ANKARA — Turkey’s main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the top contender facing incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused Russia on Thursday of fabricating deepfake videos with merely three days to go until the country’s critical elections this Sunday.
In separate tweets posted in Turkish and Russian, Kilicdaroglu pointed fingers at Russia for meddling in the race by orchestrating deepfake content targeting former presidential candidate Muharrem Ince, who ended his campaign on Thursday.
“Dear Russian friends, you are behind the fabrications, conspiracies, deepfake content and tapes that were exposed in this country yesterday. If you want the continuation of our friendship after May 15, take your hands off the Turkish state. We are still in favor of cooperation and friendship,” Kilicdaroglu wrote.
Дорогие русские друзья,
Вы стоите за монтажами, заговорами, контентом Deep Fake и записями, которые вчера были разоблачены в этой стране. Если вы хотите продолжения нашей дружбы после 15 мая, держите руки подальше от турецкого государства. Мы по-прежнему выступаем за…— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) May 11, 2023
