DISINFO: The list of those killed on the Maidan has a very weak connection with reality
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
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Ukraine Euromaidan

DISINFO: The list of those killed on the Maidan has a very weak connection with reality

SUMMARY

The list of those killed on Maidan in February 2014 has a very weak connection with reality. People who were not killed at the Maidan were still awarded the title ‘Hero of Ukraine’.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy theory perpetuating pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the Euromaidan protests. Such statements are another attempt to discredit Euromaidan and those who died during the protests in 2013-2014. The list of the Heavenly Hundred contains 130 identified deaths on both sides of the conflict. The majority of those listed were civilian protesters who supported the revolution; 18 police officers who were killed by the protesters are also included. The stories of the victims and the causes of their death are covered in different investigations and dedicated websites. The numerous articles promoted by the Russian media quote Elena Lukash, who in 2013 was the Minister of Justice of Ukraine under President Yanukovych. Lukash refers to anonymous sources in her accusations that the "list of those killed has a weak connection to reality", however, she herself is wanted for committing crimes against the Maidan protestors as well as "official forgery" and has been placed on the EU sanctions list. It's easy to compare information provided by Lukash and information that was collected by journalists and human rights defenders to see the many inconsistencies. For example, Olga Buru who Lukash claims “suffered from a number of serious diseases that caused the activist’s death and not the events on the Maidan”. According to Radio Liberty, Olga injured her hand when she was laying paving stones for the construction of barricades. An infection got into the wound and after a while, the hand began to throb and hurt. At the hospital, she was injected with drugs that her body didn't accept and convulsions started. She died March 10, 2014, from injuries sustained during the events on the Maidan and therefore is on the list of the “Heavenly Hundred”. The other evidence of falsification that Russian media used is that not all of the “Heavenly Hundred” were killed on February 20, 2014, at Institutskaya Street. However, all activists who died because of the events on Euromaidan were included in the list, no matter the date of death. Russian media use the example of Vasiliy Aksenin, who died on March 11 “in Poland, because of a medical error”. In fact, snipers shot at Vasiliy Aksenin on February 20 at Institutskaya Street, and he died after complex operations and treatment in Poland. These and other examples show how stories are pulled out of context and not all the facts are given and accurately represented. Read more about the story on The Insider.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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