Faked Al Jazeera UAE-France video 'likely Russian in origin', say analysts

A faked video that reported rising tensions between the UAE and France was likely Russian in origin, according to analysis by the Associated Press.

The video, which was produced to look like an item by Al Jazeera, said the UAE had halted a French arms purchase worth $18bn after the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris.

Al Jazeera told AP, however, that the footage was “fake and we refute this attribution to the media network”.

Russian-born Durov is both a French and Emirati citizen and was released on bail after being questioned by French authorities and preliminarily charged last month for allegedly allowing Telegram to be used for criminal activity.

Although the UAE and Russia have maintained significant economic and other ties in the wake of the war in Ukraine, AP cited a number of analysts who said the Durov video was most likely a piece of disinformation emanating from Russia. 

The Ukraine-based Center for Countering Disinformation told the news agency that the video “is aimed at an international audience for the purpose of informational influence.

“[It] probably belongs to the Russian network of subversive information activities abroad," it said.

Russian officials have denounced the arrest of Durov as politically motivated.

But French President Emmanuel Macron denied this, insisting that his country abides by freedom of expression within the constraints of the rule of law.

“In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights,” he wrote on X last month.

“It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law.”