Russia Turns to AI-Made “Victory Videos” as Battlefield Gains in Ukraine Stall

Russian sources are increasingly distributing AI-generated videos that allegedly show Russian troops raising flags in Ukrainian settlements along the front line.

According to a new assessment published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on May 11, the videos appear to be part of a broader Russian information campaign aimed at amplifying claims of battlefield gains as the pace of Russian territorial advances in Ukraine continues to slow.

“ISW is increasingly observing AI-generated footage portraying Russian forces allegedly raising flags in multiple areas along the frontline in recent days.” The organization described the trend as an escalation in the “complexity” of Russia’s cognitive and information warfare efforts.

The assessment follows several recent videos circulated by Russian military-linked channels claiming that Russian troops had taken control of settlements in eastern Ukraine. One of the videos allegedly showed Ukrainian soldiers from the 81st Airmobile Brigade surrendering and raising a Russian flag in the village of Pyskunivka in the Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation rejected the footage, stating that the video address attributed to Ukrainian soldiers had been generated using artificial intelligence.

According to ISW, Russian forces began increasingly relying on filmed “flag-raising” operations during the summer of 2025, after shifting toward infiltration tactics involving small assault groups moving through gaps in Ukrainian defensive positions.

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Analysts said these videos were later used by Russian military command to support claims of territorial advances in areas where Russian forces were unable to establish stable control.

“Russia increased the complexity of these videos over the last several months, beginning to create more sophisticated, highly produced montages in multiple locations in winter 2025 compared to earlier short-form videos depicting a single event,” ISW wrote in its report.

The think tank added that the apparent use of AI tools indicates a more coordinated effort linked to Russia’s senior military leadership. “The increased complexity and use of AI in these videos indicates that the Kremlin is engaged in a coordinated campaign supporting the Russian high command’s informational efforts,” the report stated.

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ISW noted that a surge of these alleged AI-generated “flag-raising” videos appeared ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations. Analysts assessed that the campaign was likely intended to compensate for the absence of major battlefield breakthroughs ahead of the annual military parade in Moscow.

“The Kremlin continues systematic cognitive warfare efforts aimed at amplifying Russian advances through exaggerated claims of gains and infiltration missions, attempting to portray them as broad-front advances in order to falsely depict the frontline as collapsing across the theater despite all available evidence to the contrary,” ISW stated.

Earlier, Russian forces used “Gerbera” drones to scatter propaganda leaflets over Ukrainian territory, including materials featuring US President Donald Trump and false claims that Western support for Ukraine had ended. The operation was part of a broader Russian psychological warfare campaign using UAVs to distribute misleading messaging aimed at civilians.

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