Moscow: A fabricated news report claiming that China’s DeepSeek AI was developed using a secret Soviet-era code has been broadcast by Russian state television, underscoring a deep-seated nostalgia in Russian society for its past technological prowess.
The false claim originated from Panorama, a Russian satirical news website that openly acknowledges its fictional content. The site published an invented interview with Liang Wenfeng, the founder of DeepSeek, in which he purportedly credited Soviet programmers for the AI’s foundational code.
According to the fabricated report, the DeepSeek startup supposedly utilized a codebase developed in 1985 by a team led by Viktor Glushkov, a Soviet scientist recognized for creating one of the first Soviet personal computers in the 1960s. Glushkov was also instrumental in developing a data-processing network intended to support the Soviet planned economy. Some Russian scientists argue that this network contained early features of artificial intelligence.
Despite its satirical origins, the story gained traction on social media and was eventually broadcast as a legitimate news item by Rossiya One, a national state television channel. Several influential social media accounts further amplified the misinformation.
“Not only was the Soviet Union the most educated and advanced country. The Soviet Union was a scientific and technological civilization,” veteran Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov stated in a Telegram post, which was later deleted.
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The incident highlights Russia’s struggle to reclaim its past status as a global technology leader. According to the UK-based Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index, Russia ranks 31st out of 83 countries in AI implementation, innovation, and investment—lagging behind not only the United States and China but also fellow BRICS members India and Brazil.
While Russia has developed two major domestic AI models, it continues to monitor China’s advancements in artificial intelligence. The latest DeepSeek models, released last month, have significantly disrupted the global tech landscape, further emphasizing China’s growing dominance in the field.
