An excerpt from a broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), in which Elon Musk praises Putin and Russia, was generated by a neural network and shared initially by Russian sources. The original recording of the broadcast with Musk, where he says no such thing, is available online.
Russian Telegram channels and media are actively spreading an alleged excerpt from a X (formerly Twitter) broadcast in which Elon Musk participated, where he speaks positively about the political course of Russia and Putin in particular.
In the widely circulated excerpt, Musk says that he would not mind getting a Russian passport because, unlike the American government, Russia takes care of its own citizens. The speaker calls Putin “not a bad guy,” and says that claims about his imperial and dictatorial policies are prejudices.
A recording of the actual conversation that the propagandists refer to is available online. In it, Elon Musk spoke on the topic of freedom of speech with, among others, Alex Jones, a conservative American host known for spreading conspiracy theories, and Andrew Tate, an influencer accused of forcing women into sex work. At the time stamp of 14:09, the fragment that was used by the attackers to create a fake begins. It is evident that the conversation is not about Ukraine.
Most likely, the fragment shared by the attackers was generated with a neural network in order to promote Vladimir Putin’s conference, which took place on December 14, to a pro-Russian audience. However, many Ukrainian sources republished the news. At first glance, it could really seem plausible, because Elon Musk has already made anti-Ukrainian statements. He recently agreed with the tweet of the American entrepreneur David Sachs regarding the need for the Ukrainian side to conclude a peace agreement and stood up for the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira. Read the details of this situation in the article Fake: Ukraine Arrests and Tortures American Blogger Gonzalo Lira “For Criticizing Zelenskyi.
