Russia Turns AI Videos Into Mass Disinformation Weapon, Ukraine Says

Russia is increasingly deploying videos and deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in what Ukrainian officials describe as a coordinated psychological warfare campaign designed to distort reality and manipulate target audiences.

Researchers have identified more than 1,000 synthetic videos forming part of a structured “narrative kill chain” – a modular disinformation system built to target soldiers, civilians, and Western audiences with tailored messaging.

According to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CDD), citing research by Sensity AI, the scale and structure of these operations show how generative AI is now being used as a mass tool of cognitive warfare.

The content is carefully segmented. For military audiences, it pushes messages about a “failing war effort,” a “collapsing front line,” and seeks to undermine trust in commanders.

Civilian-facing videos are designed to drain morale, normalize Russian-imposed conditions, and weaken confidence in state institutions and the army.

For Western audiences, the focus shifts to discrediting Ukraine, portraying Ukrainian refugees negatively, and arguing against continued support for Kyiv.

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The goal, analysts say, is not just persuasion – but chaos. A reality where so much synthetic content circulates that even genuine evidence can be dismissed as fake or AI-generated.

Officials warned that it would allow Moscow to muddy accountability for real-world atrocities by eroding trust in any form of visual proof.

The center has previously tracked multiple waves of AI-driven propaganda, each adapting new narratives as the technology becomes more advanced.

As part of Russia’s information warfare strategy, Russian soldiers and state media reporters have also trained teenage influencers in video production, AI use, and audience growth strategies through lectures in Moscow.