Louvre’s stolen jewels were not found in Ukraine – DW – 11/27/2025

In October 2025, thieves carried out a spectacular heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris, stealing more than €88 million of jewels.

A month later, a video began circulating online, allegedly produced by the Anti-Corruption Agency of Ukraine (NABU). It claimed the missing jewels were found in the home of a Ukrainian billionaire and former aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was recently implicated in a corruption scandal in Kiev.

However, the report is fake. An investigation by DW Fact Check found that the video is full of technical and factual inaccuracies.

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This video has gone viral on social media in different languages ​​including English (2.4 million views), French (2.4 million views) and German (1.6 million views). It has also spread to Russian networks.

DW Fact Check: false

When DW contacted NABU, A spokesperson responded within minutes: “The video is fake and is either the product of pro-Kremlin propaganda or someone who wants to spread misinformation.”

The first clue that a video is fake is its sound. Although the narration sounds American-English, its rhythm is unnatural. Mispronunciations of words like “Louvre,” “Euros” and the name “Volodymyr” appear.

DW played audio via Fraunhofer Instituteanalysis tool, which indicated there was a 71.3% chance that the voiceover was AI-generated.

Louvre necklace not shown in viral

DW’s fact check team compared the necklace shown in the video with a verified photo of Queen Marie-Louise’s emerald necklace, taken in the Louvre in January 2020.

The most obvious discrepancy is the large gold-colored clasp visible on the necklace in the video; There is none in the original.

Furthermore, the number and size of the stones did not match. The authentic necklace has 12 small round emeralds, five octagonal emeralds, five square emeralds and ten drop-shaped pendants. The video version shows approximately 17 round stones and nine pendants, with more round shapes.

The number of diamond petals around the small round emerald also varies. The original has five petals around each small petal; The fake has four.

Signs of AI manipulation

Parts of the necklace also appear blurred and joined up, indicating that the image may have been created or altered using artificial intelligence.

While free detection tools were inconclusive, another image from the same video was flagged as AI-generated with 99% confidence.

The viral video is fake. The Louvre’s jewels are missing, and NABU has confirmed no connection to the alleged Ukrainian billionaire.

Edited by: Josha Weber, Rachel Begg