Journalist Olena Mudra is once again facing online attacks. This time involving a more technologically advanced tool. A video circulating on Facebook features a character that shows signs of being generated using artificial intelligence.
On July 14, 2025, a Facebook account under the name Marik Fedirko shared a video in the group “Zakarpattia Tribune” titled “Fraud on Mount Runa.” The video alleges that an “ecological LGBT gathering” planned for the Carpathian Mount Runa was canceled.
The authors place the blame on freelance journalist Olena Mudra (Zakarpattia Online), as well as environmental activists Oksana Stankevych-Volosianchuk and Nataliia Vyshnevska. The video accuses them of fraud and embezzlement of $53,000.
Olena Mudra has been the subject of systematic online harassment due to her investigations into construction in the Carpathians. She first reported a large-scale online attack on June 7, directly related to her professional work, particularly her reporting on efforts to protect the high-mountain regions of the Ukrainian Carpathians from development by Wind Parks wind power company owned by Yefimov-Mkrtchan.
In the latest disinformation video, posted in the “Zakarpattia Tribune” group, viewers see young people in front of Carpathian landscapes, tents, and LGBT flags — with no explanation of who they are. The video features a man in a red T-shirt signed as “Marik Fedirko, coordinator of the ecological LGBT gathering and representative of the LGBT Active of Ukraine NGO.” He allegedly comments on the event while standing in front of a city installation “I Love Uzhhorod.”
Screenshot from the disinformation video featuring “Marik Fedirko”
As previously reported by Women in Media, the so-called LGBT Active of Ukraine is not officially registered, and information about its activities is limited to posts on its namesake Facebook page and content aimed at discrediting Olena Mudra. It is likely that “Marik Fedirko” is a fictitious character.
A person named Marik Fedirko allegedly gives a comment against the background of “I Love Uzhhorod” installation. The video’s audio track, presented as Marik Fedirko’s commentary, echoes the accusations against Olena Mudra, Oksana Stankevych-Volosianchuk, and Nataliia Vyshnevska. However, the appearance of “Marik Fedirko” shows signs of AI generation:
- His face resembles, but does not exactly match, the person in the Facebook profile photo of “Marik Fedirko” (a selfie taken on a cliff).
“Marik Fedirko,” presumably AI-generated character. Collage by Women in Media
- The proportions, eye placement, jawline, and forehead structure differ slightly.
- The facial texture is unstable, and expressions are inconsistent with natural physiology; there is no realistic muscle movement when speaking.
- The background appears real, but the face may be superimposed (likely using tools such as D-ID, DeepFaceLab, or HeyGen).
- In another frame, facial features appear overly symmetrical and idealized — a common trait in AI-generated images.
- Clothing and posture appear synthetic: the T-shirt clings unnaturally
- The body remains overly static in an otherwise dynamic context.
- The video’s captions and design resemble deepfake templates, reusing known visual cues. One such caption reads “I made a mistake trusting…” — a manipulative element meant to reinforce the narrative.
- The face in the second frame may have been created from the first, slightly altered (for example, using face morphing or generative AI recreation): identical eyebrow shape, similar cheekbones and chin, but smoother skin and different texture.
On July 15, the same video was reposted to the personal page of “Marik Fedirko.” However, it later became unavailable.
“In the video circulating on social media, we observe clear signs of artificial generation: unnatural facial expressions, low facial texture resolution, lip-eye desynchronization, and lighting inconsistencies with the background. Metadata analysis also suggests the use of tools like FFmpeg for editing. This case is yet another example of technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women journalists,” said Liza Kuzmenko, head of Women in Media.
The video was also targeted at the community where the journalist’s parents live
According to UNESCO’s 2023 report “Your opinion doesn’t matter, anyway,” generative AI is increasingly being used to attack women journalists with synthetic content aimed at humiliation, discrediting, or intimidation. These attacks include deepfakes, face swaps, and AI-generated images with sexualized or manipulative elements. The report emphasizes that platforms almost never label such content, leaving viewers unaware of its artificial nature. The lack of transparency fuels disinformation and deepens the harm. As the report states, “the result is a chilling effect: women begin to self-censor, avoid certain topics, or leave the profession entirely.” In conflict settings, such attacks are especially destructive and make journalists more vulnerable to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
It is worth noting that this video is not the first online attack targeting Olena Mudra. Previously, several online outlets published materials accusing Mudra and the mentioned environmental activists of fraud, embezzlement, and disrupting the so-called LGBT gathering.
“This video is a montage made from videos of a countercultural festival at Shypit, our recent videos — mine for Suspilne, Oksana’s for Econsphera, Nataliia’s for Czech Television — and the AI-generated footage of “Marik Fedirko” in front of Uzhhorod City Hall. It currently has nearly 4,500 views,” Olena Mudra wrote on her Facebook page.
Speaking to Women in Media, Olena Mudra said these attacks are part of a larger, coordinated disinformation campaign linked to her professional activities. Namely, on the attempts by Wind Park company to build wind turbines in the Carpathians. Earlier publications also targeted her personal life, referencing details from her biography that had never been made public, as well as her family. Earlier, the authors of such materials alleged that her son Maksym had illegally left the country during the full-scale invasion, supposedly with assistance from the LGBT Active of Ukraine organization. Olena Mudra denies these claims, clarifying that her son is indeed abroad, but left to study before the invasion began.
On June 27, 2025, with support from Women in Media and the Human Rights Platform, Olena Mudra reported to the National Police of Ukraine regarding deliberate obstruction of journalistic activity and violation of her privacy. Criminal proceedings have been opened in response.