DISINFO: Russian forces targeted an officers’ club in Vinnytsia
SUMMARY
Russian forces targeted an officers’ club in Vinnytsia, where Ukrainian nationalists were temporarily deployed.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, claiming that Russian military does not strike civilian infrastructure.
The material and links may contain distressing/graphic content.
The officers' house in Vinnytsia, which was hit by Russian missiles, de jure belonged to the Air Force of Ukraine, and de facto was a cultural institution of Vinnytsia, where the biggest concerts of Ukrainian stars were held, dozens of children's clubs, unions and public organizations worked, where there were recording studios, cafes and branches of "Privatbank".
"Houses of officers" existed in every major city since the Soviet era and Vinnytsia is no exception. They were designed as culture and leisure places for the military but were accessible to all residents. Similar situation was with "Houses of railways workers" across USSR, designed for promoting culture among workers and practically serving for children's activities. "Houses of officers" could not be considered as military objects by default. Pro-Kremlin media showed no evidence of their claims on "the military meeting taking place there".
On July 14, at least 25 civilians were killed, among them several children, and dozens were wounded.
Pro-Kremlin media advanced contradictory versions of what Russia targeted in Vinnytsia. The fist one pretended that Russian military hit "headquarters of the Nazis". The second one was about the meeting of Ukrainian Air Forces representatives with some representatives of the West while the first one was forgotten.
The claim that "Russia only hits military targets in Ukraine" is untrue. The war crimes of Russia has been already investigated in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol. Some 1,256 Russian war crimes have already been recorded in the occupied city of Mariupol and they are being investigated by Ukrainian prosecutor's offices. In Kremenchuk, war crimes investigators inspected the charred remains of a shopping mall devastated by a Russian missile strike.
In Vinnytsia, 12 investigative and operative groups of the National Police of Ukraine, as well as representatives of the investigative units of the Security Service of Ukraine, began their activities, which immediately started documenting war crimes.
The EU's HRVP Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič condemned Russian attacks against civilian targets, calling the events in Vinnytsia an atrocity, "the latest in a long series of brutal attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure."
See more disinformation cases on war crimes.