The latest accounts follow a familiar pattern, using emotional testimonies and missing evidence to shape how audiences view the war.
The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has reported an intensification of a Russian information campaign alleging “atrocities by the Ukrainian Armed Forces” in Donbas. The statement was published on Telegram.
This is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on Telegram.
Russian propaganda outlets are spreading stories allegedly told by so-called eyewitnesses. In one such report, a resident of Kostiantynivka supposedly claims that a Ukrainian drone deliberately attacked her family, including an infant, during an evacuation. Another story alleges that a woman left her wounded husband on the road because of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Kremlin-backed outlets are spreading a new series of stories allegedly told by “eyewitnesses.” None of these claims can be verified, as they are not supported by actual facts or independent confirmation.
– the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said in a statement
The purpose of the Russian propaganda campaign
The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized that such materials are created according to typical Russian propaganda templates. They are used to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces and justify Russia’s war crimes.
According to the Center, the Russian occupiers seek to portray Ukraine as the “enemy” in the eyes of Russia’s population and residents of the temporarily occupied territories. At the same time, propaganda outlets conceal the destruction and deaths of civilians caused by the actions of the Russian army.
Thus, the dissemination of unverified stories about alleged crimes committed by Ukrainian servicemen is part of a Kremlin information campaign aimed at manipulating public opinion.