FIR against Prashant Bhushan for sharing fake video of Russian minister criticising India

An FIR has been registered against senior advocate Prashant Bhushan for sharing a morphed video purportedly showing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticising India over its internal affairs and oil purchases.The development comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) fact-checked the video, confirming that the clip was fabricated. The clarification followed a denial by the Russian Embassy, which also disputed the authenticity of the video.Bhushan had shared the clip on social media with the caption, “a tight slap by the Russian foreign minister on India. What kind of advice was Jaishankar giving to Russia?”The video purportedly showed Lavrov criticising India’s domestic affairs and its purchases of Russian oil.

This comes as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, US, on October 31.Jaishankar shared a photograph of the meeting on X, saying, “Discussed the Ukraine conflict, Gulf situation and multilateral issues with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia.”

Addressing queries during the MEA’s bi-weekly press briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jaishankar had held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 gathering, including one with his Russian counterpart.The meeting between the two ministers covered the Ukraine conflict, the situation in the Gulf and wider multilateral issues.The interaction took place amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and heightened tensions in West Asia, which have raised concerns over energy security, maritime trade routes and regional stability.India has continued to engage with Russia through high-level diplomatic meetings despite differences between Moscow and Western capitals over the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has consistently maintained that dialogue and diplomacy are essential to resolving international disputes.At the G20 gathering, Jaishankar also emphasised the importance of diplomatic engagement over military action, maintaining that military solutions alone cannot resolve complex global challenges.