Z-Pop Star Shaman Just Dropped His Latest Music Video – and It’s Something Else - The Moscow Times
A pro-war Russian pop star, Shaman, released a music video featuring AI-generated deepfakes of exiled Kremlin critics seemingly singing in support of Russia.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Morgenshtern, Noize MC, Oxxxymiron, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Oleg Tinkov
A music video released by Shaman, a pro-war pop star in Russia, incorporated deepfakes of individuals critical of the Kremlin. The video uses these AI-generated likenesses to create the impression that these critics are singing in support of Russia.
What happened
The video, for the song “Mother Russia,” opens with Shaman answering a question about what Russia means to him. The video then depicts Shaman reviewing files of dissidents, including rappers Morgenshtern, Noize MC, and Oxxxymiron, as well as Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Oleg Tinkov. The video then cuts to AI-animated versions of these individuals singing the chorus, “Mother Russia, you’re in my heart, you’re the only one, with you until the end.” The video's description claims these "foreign agents" are paid to oppose Russia, but in his video, they sing for Russia for free. The video concludes with a sniper-style laser sight targeting Shaman's forehead.