Millions of Ukrainians are encountering Russian propaganda every day. It spreads through TV, radio, media, social networks and by word of mouth. To defeat the enemy, we must fight it on all fronts. To this end, we have prepared a daily compilation of Russian fakes.
Today, the russian information space is focused on the new offensive in Donbas. It appears that russians have problems taking Mariupol, so there was another “final” proposition for Mariupol defenders to surrender. Some propagandists have stated that it will be necessary to “protect the truth” about the future russian victory in Ukraine. It looks more and more likely that russia will fabricate a victory for internal consumption, regardless of their actual military success in Ukraine. Lavrov had once again stated that russia has no desire to depose the Ukrainian government and that Ukrainians should decide their fate, contradicting earlier statements made by russian officials.
Main fake narratives:
- Ukraine is being controlled by the west
- Russians don’t commit war crimes, Ukrainians do
- Ukrainian refugees are causing crime and spreading disease
- Sanctions against Russia are destroying Europe
- The world is dominated by russophobia
FAKE: Ukraine had bombarded a village in russia
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Disproof:
False flag operations like this are bread and butter for russia. They used similar “attacks” to justify wars in the past, most notably the Second Chechen War and the invasion of Georgia. Here, the obvious goal is to rally support for the upcoming escalation in Ukraine and mobilize the population. Besides, there is no reason for Ukraine to bombard villages on the russian border when there are plenty of military targets within easy reach.
FAKE: There are no civilians in Azovstal
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Disproof:
Mariupol has been under siege for 50 days now. Most of the city is in russian hands, but Azovstal, one of the largest iron and steel works in Europe, is still held by Ukrainian forces. Azovstal is, basically, a city within a city. It is the nucleus of the Mariupol defenses, and proved impossible for russians to take. It is well established that thousands of civilians are sheltering from russian bombardments in the vast underground bunkers of Azovstal, denied evacuation by russian forces.
Furthermore, it had become clear that, incapable of taking Azovstal, russians had decided to bomb it out of existence, using cruise missiles, heavy aerial bombs and chemical weapons. Admitting that there are civilians in Azovstal would mean that russians knowingly bomb civilians. So, the official Kremlin position on Azovstal is “the presence of civilians is a fake, we will bomb it anyway”.
FAKE: Ukraine had bombarded a village “liberated” by russians
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Disproof:
Now, russia is accusing Ukraine of bombarding Ukrainian villages in the territories occupied by russian forces. Why would Ukraine attack its citizens? According to russia because Ukraine is evil.
Ukraine does not attack its citizens. This is a russian false flag operation, probably aimed at boosting public support in the occupied territories and justifying future attempts to separate them from Ukraine.
FAKE: Secret Service of Ukraine is preparing a horrific false flag operation in Odessa region
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Disproof:
Usually, if russia accuses its enemies of planning a war crime, it is russia who is planning said war crime. But since the Odessa region is fully controlled by Ukrainian forces, this fake is probably designed to sow discord and distrust between Ukrainian civilians and the military. There is a possibility that a small russian spec-ops team may conduct such an attack deep in the Ukrainian territory, but it is small.
As a bonus, this fake, once again, paint Ukraine as an evil Nazi state. Who would have guessed?
Be advised: Russia is waging a full-scale information war against Ukraine. There are multitudes of new fakes swarming through the mass-media every day. To protect you and your family, be sure to obtain and share your information only from official sources.
Official information channels:
· Office of the President of Ukraine
· General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces
· Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
· Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
· Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
· Ministry of Internal Affairs
· State Emergency Service of Ukraine
· State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
· Centre for Strategic Communication
· Centre for Desinformation Resistance
· State Special Communications Service of Ukraine
Information about transportation and infrastructure:
· State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine
· Boryspil International Airport”
· Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority
· Danylo Halytskyi International Airport Lviv
· State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety
Keep calm and trust only official sources. Ukraine will prevail!
The material was prepared by ZMiST. Please follow ZMiST on Twitter and Facebook.
