while the far more serious claim — that Ukraine supposedly supplied weapons to the attackers — is relegated to a brief mention at the end. That assertion is entirely baseless. Australian law enforcement has not advanced any theory linking Ukraine to the attack. Authorities have confirmed that the older assailant legally owned the firearm as a member of a shooting club.
This follows a familiar pattern. Pro-Kremlin outlets have previously attempted to manufacture a so-called “Ukrainian trace” in unrelated incidents, including the killing of Charlie Kirk and the ship collision in Baltimore.
