Conspirators used artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies to target Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiy. A former US police officer emerged behind the allegations that Zelenska bought a 4.5 million euro ultra-luxury car.
4.5 MILLION EURO ULTRA LUXURY CAR
A middle-aged man in a suit sitting in his car was posted on social media. He says Zelenska bought an ultra-luxury car in Paris for 4.5 million euros, and claims the purchase took place on June 7, when the Ukrainian president and his delegation visited France.
THE BILL HAS ALSO BEEN SPREAD
Following the video, an invoice with the price of the car was also shared. Documents supporting this claim and videos created with deepfake were shared on social media. It was revealed that behind these claims, which were quickly refuted, was a former American police officer living in Moscow.
DEEP FAKE TECHNOLOGY PROVEN TO BE USED
It was commented that the Ukrainian first lady spent millions of Euros with aid money from the US. Cybersecurity experts and some official institutions have shown with evidence that the video was produced with deepfake technology.
US POLICE BEGAN TO CREATE FAKE NEWS
According to the BBC’s investigation, the source of this plot targeting the Ukrainian First Lady is most likely John Mark Dougan. Dougan is a former US police officer who now lives in Moscow. Dougan, who worked as a police officer in Florida in the 2000s, later opened a website. Through this site, he began publishing confidential information obtained from former colleagues, sharing the addresses of police officers and producing fake news.
HIS HOUSE WAS ALSO RAID
The FBI raided his home in 2016. He then fled to Moscow and resumed his activities there. Dougan, 51, has over 160 websites under his management. Dougan uses artificial intelligence tools to distort real events and create pro-Russian news on these sites that appear to be Western-based. He ensures that these are shared on social media and reach a wide audience. Although he denies involvement in the Olena Zelenska plot, he has previously admitted to creating fake news. He has said that this was “a game and a revenge” for him.
