The publication provided several examples of deepfakes, which are compilations of real footage and AI-generated content, particularly involving voice impersonations of Ukrainians. For instance, there are claims about Ukrainians being trained in a private school in the USA where cocaine is supposedly being distributed, and about Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins allegedly calling the Ukrainian military operation in Russia's Kursk region a "bluff."
These materials have circulated over the past few weeks.
"Voice of America" discovered that the campaign ["Matryoshka"] launched two deepfakes. Their aim was to depict Ukrainian refugees as greedy and ungrateful, while also spreading fake materials claiming that reputable Western journalists assert that it is Ukraine, not Russia, spreading falsehoods," the investigation states.
The authors noted that the emergence of deepfakes may be an attempt to undermine support for Ukraine from Western countries.
Experts interviewed by "Voice of America" believe that if someone's image is available online, "there's little you can do to fully protect yourself," and today there is always a risk of any information being made public, including voice, appearance, or photographs.
The channel highlighted that one of the deepfakes about Ukrainian refugees, posted on social media platform X, has been viewed over 55,000 times, and noted, citing experts, that "this is not yet viral content, but it is no longer marginal either."