Disinfo: Russian action in Ukraine aimed at helping civilians, Kyiv must not interfere

Summary

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is aimed at facilitating the lives of civilians, and the World Health Organisation must pressurise Kyiv not to interfere.

Disproof

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The material and links may contain distressing/graphic content.

In reality, thousands and thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and injured by Russian troops in Moscow’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which appears to follow the same playbook as Russia's wars in Chechnya and Syria in an attempt to inflict as many civilian casualties as possible. Russia unleashed this war to force Ukraine back to the sphere of Moscow’s influence, rather than to protect civilians.

According to human rights organisations and to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the invasion of Ukraine was carried out through indiscriminate attacks and strikes on civilian objects such as houses, hospitals, schools and kindergartens.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 3,942 civilians killed and 4,591 injured, by 24 May according to the UN mission update, and 258 children have died and more than 427 were wounded, reports the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

There is plenty of evidence of attacks on civilian targets: attacks on cultural properties; attacks on hospitals and medical care facilities; Mariupol theatre airstrike; Mariupol hospital airstrike; mass shelling of residential areas; bombing of Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa etc.

WHO records 100th attack on health care in Ukraine: Of the current total of 103 attacks, 89 have impacted health facilities and 13 have impacted transport, including ambulances.

Read OSCE Report on violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity commited in Ukraine since 24 February 2022.

See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War

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Лавров обсудил здравоохранение на Украине и в Донбассе с главой ВОЗ | В России, В мире (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 283
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18/05/2022
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Winter War
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Disinfo: Ukrainian negotiators are being "led" by Washington and London

Russia has evidence that the Ukrainian negotiators are being "led" by Washington and London. Ukraine is a consumable material for Western countries in a hybrid war with Russia

May 17, 2022
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative about the Ukrainian statehood. Тhe statement was made in the context of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, trying once again to denigrate Ukraine as a non-sovereign puppet of the West.

The claim that Ukraine is a US and UK tool to fight against Russia is unsubstantiated. Pro-Kremlin media outlets often cast doubts on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine is not a real state and going to tumble down very soon. In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated.

Disinfo: The pope met an identified Nazi, wife of an Azov fighter

In Paris, one of the country's largest TV channels invited the wives of "Azov" people, the very ones who met with the Pope, to air. It was meant to evoke sympathy for the Ukrainian fighters and their families, but TV viewers went berserk when one of the women was identified as a neo-Nazi. They found photographs on the Web in which she herself demonstrates her views and ideology.

These girls are the wives of neo-Nazis, and there is nothing surprising in the fact that they themselves profess neo-Nazi ideologies, in principle, the Catholic Church is not the first time marred by links with Nazi elements.

May 17, 2022
Disproof

The statement is untrue. A classic example of misleading use of unrelated material. A photo of an unrelated person making the nazi salute was used to impersonate the guest on the TV show.

On 11 May 2022 Kateryna Prokopenko, 27 years old, wife of Denis Prokopenko, met the pope Francis asking him to intervene in the situation with Azovstal factory fighters, blocked by Russian army in Mariupol: among them Denis Prokopenko. After that meeting, social media users shared a photo simulating it to be "her" photos making a nazi salute.

Disinfo: Finland’s decision to join Nato is inadequate: It cannot live without Russian energy

Finland is going to pay dearly for joining Nato. The Finnish strategy bewilders because they are not capable of replacing Russian oil, natural gas, and electricity. Finland has not taken a lesson as there is a clear example of Germany, Austria, and other EU countries, which failed in blackmailing Russia over deliveries of natural gas. As a result, they are paying for it in rubles, therefore strengthening Russian currency and filling in the Russian budget despite sanctions. Seemingly, jokes about the Finns’ slow cognitive processes have some truth in them.

May 16, 2022
Disproof

This article discredits Finland’s decision to join Nato by exaggerating its energy dependence on Russia. It falsely claims that Finland cannot substitute Russian oil, gas, and electricity and, therefore, will pay dearly for joining NATO. Apart from denigrading remarks about the Finnish people, it also misrepresents the current state of affairs with EU companies’ payments for Russian gas.

While in 2020, 65% of natural gas imported to Finland came from Russia, notably, the share of natural gas in the Finnish energy mix is just 6%. Hence, the discontinuation of Russian gas supplies is not expected to be shocking for Finland. Finland plans to rent a new floating LNG terminal, together with Estonia, to put an end to gas deliveries from Russia, according to Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs.