Deep Fake Video of Vladimir Putin Declaring Martial Law Dominates TVs and Radios Across Russia
June 5 2023, Published 3:26 p.m. ET
A deep fake video of Vladimir Putin declaring martial law was broadcasted across Russia this week, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The startling broadcast was issued on Monday and reportedly dominated televisions and radios in the Russian cities bordering closest to Ukraine.
Even more startling are reports that the deep fake video of Putin also claimed Ukraine was in the process of invading Russia.
“In [Russia], several radio stations and even local TV networks appear to have been hacked to broadcast a deep fake address allegedly by President Putin,” reported one Russian who saw the deep fake broadcast.
“This fake address announced mass [mobilization] and introduced martial law in border regions.”
The Kremlin immediately released a statement confirming the broadcast was fake and “the result of a hack,” although it is currently unclear who was behind the hack.
“There was a hack in some regions,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “In particular, I know that there was a hack on Mir radio and in some networks.”
“The government has taken control of the affected networks, and is sorting out the situation,” he continued. "All of these messages are an utter fake.”
The Russian cities of Belgorod, Voronezh, and Rostov were reportedly most affected by the deep fake broadcast hack, as well as a number of other smaller cities and territories situated on the Russian-Ukraine border.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the hack on Monday was not the first time Russian networks have been targeted amid Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
During Putin's State of the Union address in February, the online state TV outlet that aired the speech experienced a "major hack" that caused a streaming blackout.
While the Russian leader used his speech to claim that Western powers started the war in Ukraine to gain "limitless power," Russian viewers at home were shown a black screen that featured two bizarre messages.
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First, a message that read "Mistake 500" appeared on the hacked web links. Then, a message that stated "technical works" appeared.
Although Russia blamed Ukraine for that alleged hack, no party ever officially claimed responsibility for the incident.