DISINFO: Russia attacked only military targets in Ukraine in response to Ukrainian strikes on civilians
SUMMARY
The latest attacks by Russian Armed Forces against Ukrainian military facilities are a response to Kyiv’s massive strikes against Russian civilian targets. The Ukrainians are hitting Russia’s social, peaceful infrastructure facilities. So these are retaliatory attacks, only against military facilities and targets.
RESPONSE
The claim is demonstrably false aiming to frame Russia’s largest air attack of the war to date (as of late May 2025) in a favourable light. Ukraine’s recent strikes in Russia have targeted legitimate objectives such as industrial sites, and while causing some disruption such as blocking air traffic, only one deadly casualty was reported. By contrast, Russia’s so called 'retaliatory' strikes damaged mostly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, killing at least 12 people and injuring 79 only on Sunday, 25 May 2025.
Russian attacks against non-combatants and civilian infrastructure have been a constant throughout the invasion, despite non-credible denials by Russian officials and pro-Kremlin disinformation. Since 2022, Russia has attacked civilian targets multiple times, including the city theatre in Mariupol, residential buildings, schools and energy facilities.
On 05 March 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against two Russian top officials considered responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure" between October 2022 and March 2023, which are considered as war crimes.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia targeted Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in Sumy, that Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih only hurt Ukrainian army and NATO officers, that Russia only attacks military facilities in Ukraine, that Ukraine violates international humanitarian law while Russia respects it, that Russia wages war humanely and does not hit civilians, or that Russian are liberators and a peace-making people.