Polymarket Embroiled in $160M Controversy Over Whether Zelensky Wore a Suit at NATO

Crypto-focused prediction marketplace Polymarket is facing a caller dose of disapproval this week successful narration to a marketplace connected whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would deterioration a suit earlier July.

More than $160 cardinal worthy of crypto was bet connected the market, with the archetypal result of "yes" being disputed by the validators down UMA, the oracle protocol that determines the results.

The terms of "yes" has present plummeted to $0.04 from $0.19, giving an implied probability of result astatine conscionable 4%. The "yes" voters are striking back, claiming that Zelenskyy did so deterioration a suit astatine the NATO acme connected June 24 and that determination could beryllium foul play by UMA validators to plaything the decision.

The validators are holders of UMA protocol tokens, who get to ballot connected the veracity of the real-world information that's encoded successful the protocol's oracle. In theory, a large-enough swathe of token-holders could manipulate a effect to their ain choosing.

This is not the archetypal clip determination has been a disagreement betwixt Polymarket and UMA communities. In March different Ukrainian-themed market was disputed amid claims of manipulation from ample holders of UMA.

"We each cognize the whales are trying to rig the UMA ballot connected the Zelensky suit market," X idiosyncratic Atlantislq wrote. "But that doesn’t mean we should enactment silent. This is simply a captious infinitesimal Polymarket claims to attraction astir information and decentralization truthful let’s clasp them to it."

AI chat bot Grok took the broadside of "yes" voters, saying that "Zelenskyy wore a suit successful June 2025."

On the different side, fashionable menswear influencer and writer who goes by the moniker "derek guy" stake $3.6 cardinal connected the marketplace resolving arsenic "no." He stands to marque $72,000 if the stake is successful.

A last solution connected the marketplace volition beryllium made astatine 00:00 UTC connected July 8.