A deepfake video falsely suggesting that Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, purchased a luxury Bugatti car during their recent visit to Paris has been identified as part of a Russian-linked disinformation campaign. According to analysis by cybersecurity experts, the AI-generated video is another attempt to undermine Ukraine.
The video features a fabricated employee from a Bugatti dealership in Paris claiming that Olena Zelenska bought the new Bugatti Tourbillon for 4.5 million euros (approximately $4.8 million) on June 7. The video, despite its clear signs of being a deepfake—such as cuts, strange accents, and unnatural mouth movements—garnered about 18 million views on X (formerly Twitter) within 24 hours, mainly shared by pro-Russian influencers.
Bugatti, in a statement, condemned the disinformation campaign, clarifying that its Paris dealership, operated by Autofficina Parigi, was a victim of several criminal offenses. The statement emphasized that the supposed transaction and invoice were entirely fabricated. Bugatti highlighted numerous inconsistencies in the invoice, including incorrect legal details, wrong vehicle price, outdated graphics, and inaccurate option descriptions. The company has taken legal action, filing a criminal complaint for forgery, identity theft, and defamation, though they did not specify against whom.
Clément Briens, a researcher at Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, pointed out the video’s characteristics that signal AI manipulation, particularly around the middle of the face area. The deepfake video originated from a newly established French-language website, Verité Cachée (Hidden Truth), which appears to generate content by scraping French media and using AI to create fake articles. CNN’s analysis revealed that Verité Cachée was set up recently, on June 22, 2024, and even contained prompts for generating fake articles.
Darren Linvill, a professor at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub, indicated that the deepfake video and Verité Cachée’s website are part of a Russian narrative laundering campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine. This campaign has been ongoing since last August, utilizing social media and fake news websites to spread pro-Russian narratives. Linvill noted that the campaign usually involves placing videos on YouTube, then layering these videos with fake news articles, which are subsequently amplified by pro-Russian influencers on social media. However, the latest campaign does not appear to include a YouTube video.
Recorded Future’s report also identified Verité Cachée as part of the same disinformation network, suggesting Russian support or financing. Briens explained that the network scrapes articles from various sources, uses large language models (LLMs) to introduce political bias, and uploads them to spread pro-Russian narratives. The volume of these articles makes it difficult to detect when deepfakes are introduced, as the backlog of seemingly legitimate articles can deceive initial checks.
The primary target of this disinformation campaign appears to be political readers in Europe, aiming to erode support for Ukraine and undermine European leaders who back Ukraine, such as French President Emmanuel Macron. The video, amplified by a known Kremlin propagandist, Simeon Boikov (also known as ‘Aussie Cossack’), was quickly debunked by social media users and analysts, who noted the clear signs of AI generation and the dubious nature of the website.
The Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation highlighted that the French website was created just days before the disinformation campaign began and included pro-Russian articles about the war in Ukraine. The timing of this campaign, right before the NATO summit, suggests an effort to discredit Ukraine’s leadership on the international stage.
In conclusion, the deepfake video targeting Olena Zelenska is a significant example of the ongoing Russian disinformation efforts aimed at undermining Ukraine. These campaigns, leveraging AI technology and social media, seek to sow doubt and distrust, impacting international support for Ukraine amidst its conflict with Russia.
