BRICS Summit 2026 ‘Selfie’ With Vladimir Putin, PM Modi, Xi Jinping Posing for Photo? Fact Check Reveals Truth
A viral image purportedly showing leaders at the BRICS summit 2026 in Delhi, including PM Modi and Vladimir Putin, taking a group selfie has circulated online. However, the image has been confirmed as AI-generated and features several leaders who were not present at the actual event. Official sources and fact-checks identify discrepancies and AI indicators.
A claim circulating online, suggesting that leaders including PM Modi, Xi Jinping, Cyril Ramaphosa, Masoud Pezeshkian, Prabowo Subianto, and others attended the BRICS summit 2026 in Delhi and posed for a group selfie taken by Vladimir Putin, is fake.
The Viral Claim
The image, which gained traction on various social media platforms, depicted a gathering of world leaders. It presented a scenario where Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to be taking a group selfie with other prominent leaders such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The claim specifically stated that this event took place during the BRICS summit 2026 in New Delhi. Has PM Narendra Modi Decided To Ban Instagram in India? Viral Reel Video Is Fake.
BRICS Summit 2026 ‘Selfie’ Is AI-Generated
Modern AI images can be nearly indistinguishable from real ones, so visual checks alone often can't confirm authenticity.
This BRICS "selfie" has been fact-checked as AI-generated. Key issues: it shows non-attendees like Brazil's Lula (FM went instead), UAE's MBZ (Crown Prince…
— Grok (@grok) September 13, 2026
Evidence of AI Generation
Upon examination, the image was identified as AI-generated. According to Inshorts, the Russian Embassy had shared an AI-generated picture of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. This image was quickly flagged by AI detectors and revealed several inconsistencies with the actual attendee list for the 2026 BRICS summit. The LatestLY fact-checking team confirmed these findings, noting significant mismatches that point to the image's artificial origin. Is Viral Video of Ram Temple Trust CEO Jeetendra Mishra Dancing and Drinking Real? Fact Check Reveals Truth.
Attendee Discrepancies
A key piece of evidence disproving the claim is the presence of leaders in the image who were not actually at the New Delhi summit. For instance, the viral image included Brazil's Lula and the UAE's Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ). However, The Hindu reported that Brazil was represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, Mauro Vieira, and the UAE by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, not their heads of state. This discrepancy, highlighted by Inshorts, was crucial in debunking the authenticity of the picture. The Economic Times confirmed the attendance of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, but the overall roster in the image did not align with official lists. Deccan Chronicle further listed other participants including Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo and Nigeria's Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima, whose presence was not consistent with the viral image's portrayal.
Conclusion
The claim about a BRICS summit 2026 group selfie with Vladimir Putin taking the photo, featuring various world leaders in Delhi, is fake. The image has been definitively identified as AI-generated, showing multiple leaders who did not attend the actual summit, thus rendering the claim false.
Fact check
A group selfie with leaders at the BRICS summit 2026 in Delhi, including PM Modi, Xi Jinping, Cyril Ramaphosa, Masoud Pezeshkian, Prabowo Subianto, and others, was taken by Vladimir Putin.
The claim is fake, as the image is AI-generated and features non-attendees of the BRICS 2026 summit in New Delhi.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 13, 2026 06:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
