Fact Check: Image Of Russia's Rossotrudnichestvo Head…
A viral image of Rossotrudnichestvo head Igor Chaika was identified as AI-altered to change his physical appearance following a post on X in September 2026
- Incident date
- Sep 2026
- Target
- Igor Chaika
On September 8, 2026, a post on the X account @Osinttechnical shared an image of Igor Chaika, the head of the Russian agency Rossotrudnichestvo, purportedly during a statement regarding Russia's relationship with Armenia. Investigations confirmed the image was not an authentic photograph but had been modified using generative AI tools.
What happened
The image was identified as an altered version of a legitimate video captured by the Russian government news agency Sputnik. Analysis revealed that the viral picture had been edited to change the subject's physical build, making Chaika appear larger than he is in the original footage by utilizing a lower camera angle.
Multiple technical tools confirmed the presence of AI manipulation. The InVID plugin estimated a 75% probability of AI involvement, while Sightengine calculated a 99% likelihood that the content was AI-generated. Additionally, testing with the OpenAI verification tool identified the presence of a SynthID watermark, which is used to flag content modified by Google AI tools.
Beyond the physical alterations to Chaika, visual discrepancies further exposed the image as a fabrication. The facial features of the subject in the viral post did not align with those seen in the original Sputnik video. Furthermore, the Sputnik logo displayed in the viral image did not match the official logo found on the agency's own website. The fact check focused exclusively on the authenticity of the image and did not address the claims made regarding geopolitical relations.