Fake video of Ukrainian soldier crying circulates online
What was claimed
A video shows a young Ukrainian soldier crying and saying he doesn’t want to die.
Our verdict
This video isn’t real and was made using artificial intelligence.
A widely shared video of a young Ukrainian soldier crying and saying he doesn’t want to die isn’t real and was made using artificial intelligence (AI).
There are several visual inconsistencies which indicate the video was made using AI. The clip has also been debunked by several other fact checkers.
The video, and stills from it, have been shared on Facebook and X with claims it shows a 23-year-old Ukrainian soldier.
Clues the clip is AI-generated include the camouflage pattern on the man’s sleeve, which appears to change slightly as he brings his hands to his face, and a black button on the side of his helmet which also appears to morph from a flatter shape into a sharp edge.
It was first posted by a TikTok account (now deleted) that shared lots of videos supposedly showing Ukrainian soldiers crying. Many of these clips also showed signs of AI, such as a soldier appearing to cry blood, and the Sora watermark, which signifies that a clip was made using the AI text-to-video generator developed by OpenAI. The Ukrainian government’s Center for Countering Disinformation also described the video as a “deepfake”.
Before sharing videos such as these, first consider whether they come from a verifiable and trustworthy source. Our guide to spotting AI content, and toolkit on how to identify bad information, can help you do this.
Join 72,953 people who trust us to check the facts
Sign up to get weekly updates on politics, immigration, health and more.
Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more.
Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising
and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data
see our Privacy Policy.