Russian families use AI to 'resurrect' loved ones killed in Ukraine

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Russian families use AI to 'resurrect' loved ones killed in Ukraine10 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleLiza FokhtandTatiana Kovtun , News RussianBBC"The Special Military Operation has ended" and "Our heroes are coming home," read the billboards on the leftRousing orchestral music plays over a video of a snowy Moscow street dotted with billboards celebrating an end to the war in Ukraine. "The Special Military Operation is over," one fictional billboard reads, using the Kremlin-approved term for its war on Ukraine. "Our heroes are coming home.

"Underneath, a beautiful, airbrushed woman pushing a stroller turns to see a man in military uniform and throws her arms around his neck in tears. The 15-second AI-generated clip was posted on Instagram by a popular blogger with the online name Katya Jin, and the couple appear to be modelled on her and her husband. In reality, like tens of thousands Russian soldiers, he disappeared at the front.

The Details

His fate remains unknown. AI-generated photos and videos featuring Russian soldiers have gained popularity on social media since mid-2025. They are most often posted by relatives of Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine.

In nearly all of them, the soldiers are controversially portrayed as heroes defending their country and loved ones. Ukraine and the destruction caused by Russia's invasion is usually absent, and judging by reaction online many Ukrainians who have seen the videos have been appalled. For some grieving families, AI content provides a way to mourn their loved ones; in some cases, deepfakes featuring deceased people are used at funerals.

Responses online to such clips are sharply divided: some say they were brought to tears, while others see the practice as unethical and deeply disturbing. Very little is yet known about the long-term psychological and social impact of this technology on the grieving process, says Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska, a researcher at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge. "​​Creating 'deadbots' of Russian soldiers or deepfakes of fallen Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine is extremely complex and ethically difficult to assess in a clear-cut way," she says.

What Experts Say

Russian approached Katya Jin for comment, but she did not respond to our questions. Whether by coincidence or not, after we first reported her story, she removed her AI-generated content from Instagram and TikTok. Until recently, she regularly posted AI videos to her 10 million TikTok followers and 50,000 Instagram followers, often alongside tutorials explaining how to make them.

Her own family's story became part of the sales pitch, and viewers could then order similar videos featuring their own loved ones. Dozens of people said they wanted the same kind of content featuring deceased relatives. They just needed to submit photographs of themselves and their loved ones, and AI would then animate the material following specific prompts.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.