Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Watch Out For This Zelenskyy Deepfake Doing The Rounds [Video]

A deepfake video of the Ukrainian president telling people to surrender has been widely shared online.

[imagesource:here]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, time and time again, encouraged his citizens to keep on fighting back against Russia’s brutal invasion.

There’s a battle being fought on the streets, and there’s also a battle being fought on social media with disinformation being spread in order to twist the narrative.

Fun fact – even our own political parties are getting in on the action.

Here’s Julius Malema yesterday:

When both the EFF and the ANC agree on something, you know it’s total shite.

Anyway, a deepfake video of the Ukrainian president telling people to surrender has been widely shared online, reports Sky News.

There are also reports that the video was broadcast along with a written message on TV24, a Ukrainian TV channel that claims to have been hacked:

The video shows what appears to be Volodymyr Zelenskyy standing behind a podium saying: “It turned out to be not so easy being the president.”

He goes on to declare that he has “decided to return Donbas” in eastern Ukraine to Russia and that his army’s efforts in the war “have failed”.

Observe:

The video ends with Zelenskyy saying that he advises his people to “lay down arms and return to your families” because “it is not worth dying”.

Some deepfakes are really well made, but the Zelenskyy video is not:

In the clip being shared online, President Zelenskyy’s head is too big for the body it has been digitally attached to. It is also lit differently and sits at an awkward angle.

Image: VERIFY

You can also see a higher level of pixelation around the fake Zelenskyy’s head compared to its body.

It wasn’t long before Zelenskyy rubbished the video himself:

Yet another reminder to check and double-check videos and information before sharing it.

Google is your friend. Use it.

[source:sky]