Image of Belarus' Lukashenko detained by Ukrainian forces is AI-generated
- Published on July 29, 2026 at 05:07
- 2 min read
- By Nyan Tun SHEIN, AFP Thailand
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Belarus in June of aiding Russia's drone attacks, posts shared a fabricated image purportedly showing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko apprehended by Ukrainian forces. There are no official reports that Lukashenko has been detained and detection tools flagged the image as made with Google's AI tools.
"Ukrainian fighters claimed to have captured Lukashenko directly from Belarusian territory," reads part of the Burmese-language Facebook post uploaded on July 6, 2026.
The post includes an image that appears to show Lukashenko, who allowed Moscow to launch its 2022 Ukraine invasion through Belarus, being held by two soldiers in uniform with Ukrainian flag patches (archived link).
Similar claims were also posted on Facebook in Burmese and English.
Ukraine has for months warned Belarus against being dragged further into the war, highlighting increased attacks by Russia on northern Ukraine.
While Lukashenko has denied plans for direct involvement in the war, Ukrainian media outlet Kyiv Independent reported that Zelensky accused his government on June 19 of continuing to assist Moscow (archived link).
He urged Lukashenko to disable signal repeaters that help guide Russian attack drones, warning "If he does not (switch them off), we will."
Following a threat from Kyiv, Belarus switched off the repeaters in late June, Zelensky said (archived link).
But there are no official reports that Lukashenko has been arrested and the image was made with AI.
A close inspection of the image depicts the Gemini's logo at the bottom right corner (archived link).
It also shows visual errors typical of AI-generated content including a floating handcuff and different badges on helmets. Some uniforms also contain the military patch for Ukraine's SBU Security Service, while some do not (archived link).
An analysis using Google's SynthID detection tool flagged that the video was created using the company's AI tools (archived link).
Lukashenko also attended official events on the day the claim spread and weeks after the false post circulated.
Official photos showed Lukashenko also attended a ceremony to honor graduates of higher military educational institutions and senior officers in the capital on the day the false claim spread (archived link).
He also met with Russian official Igor Shchegolev on July 27 (archived link).
AFP previously debunked misinformation related to the war in Ukraine here.
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