Fact Check: Did Vegan Influencer Die From 'Malnutrition'?

The death of Russian influencer Zhanna D'Art who promoted raw foods on social media was allegedly due to starvation.

D'Art, full name Zhanna Samsonova, regularly posted to Instagram about her experience of raw veganism, a subset of the plant-based diet.

There are few details about the circumstances leading to Samsonova's death, although some have begun posting about causes on social media.

The Claim

A post on X, formerly Twitter, by news feed account @DramaAlert, on August 2, 2023 since viewed more than 200,000 times, claimed that influencer Zhanna Samonova had reportedly died from "malnutrition."

The post stated: "Russian social media influencer Zhanna Samsonova who promoted a fruit only diet has reportedly passed away from malnutrition. #DramaAlert"

The Facts

Very little information is available at this stage about Samsonova, a raw vegan diet influencer with more than 30,000 followers on Instagram.

According to reports, Samsonova died on July 21, 2023, but news of her death began circulating this week across multiple media outlets.

Accounts of how Samsonova died, aged 39, have come from family and friends speaking to reporters.

Further news from official sources have not been shared, leaving the accounts of those who say they knew her as the only source of information. Their claims remain unverified. Although that does not mean they should be dismissed, these have not been verified by medical investigators or other official sources.

Some news accounts state that malnutrition may have been the cause, while others attribute starvation, two distinct maladies.

According to other media reports, Samsonova's mother told Russian news outlets that her daughter had died of a "cholera-like infection."

In 2022, Samsonova posted that she had not drunk water for the last six years.

Although the claim by @DramaAlert does not categorically state that malnutrition was the cause of Samsonova's death, saying it had been reported, it's important to note that at this stage not enough information exists to support one conclusion or another.

The tweet does not attribute these claims to anyone in particular and without additional context. It may misleadingly be assumed as attributable to an official source, such as a hospital or coroner's report.

In short, while the accounts of Samsonova's death suggest she may have passed away potentially as a result of malnutrition, this and other claims are yet to be verifiably substantiated.

The Ruling

Unverified.

Very little information about raw vegan influencer Zhanna Samsonova is known at this stage. Much of the news that does exist is based on the accounts of family and friends, who have suggested that she may have died as a result of starvation or malnutrition.

However, the tweet that claims the cause was reportedly malnutrition does not set out which source this is attributed to. No official cause has been published publicly.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team