A post promoting contract incorporation, broadcasted on the Vkontakte social network, uses the image of the opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in February 2024. The photograph was generated by artificial intelligence.
The post appeared on April 4th in the public group “Contract for Special Military Operation (ed. note: term used for Russian propaganda to denote the war in Ukraine). Kaliningrad.”
The contract with the army is promoted by an organization called “Rodina Geroev” (tr. note: Homeland of Heroes), based in the city of Rostov on Don, at the same address where the regional administration is also located. According to the published information, individuals up to 64 years old will be accepted, regardless of their experience, criminal record, and even if they have limited military skills, reports Meduza.
The journalists from the Polish publication “Vot tak!” called the number indicated in the ad and asked why Navalny’s image is being used for advertising. They were told that it is a “random person. Probably looks like him.”
And the Russian publication “Agenstvo” contacted the organization that launched the advertisement. In the case of these journalists, it was communicated that the information is being verified and it was mentioned that it might have been a mistake by the marketing department.