“Recently, another wave of disinformation and fake news about me has surfaced. Deepfakes, created with artificial intelligence to mimic my voice, are being circulated, putting hateful words about Poles into my mouth. This is unequivocally NOT ME!” stated Natalia Panchenko, a Warsaw-based Ukrainian activist, on social media.
“On the same day that Russian drones fell on Poland, a massive anti Ukrainian campaign was launched on social media. It included a flood of fakes and deepfakes targeting our leader, Natalia Panchenko. We are shocked and categorically deny these manipulations,” reads a statement from Euromaidan-Warsaw, a civic initiative led by Panchenko that advocates for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union.
“Natalia Panchenko is also a disinformation expert and has been actively fighting Russian manipulations in the public sphere for years. That is precisely why she herself so often becomes the target of propaganda attacks and the subject of disinformation campaigns.
We have no doubt that this coordinated campaign is part of a Russian strategy to set Poles and Ukrainians against each other and undermine our unity. “Let’s not allow ourselves to be divided. Together we are stronger,” emphasize Euromaidan members.
The issue centres on on a TikTok video, in which Panchenko appears to be saying: ”Poles are d**heads who need an enemy to feel important.”
The portal demagog.org took an interest in the film. “Using the InVID tool, we examined the video for possible manipulation. Voice analysis showed with 95% probability that what we hear was generated by artificial intelligence,” the outlet reported in its article “Natalia Panchenko on Poles’ complexes – beware, it’s a deepfake.”
The recording is therefore a deepfake. Panchenko never made such remarks. Signs of manipulation include unnatural speech patterns and a lack of synchronisation between the voice and lip movements. The video has since been removed, and the account deleted.
“Since the beginning of the escalation of the war in Ukraine, Russia has engaged not only in military operations but also in coordinated disinformation campaigns around the world. Their aim is to distort Ukraine’s image in order to discourage international support or – as in Poland’s case – to deepen divisions between the citizens of both countries,” stresses demagog.org.
On her social media profile , Panchenko added:
“New graphics are also being circulated with my photo and fabricated quotes about arson and other absurdities. I have never said such things – it’s a lie. I repeat once again: I have never threatened Poles. I have never incited anyone to set anything on fire. Portraying me as an enemy of Poland serves only one side – Russia.”
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