On November 3, a Russian-speaking Facebook user posted a video in which a Ukrainian soldier appears to be crying. In the video, the man says that he is 23 years old, has been taken to the war, and does not want to die.
The video of a Ukrainian soldier, circulating on social media, is AI-generated. It contains several flaws indicating the use of artificial intelligence. The original source of the video is a TikTok account that has posted a number of similar AI-generated videos.
According to the caption on the video, the original uploader of the video is the TikTok user “fantomoko.” Although this account is no longer accessible, as of November 4 it hosted multiple similar videos. Some of these AI-generated videos depicted “Ukrainian soldiers,” while others showed people in uniform with Russian flag patches. The content of the videos varied: in some videos, soldiers were shown crying about being sent to war, while one of the videos depicted a man holding a Ukrainian flag near the Kremlin.
Several technical flaws typical of AI-generated content can be observed in the video. In the frames where the soldier appears to be crying, teardrops disappear near the lips, and the reflected lighting looks unnatural. The footage also includes unnatural pauses – particularly noticeable in the eye movements. In addition, during speech, only part of the teeth can be noticed while others vanish.
The Italian fact-checking platform, Open, also examined the video. According to them, the soldier’s helmet further confirms that the video is AI-generated. The helmet worn by the soldier resembles a helmet used in airsoft games, and the AI added extra elements with no clear purpose.
According to Open, the face of a Russian blogger was used to generate the video. The face shown in the video belongs to the Russian blogger kussia88, who posts videos on YouTube under the name КАША СТРИМ.
The video also contains a factual inaccuracy. The soldier in the video claims that he was taken to a mobilization camp and that he is only 23. In reality, 23-year-olds are not subject to mobilization in Ukraine; the eligible age starts at 25. According to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, mobilizing people aged 18+ could harm Ukraine’s long-term future. Therefore, the AI-generated video’s claim that a 23-year-old was taken to a mobilization camp contradicts the law currently in force in Ukraine.
Prepared by Anna Chitaia
“Myth Detector” Lab
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
