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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:
We met with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in South Africa, Ambassador Ilya Rogachev, in Tshwane today. We received first-hand information on the ongoing military operations in Ukraine from the embassy, not from neo-Nazi propagandists. pic.twitter.com/Bu6K29kLJO
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) March 16, 2022
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:
A deepfake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling on his soldiers to lay down their weapons was reportedly uploaded to a hacked Ukrainian news website today, per @Shayan86 pic.twitter.com/tXLrYECGY4
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) March 16, 2022
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.
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:
#Ukraine Hackers published a deep fake of @ZelenskyyUa urging citizens to lay down their arms. He responded immediately:
“If I can offer someone to lay down their arms, it’s the Russian military.Go home.Because we’re home. We are defending our land, our children & our families.” pic.twitter.com/TiICf3Z5Te— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) March 16, 2022
Yet another reminder to check and double-check videos and information before sharing it.
Google is your friend. Use it.
[source:sky]
