Russia Floods Info Space With AI War Videos as Gains Stall – ISW

Russia is increasingly using AI-generated videos to fake battlefield gains in Ukraine, including staged flag-raising clips, according to ISW. Analysts say the campaign grows as real advances slow, with Ukraine rejecting several fabricated videos. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Screenshot from an AI-generated video. (Mironovtsy / Teelegram) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Russia is increasingly using AI-generated videos to portray false battlefield successes in Ukraine, including clips showing Russian flags being raised along the front line, according to the Institute for the Study of War . The group says this is part of a broader information warfare effort that has intensified since winter 2025, with more realistic and heavily edited videos appearing online. Analysts link the trend to slowing Russian progress on the ground. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reports that Russia captured 141 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in April – one of its weakest monthly results in over a year, second only to February’s 126 square kilometers. Last week,  Russia published a video claiming Ukrainian troops from the 81st Air Assault Brigade surrendered and raised a Russian flag in the Donetsk region village of Piskunivka. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation said the footage was fabricated and generated using AI . ISW says such “flag-raising” videos are appearing more frequently, especially ahead of symbolic dates like Victory Day, as Moscow seeks to project momentum despite limited gains on the ground. Russia is also increasingly deploying AI-generated videos and deepfakes as part of what Ukrainian officials describe as a coordinated psychological warfare campaign aimed at distorting reality and manipulating different audiences. Other Topics of Interest Russia, Ukraine Accuse Each Other of Ceasefire Violations Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of repeatedly violating a temporary ceasefire announced for May 9-11, while clashes and drone attacks continued across multiple frontline regions. Ukrainian officials also said a Russian drone hit a residential apartment building in Kharkiv during the truce, injuring five people, including two children. Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CDD), citing research by Sensity AI, says more than 1,000 synthetic videos have been identified as part of a structured “ narrative kill chain ” – a modular disinformation system designed to target specific groups, including soldiers, civilians, and Western audiences. Officials say military-facing content is aimed at weakening morale by promoting narratives of a collapsing front line, while civilian-focused material seeks to erode trust in institutions and normalize Russian control. Western-targeted messaging often attempts to discredit Ukraine and reduce international support. Analysts warn that the ultimate goal is informational chaos – a space where synthetic content becomes so widespread that even real evidence can be dismissed as fake. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.