Russian embassy debunks ‘100% fake’ video alleging Putin threatened Pakistan

The Embassy of Russia in Pakistan has through an official statement confirmed that a viral video allegedly showing Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening Pakistan amid tensions between Islamabad and Kabul is “100% fake”.

Pro-Afghan and Indian users shared a video on the social media platform X on Wednesday allegedly showing the Russian president warning Pakistan’s army and pledging help to Afghanistan amid the ongoing tensions between the two nations.

The footage, however, has been found to be dubbed over and unrelated to Afghanistan or Pakistan.

The embassy clarified that the widely circulated clip has been doctored. The original footage actually shows President Putin answering questions from the media after a meeting of the Russian Geographical Society’s Board of Trustees on October 23, 2025, the Russian embassy stated.

Shehbaz, Putin vow to explore new avenues of cooperation

The statement explicitly mentioned that Putin did not even mention Pakistan or Afghanistan in his original comments.

Furthermore, the embassy reaffirmed Moscow’s position on the regional dispute: “We emphasise that Russia supports the resolution of Pak-Afghan differences through political and diplomatic means and favours the resumption of constructive dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan — two countries friendly to Russia — including on counterterrorism and regional security issues.”

Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are rapidly deteriorating following the recent border skirmishes and mutual allegations. The current hostility escalated earlier this month when an attack originating from Afghanistan targeted Pakistan on the night of October 11. This incident occurred shortly after the Taliban accused Islamabad of launching airstrikes into Afghan territory.

Both nations agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, but could not find common ground in a second round of talks mediated by Turkiye and Qatar in Istanbul, Afghan and Pakistani sources briefed on the issue told Reuters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, crucial peace talks that were held in Istanbul between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban and concluded a day ago without any outcome are now likely to resume at the request of the hosts in an effort to provide peace another chance.

Istanbul talks fail as Afghan side evades core issue, says Tarar

State media, PTV has cited sources as saying that Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have agreed to resume talks in Istanbul. Pakistan has consented to revive the negotiation process at the request of the host countries, they said.

The sources said the Pakistani delegation, which had been preparing to return home, would now extend its stay in Istanbul to continue the dialogue process. “Pakistan’s decision to resume talks aims to give peace another chance and restore an atmosphere of trust in the region,” they said.

According to the sources, the central and long-standing focus of the discussions is Pakistan’s demand that Afghanistan prevent its territory from being used for terrorism against Pakistan and take clear, verifiable, and effective action against terrorist elements.

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on Wednesday that the four-day discussions did not lead to an agreement on any viable solution, with the Afghan delegation attempting to shift focus away from the core issue.

He said the Afghan delegation used “blame-shifting, delaying tactics, and excuses,” while Pakistan presented solid evidence of terrorism, which he said the Afghan Taliban and the host countries acknowledged.

“Pakistan has always negotiated with the intent of peace, but unfortunately, the Afghan Taliban government is constantly aiding anti-Pakistan terrorists,” Tarar said, adding that Pakistan would take every possible step to protect its citizens.

He further criticised the Taliban government for repeatedly failing to honour its commitments made under the Doha Agreement.

Tarar stated, “The Taliban government is neither accountable to its own people nor interested in peace. It thrives on a war economy and is pushing the people of Afghanistan towards another devastating war.“