A video circulating on TikTok, allegedly showing Russian President Vladimir Putin criticizing his Congolese counterpart, Félix Tshisekedi, over the security crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been verified as manipulated. The video, posted on November 2, 2026, was accompanied by the caption "Hidden truth, shame on you."
The video was checked by PesaCheck, a fact-checking organization, which found that it had been manipulated. A reverse image search from a screenshot of the clip revealed that the original video was published on October 30, 2026, during a meeting between Putin and Tshisekedi on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit.
During the meeting, Putin described the DRC as a "promising partner for Russia on the African continent." He also recalled 65 years of diplomatic relations and paid tribute to Patrice Lumumba. The Russian president discussed the revival of economic, commercial, and scientific exchanges, announcing the allocation of 100 scholarships to Congolese students.
Contrary to what the TikTok post claims, Putin did not criticize Tshisekedi over the security situation in the DRC. Instead, he highlighted the fruitful economic partnership between the two countries. An analysis of the publication using Hive Moderation and DeepFake-O-Meter revealed that the audio of the video was generated by artificial intelligence with a high degree of probability.
The results of the analysis indicated that the translated French audio of Putin's intervention did not correspond to an authentic recording of his speech. A Google search with keywords related to the claim did not yield conclusive results. In fact, recent official relations between Kinshasa and Moscow are focused on seeking political and strategic rapprochement.
During the Russia-Africa summit, Tshisekedi appealed for Russian support to address the security crisis in eastern DRC. He also discussed the future of the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of the DRC (MONUSCO). The eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for over three decades, with the M23 movement, allegedly supported by neighboring countries, being a key player in the crisis.
The manipulation of the video highlights the risks of misinformation and disinformation in the digital age. It also underscores the importance of fact-checking and verification in ensuring the accuracy of information shared online.
Key points
- The video of Vladimir Putin criticizing Félix Tshisekedi was manipulated using artificial intelligence.
- The original video was recorded during a meeting between Putin and Tshisekedi at the Russia-Africa summit.
- Putin did not criticize Tshisekedi over the security situation in the DRC, but rather highlighted the economic partnership between the two countries.
