Fake video of Vladimir Putin announcing full-scale war against Ukraine broadcast on Russian TV

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised address declared martial law and ordered full-scale mobilisation of troops for an all-out war against Ukraine. He further urged citizens living in the border areas to evacuate and seek safety inside Russia.

This speech was broadcast in Belgorod, Voronezh, and Rostov—the Russian cities that lie in close proximity to Ukraine’s border—with the caption running, "President's emergency appeal."

“Today, at 4 am this morning, Ukrainian forces … with the support of Washington, entered the territory of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions,” the broadcast said, announcing a mass call-up of eligible men to “defeat the dangerous and perfidious enemy.”

However, something was off.

The way the 70-year-old’s face moved and the deep lines in his furrowed brow disappeared too smoothly as he changed his expression, was too conspicuous to ignore.

It was later clarified by Kremlin officials that the Russian president gave no such speech and that it was apparently a deep fake video created allegedly by hackers.

Are hackers responsible?

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later confirmed to state-run TASS news agency that the video aired was a deep fake, adding there was no state media address made by Putin on Monday. He said that some hackers were responsible for this, but did not provide further information about them.

“There was a hack in some regions. In particular, I know that there was a hack on Mir radio and in some networks,” Peskov said.

The government has taken control of the affected networks, and is “sorting out” the situation, he added. Those responsible for the hack have yet to be identified.

Notably, the apparent cyberattack comes following increased Ukrainian attacks at multiple locations at the front lines on Monday. US satellites also detected movements and more activity from Ukraine's forces, The New York Times reported.

There were also reports of cross-border raids by pro-Ukrainian fighters under the banner of the Legion of Free Russia and the Russian Volunteer Corps, said to be Russian citizens intent on fighting against Putin’s rule.

Increased Ukrainian attacks

On Sunday, one of the groups said it had taken dozens of prisoners during one such incursion and would exchange them for captured Ukrainian soldiers.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar on Monday said that the country’s troops are “shifting to offensive actions” along some parts of the front line.

The commander of Kyiv’s ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, also said that his units were “moving forward” towards the contested city of Bakhmut.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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