The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday flagged a viral social media post falsely attributing remarks to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, claiming he was disappointed by the Russian foreign minister’s “sarcastic” response to his appeal for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
The ministry’s fact-checking unit labelled the post “fake” and warned users against sharing malicious content circulating on social media platforms.
The misleading content includes a purported video of Jaishankar, accompanied by a fabricated statement suggesting that he had urged Russia and Ukraine to recognise that war brings only economic hardship and destruction.
“We called on both Russia and Ukraine to understand that war serves no one and only brings economic hardship and destruction. I am deeply disappointed by the Russian minister’s sarcastic and disrespectful reaction to my sincere appeal for peace,” the caption accompanying the video claimed.
Another fabricated post on X carried a similar message, stating: “We explained to the Russian, European, and Ukrainian ministers that there is no benefit in fighting wars. From different perspectives, conflicts damage economies and hinder economic growth. When such powerful countries fight against each other”
The MEA fact-checking unit shared screenshots of the misleading content circulated by several users, marking them with red stamps reading “fake” and “AI-generated”.
The fabricated clip appears to have been made using footage from Jaishankar’s participation in the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, the US, on October 30 and 31.
What Jaishankar actually said about the Ukraine conflict
In the original video, Jaishankar spoke about three areas of discussion concerning the Ukraine conflict involving Russia, Ukraine and European countries.
He said the discussions covered the protection of civilian shipping and seafarers from attacks, the restoration of grain exports from Russia and Ukraine, and energy-related issues, which he described as the “most complicated” aspect.
“I had gone earlier to Moscow, and even today I discussed it with Mr Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov), and then in between I had gone to Kyiv, and we are in touch with the Ukrainian side. We have also been coordinating this with the Americans because they have their own peace mediation initiative,” Jaishankar said.
His original remarks did not include the purported criticism of the Russian minister or the statement expressing disappointment over a sarcastic response.
Army fact-checks false claims of Chinese intrusion at Nathu La
Separately, the Indian Army’s official fact-checking wing last week cautioned social media users against misleading claims about Chinese vehicles near the India-China border in Sikkim.
Several accounts had circulated a video showing Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La, portraying their presence as an unauthorised entry into Indian territory, the Army’s fact-checking wing said.
In a post titled “Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Exposed”, the Army clarified that the footage showed JAC-branded Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La, which is a designated India-China border trade point.
The video was being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion. The accompanying caption also alleged that mainstream Indian media was deliberately concealing the incident, the Army said.