Authorities in Russia's northwestern region of Murmansk have declared a video circulating on social media that purports to show a closed government meeting on military mobilization to be a fake generated using artificial intelligence.
The regional operational headquarters announced on its Telegram channel that the footage, which features Murmansk Oblast Governor Andrey Chibis discussing upcoming troop recruitment in the region, was fabricated.
Officials warned the public that modern neural networks make it possible to synthesize the face and voice of any individual. The headquarters noted that this was not the first time online fabrications involving the governor had been distributed, urging citizens to remain vigilant and consult only verified sources of information.
Russian responses to mobilization speculation
The regional denial comes amid broader discussions regarding military recruitment in Russia, where the government conducted a partial mobilization of reservists in late 2022. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova identified Ukraine and Western nations as the source of ongoing rumors about new draft measures.
Zakharova said that speculation regarding possible mobilization in Russia, which she attributed to inspiration by Ukrainian authorities and their Western patrons, has been repeatedly refuted by Russian officials.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former president, expressed a similar assessment regarding the origin of the reports.
Medvedev said that Kyiv had renewed what he described as a mantra about Russian mobilization because Ukrainian forces were running out of human resources and needed to project similar difficulties onto Russia. He stated that Russia has no plans for mobilization, adding that servicemen who have signed contracts are fully sufficient for the fighting.
Debate over recruitment measures in Ukraine
Speculation over military draft policies has also intensified in neighboring Ukraine, where lawmakers and officials have debated measures to sustain troop levels during the ongoing conflict. Recent discussions have centered on rumors that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might adopt a bill to mobilize women.
Kyrylo Budanov, an official in the Ukrainian presidential office, commented on the rumors by stating that drafting women while men remain unmobilized would be unnecessary and strange.
Budanov noted that Kyiv cannot afford to refuse mobilization entirely, explaining that Ukraine needs to draft 30,000 people each month to sustain its forces.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov expressed confidence that Zelenskyy will not dare to mobilize women due to the risk of losing power, emphasizing that such a move would be suicide for the country.
Azarov said that Zelenskyy still hopes to win re-election, but if he submits a female mobilization proposal to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, he will 100 percent fail to be re-elected.
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba similarly stated that there will be no mobilization of women in Ukraine, but highlighted another potential policy change.
Kuleba said that lowering the mobilization age in Ukraine to 18 was a much more likely scenario than drafting women. While clarifying that he had no insider information, the former diplomat noted that he could not rule out such a development.
