Fake Euronews Videos Used in Russian Disinformation Campaign Targeting Ukraine and West

Doctored videos impersonating Euronews and other major media outlets have been deployed as part of a coordinated Russian disinformation effort, according to researchers tracking online manipulation. The fabricated content, which spreads false claims about the war in the Middle East, has gained traction across social media platforms and has been amplified by the pro-Kremlin Pravda network.

Researchers from the Antibot4Navalny collective have linked these sophisticated forgeries to “Matryoshka,” a Russia-connected operation specializing in mass disinformation campaigns across digital platforms. Their analysis indicates that while the Middle East conflict isn’t the primary focus of the campaign, it serves as a vehicle to advance unrelated narratives designed to damage Western credibility.

The operation pursues multiple objectives simultaneously: portraying Ukrainians as criminals, undermining Western governments, and attempting to destabilize Armenia’s government ahead of its June parliamentary elections.

One particularly insidious example involved a manipulated Euronews video about a drone strike on Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm Hotel. The clip begins with authentic footage but midway through, the journalist’s voice appears to have been altered—likely using AI voice cloning technology—to make false claims about “Ukrainian looters” exploiting the chaos to raid shops and jewelry stores. The doctored report claimed that 19 Ukrainians were detained for coordinated looting activities, allegations completely unsupported by evidence.

The creators employed a common disinformation technique by overlaying the manipulated voice on generic stock images rather than attempting to create deepfakes of reporters on camera—a signature tactic that helps researchers identify such fabrications.

A second fake Euronews report followed a similar pattern, falsely alleging that airstrikes in the UAE had damaged a $7 million luxury mansion purportedly owned by a Ukrainian general.

Armenia’s government has also been targeted by this campaign. Another counterfeit Euronews segment claimed that UAE strikes had damaged an apartment allegedly belonging to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The fabricated report suggested the revelation had sparked controversy among Armenians worldwide and made the outlandish claim that the property was valued at $170 million.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Pashinyan’s press secretary, issued a strong denial on social media, stating: “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan DOES NOT OWN any property in the UAE or any other country.” She characterized the videos as “entirely fabricated” and identified them as part of a “classic Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference mechanism” designed to undermine the prime minister ahead of the country’s 2026 elections.

The Middle East conflict has proven fertile ground for such manipulation. Beyond Euronews, numerous other respected media outlets have been impersonated. A fake video mimicking French newspaper Le Point spread claims that Ukrainian phone scammers had defrauded French citizens of tens of millions of euros following escalation in the Middle East.

Another fabricated report falsely attributed to the Institute for the Study of War alleged that France had concealed the deaths of 70 French service members after an Iranian strike on an Abu Dhabi base. Similarly, a counterfeit USA Today report claimed that Ukrainian weapons had been used in attacks on French, German, and American military bases in Gulf States.

This isn’t the first time the Matryoshka network has appropriated Euronews’s visual identity to spread disinformation. Similar tactics were employed during the Milan Winter Olympics and throughout Moldova’s electoral campaign.

The pattern demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how trusted media sources carry inherent credibility—and how manipulating that trust can effectively spread false narratives to receptive audiences across international borders, particularly during ongoing conflicts when information verification becomes more challenging.