Video compilation includes fake video of crying Ukrainian soldier
A compilation video shared on Facebook repeats a fake clip of a young Ukrainian soldier crying. We have only fact checked this clip, which appears at the start.
The beginning of the video shows a young man in uniform crying, with on-screen text saying: “23 year old CRIES as he’s sent to the front lines” and “I don’t want to die!”
Full Fact has fact checked this clip before. It isn’t real and was made using artificial intelligence (AI). Clues include the camouflage pattern on the man’s sleeve, which appears to change slightly as he raises his hand.
The clip has also been debunked by other fact checkers, and the Ukrainian government’s Center for Countering Disinformation described it as a “deepfake”.
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We've not looked at the other clips in the compilation in detail, but at least one other has been found to be AI-generated by AFP fact checkers, while at least three appear to be genuine, according to mainstream news reports.
Our guide to spotting AI content can help you decide whether something is real before you share it.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as partly false because the clip of a crying soldier at the start of the video was made using AI.