A letter claiming to show External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar writing to French Ambassador Thierry Mathou about a leaked Rafale delivery schedule and the problems it caused, is digitally manipulated and fake.
India signed a defence deal with France to procure 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in April this year. The fake letter is with reference to the same.
India's Ministry of External Affairs clarified that the letter is fabricated. The fake letter is the latest in an influence operation targeting India's military and political leadership through deepfakes and other disinformation.
An excerpt from the fake letter reads, "It has come to our attention that certain communications concerning the Rafale naval aircraft timeline have recently emerged in the public domain. While we fully understand the complexities of such arrangements and the detailed processes involved, the unintended disclosure has created some unforeseen challenges for us, given the nature of our extensive collaboration".
The Claim
The X account Discourse Lab (@LabDiscourse) shared the fake letter with text claiming, "Jaishankar’s letter to France confirms one thing: the Rafale controversy is far from over. New Delhi is struggling to contain the fallout of leaked communications." The account also used trending hashtags in the same post; typically seen in engagement farming accounts.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Viral Letter Is Fake
1. The letter Contains Multiple Discrepancies: We first tried to find a credible source for the letter but were unable to find any confirming its authenticity. We then compared the viral letter to letters previously written by S. Jaishankar in the capacity of External Affairs Minister and noticed several inconsistencies.
In the signature section, the viral letter only carries Jaishankar’s name and designation, not a handwritten signature. We also noticed that official letters refer to him as Dr. S. Jaishankar, while the viral letter refers to the External Affairs Minister as Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
One such official letter written by the External Affairs Minister in 2024 can be seen below.
2. MEA Calls Out The Letter: The Ministry of External Affairs' fact-checking handle on X also called out the viral letter and posted a clarification about it on December 11, 2025.
The clarification reads, 'The letter being referred to in this post is fake.' The post also urged viewers to remain alert about disinformation.