According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Russian hackers have failed to impersonate Ukraine’s prime minister and disrupt business relations between Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Defense and the government in Kiev. The Bayraktar TB20 combat drones were a successful weapon against the advancing Russian armored divisions, especially at the beginning of the war. But they continue to serve the Ukrainian Air Force well – much to the dismay of the Russian military.
According to media reports, the fake Prime Minister of Ukraine tried to get in touch with the director of the Turkish arms company. However, there was also no board member on the other side of the video conference. The Ukrainian secret service was prepared for such an attempt and was there immediately. He also sent a manipulated recording.
From the very beginning, the fake secretary wanted to know: “What happened to the Crimean Bridge today?” Over the course of the conversation, the Russian hackers repeatedly stated that they were not well prepared for the role. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense in Kiev, there were mainly problems with the correct Ukrainian pronunciation.
Mayor Ludwig and the fake Klitschko
At the end of the conversation, the interlocutors were told that they had been exposed (see video above). The sabotage attempt failed. It was not the first time that Russia resorted to deepfakes, ie videos created using artificial intelligence, in the course of hybrid warfare against Ukraine and the West. The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, fell for an alleged Vitali Klitschko in June.
Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) and Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida had previously been victims of a similar deepfake. Although the two colleagues became suspicious and cut off talks with the wrong mayor of Kiev, it is unlikely that Ludwig noticed the deception during the video call in June. “There was no evidence that the conversation was not with a real person,” the city of Vienna said.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
