- Category
- War in Ukraine
Russia Turns to AI Videos to Fake Battlefield Success Near Kostiantynivka, ISW Says
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia is using videos likely generated with artificial intelligence to support claims of battlefield gains near the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
According to the latest assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published on June 15, Russian sources circulated videos purportedly showing troops raising Russian flags on the western outskirts of Kostiantynivka and in the nearby village of Dovha Balka, which Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have captured the same day.
ISW stated that it has grounds to assess that the flag-raising videos may have been generated using AI, noting that the footage is consistent with previous Russian information operations that used artificial intelligence to support claims of territorial advances.
-8a9ff315cd329445abadcf7f9c2541b9.jpg)
The assessment comes amid intensified fighting around Kostiantynivka, a key Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk region. According to ISW, Russian information efforts appear aimed at portraying the city as already under Russian control despite ongoing combat in the area.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Bakulin, commander of Ukraine’s 19th Army Corps, said on June 15 that Russian commanders had already reported the capture of Kostiantynivka to higher military leadership and were now attempting to turn those claims into reality on the battlefield.
Bakulin said that between 93 and 153 Russian soldiers had infiltrated parts of the city, adding that estimates suggesting the presence of 250 to 300 Russian troops were exaggerated. He also noted that Russian forces were employing infiltration tactics similar to those previously used near Pokrovsk, while Ukrainian troops were taking stronger countermeasures.
According to ISW, Ukraine’s tactical situation around Kostiantynivka has deteriorated in recent weeks. However, the think tank assessed that Russian officials are overstating the significance of any potential future capture of the city by presenting it as a precursor to the rapid seizure of the entire Ukrainian defensive belt in Donetsk region.
ISW continues to assess that Russian forces may achieve additional tactical gains around Kostiantynivka during the summer of 2026. At the same time, the organization said it remains unlikely that Russian troops will achieve a rapid operational breakthrough capable of capturing the broader network of fortified Ukrainian positions in the region.
The institute also argued that Russia’s information campaign surrounding Kostiantynivka is intended to reinforce narratives that Ukrainian defenses are close to collapse and that the capture of the rest of Donetsk region is inevitable.
According to ISW, recent battlefield trends do not support such conclusions, citing the slowing pace of Russian advances across much of the front.
Earlier, ISW reported in May 2026 that Russian sources were increasingly distributing AI-generated “flag-raising” videos to exaggerate battlefield gains in Ukraine. The think tank assessed that the campaign was intended to amplify perceptions of Russian advances amid slowing offensive progress and formed part of a broader Kremlin information operation.
Discuss this article:
-9a7b3a98ed5c506e0b77a6663f5727c5.png)
