Fake street interviews are actively spreading on TikTok, allegedly showing ordinary Ukrainians sharing their views on the war, mobilization, or peace talks. Analysts from the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council have drawn attention to this.

These videos are created using AI, follow an identical style, and feature “respondents” who express only pessimistic narratives.

In the videos, the characters speak out against mobilization, call the war “pointless”, accuse the authorities of “derailing peace”, and promote ideas about the “unnecessity” of returning the occupied territories.

Checks using deepfake detection services confirm that all of the videos are entirely generated by artificial intelligence. This is yet another case of Russia using AI in its information war against Ukraine.

When a person sees dozens of “ordinary Ukrainians” repeating the same messages, they subconsciously perceive it as a social norm (“everyone thinks this way”). The propagandists’ goal is therefore to show that “everyone around” is already tired, no longer believes in victory, and opposes mobilization – creating an illusion of mass pessimism and isolating those who continue to resist.