Azerbaijan media authority warns of deepfake disinformation campaign

The Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued an urgent public statement warning against the spread of disinformation via social media platforms, involving fabricated video content falsely attributed to high-ranking Azerbaijani officials.

According to the agency, a number of social media accounts have circulated manipulated footage allegedly featuring statements by the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan regarding the supposed downing of a Belarusian aircraft in Russian airspace. The agency categorically denied the authenticity of these claims, stressing that the videos were created using “deep fake” technologies and do not reflect reality, Caliber.Az reports.

“These fake video materials, generated with the use of artificial intelligence, are blatant examples of information manipulation aimed at misleading public opinion,” the statement read.

The agency urged the public to rely exclusively on verified information provided by official government sources and recognised media outlets. It also emphasised the importance of vigilance in the face of increasingly sophisticated forms of digital disinformation.

“We call on Azerbaijani citizens, journalists, and public activists to consistently demonstrate principled stances against such cases, and to remain vigilant in an environment where false and deceptive content creation, including through ‘deep fake’ technologies, is gaining ground,” the agency stated.

By Vugar Khalilov