Zelenskyy denies deepfake video of him surrendering after hackers broadcast it on Ukrainian TV website

• Hackers put a deepfake of Voldymyr Zelenskyy surrendering on a Ukrainian TV channel's website.
• Zelenskyy quickly made a response video calling the deepfake a "childish provocation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday denied that he was surrendering to Russian forces, after hackers published a deepfake video of him capitulating on a Ukrainian TV channel's website. Although quickly debunked, the deepfake was yet another twist in the ongoing information war following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In the deepfake, a digitally manipulated version of Zelenskyy stood at a podium while telling the Ukrainian army to lay down their weapons and return home to their families. He spoke in an altered tone, and his body barely moved. Hackers posted the deepfake on national broadcaster Ukrayina 24's website, BBC News reported.

Zelenskyy quickly made a response video calling the deepfake a "childish provocation."

"We are protecting our land, our children, our families," Zelenskyy said in the clip, which he posted to Instagram and Telegram on Wednesday morning. "We are not going to lay down any weapons until our victory."

Deepfakes are a form of artificial intelligence-powered media that involves swapping a person's face for someone else's likeness, and can be used to manipulate someone's face into saying things they never did. Disinformation researchers have talked for years about the threat of deepfakes being used in political influence campaigns, but that threat has so far never significantly materialized – the doctored video of Zelenskyy is now one of the most high profile uses of the technology for political purposes.

Ukrainian officials had warned in previous weeks that Russian disinformation campaigns could try to post manipulated videos. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security posted a bulletin in early March warning people about Russia potentially using deepfake technology to create a video showing Zelenskyy surrendering.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly reiterated his decision to not flee Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv, and stay defending the country with his people. During the conflict he has been quick to respond to developments in the war through social media posts and videos, which often have a raw, personal quality that has resonated with supporters.

Zelenskyy's response video amassed over 8 million views across Instagram and Telegram in less than 24 hours.

The deepfake controversy comes amid a heated information war following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Russia, people can face up to 15 years in jail for going against the government's propaganda and spreading "fake" information about Russia's assault on Ukraine. A coordinated online influence campaign has also paid Russian TikTok stars to propagate pro-Kremlin propaganda, according to a Vice News investigation.

There are many online channels where pro-Russian users are proliferating baseless claims related to the invasion. "War on Fakes," a Telegram page with over 750,000 followers, is actively spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories under the guise of fact-checking "fake news," and has been cited by government officials and prominent Russian journalists.

Although many experts and viewers quickly spotted the Zelenskyy deepfake as fraudulent and poorly made, NPR reported that the false message still spread throughout Russian social media channels.