AI‑generated images fuel false claims of staged Kyiv Lavra strike

Pro‑Russian users on social media circulated AI‑created images that they said proved photographers were ready to film a strike on Kyiv’s UNESCO‑listed Pechersk Lavra, alleging the attack had been staged by Ukraine. The monastery complex was hit by a Russian drone and missile barrage on 14‑15 June, killing five people and damaging the Dormition Cathedral. Ukrainian authorities blamed a Russian Geran‑2 UAV, while Russian officials accused Ukraine of staging the attack. Fact‑checkers found the shared images bore OpenAI’s SynthID watermark, indicating they were generated by artificial‑intelligence models, and noted visual errors such as an incorrect roof colour. No evidence supports the staging claims. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture,” and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack on universal heritage. The disinformation spread in multiple languages, attracting over 110 000 views.