Yuliia Borysko - attack 16.05.2025

On 16 May 2025, the TikTok account ukrnews_today published a reels-format video using a fragment from a TSN broadcast on the 1+1 TV channel featuring presenter Yuliia Borysko. In the video, the presenter appears to urge viewers to follow the link in the TikTok profile bio and sign a petition allegedly initiated by former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi against the mobilisation of young men aged 18–25.

The video and audio in this clip are out of sync, and the voice does not resemble Yuliia Borysko’s real voice, indicating the use of AI-generated audio. The likely purpose of such actions is to push certain narratives or messages and to prompt viewers to click an anonymous—and possibly fraudulent—link. To achieve this, the creators use the likeness of a well-known media professional recognizable to a wide audience.

This case contains several indicators of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), including gendered disinformation, impersonation, manipulative tactics aimed at undermining trust in a media outlet or specific individual, as well as the use of AI technologies for identity theft.

In addition to Yuliia Borysko’s likeness, the creators of this TikTok account also manipulate the images of other Ukrainian female media professionals, such as Solomiia Vitvitska, Anastasiia Daugule, and Lidiia Taran.