Deepfake Video Shows Zelensky Asking Ukrainians To Surrender To Russia [Watch]

A deepfake video depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urging his citizens to surrender amid Ukraine’s conflict with Russia circulated on social media and several news websites.

The fake video showed a rendering of the Ukrainian president asking his troops to lay down their weapons and surrender to Russia. The footage, which ran about a minute long, was shared widely across online platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, on Wednesday before it was removed.

“Earlier today, our teams identified and removed a deepfake video claiming to show President Zelensky issuing a statement he never did. It appeared on a reportedly compromised website and then started showing across the internet,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Meta’s head of security policy, said in a tweet. Meta is a tech company that owns Facebook and Twitter.

"We've quickly reviewed and removed this video for violating our policy against misleading manipulated media, and notified our peers at other platforms."

YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi said the company has also removed the deceptive video and any reuploads of the fake footage from the platform.

Deepfake, a term combining “deep learning” and “fake,” are videos made using cutting-edge AI technology. The videos aim to show a person doing or saying something they did not. While Zelensky’s video had passable lip-syncing, some viewers said the accent was off. Others also pointed out that his head and voice did not appear authentic.

The Ukrainian president himself also shared the video to an official Ukraine defense account and said he is continuing to defend the country as the war entered its fourth week.

“We are at home and defending Ukraine. We are not going to lay down any weapons. To our victory,” Zelensky said.

It is unclear who created the deepfake video. However, Ukrainian officials recently warned that Russia may use manipulated videos to further their cause and spread misinformation.

The deepfake video comes as Russia’s offensive faces stalemate. Over 1,000 Russian soldiers have been captured and detained by Ukrainian forces so far. In addition, 7,000 troops have also been killed in the war, leaving Russia struggling to resupply the forces as the morale among its ranks sags.