Russian regional politics saw its first AI-generated “protest” earlier this month, when a local lawmaker in Oryol posted a fake video showing hundreds of people calling for the mayor’s resignation. The lawmaker described it as a “creative project,” noting that a virtual protest isn’t legally considered an unsanctioned rally — at least for now. The outlet 7×7 reported on how he used neural networks as a tool of political expression at a time when real-life demonstrations are effectively banned. Meduza shares an abridged translation of the story.
On November 5, 2025, Ruslan Perelygin, a lawmaker from the Oryol region and head of the local branch of the Russian political party A Just Russia, posted a video on his Telegram channel. The clip appeared to show hundreds of people holding signs and chanting a slogan calling for the resignation of the city of Oryol’s mayor.
Yuri Parakhin, a member of the ruling United Russia party, has served as Oryol’s mayor since 2020. On October 31, local deputies had reappointed him for a new term.
In his post, Perelygin accused Parakhin of turning the city’s public transport system into a “national embarrassment,” making urban renewal synonymous with “the destruction of greenery,” and increasing the city’s debt by more than one billion rubles ($12.3 million). “Oryol needs an honest and responsible leader, not a repeat of managed decline,” Perelygin wrote. “People have been banned from protesting in the real Oryol. But they’ve come out to protest anyway — in the digital one.”
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Perelygin’s video, it turns out, was created using AI. Speaking to Kommersant, Perelygin described the simulated protest as a “creative project,” adding that A Just Russia doesn’t hold unsanctioned rallies — and that virtual “protests” don’t count. He said he would stop making them if the law explicitly prohibited such content. “[The AI-generated video] shows an image that deserves attention — not only in Oryol but also in the presidential administration,” he explained. “Most residents of Oryol disagree with Yuri Parakhin’s appointment.”
City officials, however, said Perelygin’s post was akin to “provocations” by Ukrainian intelligence services. “It’s unfortunate that a Russian lawmaker has chosen a similar path,” a city representative told Kommersant. The outlet’s sources said regulators had taken note of Perelygin’s post and would “draw conclusions,” though neither the mayor’s office nor the local United Russia branch has yet filed an official complaint with the police or prosecutors.
For now, it appears unlikely that Perelygin will face legal consequences for using AI to stage a virtual “rally.” Lawyer Oleg Zakharov told Kommersant that banning the use of neural networks to create opposition content is a long shot: “There’s simply no provision in the Administrative Code that covers a supposed violation of the rules for organizing a public event in the form of a video.”
