Deepfake Vladimir Putin sends chilling message to Russia after TV channels hacked

Many Russian TV stations were hacked on Monday (5 June), where perpetrators played a message from a deepfake Vladimir Putin.

For those unaware, deepfakes are pieces of rather clever media to replace one person's actual likeness with another.

The fact is, these are usually so convincing - leading to many people believing the deepfake is in fact the real individual.

Twitter / @AlexKokcharov

This particular deepfake was of Russian president Vladimir Putin - who declared a martial law and said Ukraine's army had invaded Russia in an address appearing on some Russian TV and radio stations.

The fake Putin added that the Ukrainian's had entered three boarder regions, and would hence deligate a martial law in those areas.

Standing next to the Russian flag, Putin's deepfake added he would shortly sign a decree to announce general mobilisation.

"We need to pull all efforts of Russians together to defeat the dangerous and insidious enemy," he could be heard saying.

Before too many Russians began to panic about the address that was labelled the 'emergency appeal of the president', Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the address was indeed fake.

"Definitely there was no address. It is true that there were hacks in some regions," he said.

Russian state news agency TASS quoted the spokesperson saying the video that appeared on some channels was a 'hack', before adding 'experts are already dealing with it'.

Twitter / @AlexKokcharov

He said: "I know that there was a hack into Radio Mir and into some networks. Now all this has been eliminated and taken under control."

But as of yet, local media have reported no suspects have been identified.

Russia’s International Television and Radio Company MTRK said in a statement following reports of the address that it was an 'absolute fake'.

They added: "Today, from 12.41pm to 13.18pm, unidentified persons made an illegal tie-in with the substitution of the content of the information programs of the Mir TV channel and Mir radio.

"All information posted from 12.41 to 13.18pm has nothing to do with the Mir MTRK and is an absolute fake and provocation."

There were more reports of hacking in Russia’s Voronezh region, where authorities were dealing with reports local radio stations had been hacked.

However, in an official statement put out by officials on Telegram, residents' minds were put to ease.

"Residents of the Voronezh region report another hacking of radio broadcasting frequencies," the statement began.

"We officially inform you that the situation in the region continues to be controlled by the authorities and law enforcement agencies. There is no cause for concern."