“Deepfake” videos produced by Russian-linked trolls are the latest weapon in the ongoing fake news war, official monitors are warning.

Kremlin-backed trolls are already experimenting with new video manipulation techniques that use artificial intelligence to create convincing doctored videos, according to the the UK-led East Stratcom Task Force, an EU counter-disinformation unit that monitors, analyses and debunks disinformation operations.

The Telegraph was given exclusive access to the unit’s work at its base in Brussels.

Ultrarealistic deepfake videos, created using artificial intelligence software, are already appearing online.

So far the technology has largely been used to superimpose celebrity faces onto pornographic videos.

Several videos have also been made involving President Trump's face, and while they are obvious spoofs it is easy to imagine the effect when well-funded state-sponsored agents produce similar videos for propaganda purposes.