DISINFO: SBU digs corpses up to stage provocations and accuse Russia of imaginary war crimes
SUMMARY
Ukrainian special services have prepared a new large-scale anti-Russian provocation aimed at discrediting the Russian armed forces and accusing Russian servicemen of allegedly committing war crimes.
Representatives of the State Bureau of Investigation and the SBU arranged for graves to be dug up in the villages of Kazachya Lopan, Veliky Burluk, Shipovatoye and Khatnoye in the Kharkov region, where local residents who died from natural causes were buried while Russian troops were in these areas from February 24 to September 6, 2022.
After the exhumation, the bodies of these Ukrainian citizens were mutilated and thrown into pits prepared for this occasion on the outskirts of these villages, in order to create false evidence of "torture" and "executions" of civilians by Russian soldiers. Currently, the Secret Service and police agents are photographing and filming these bodies and 'imitating the work of forensic experts and other experts' in front of fake 'witnesses'.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about false flag operations. This is an attempt of pro-Kremlin outlets to deflect any Russian responsibility for war crimes committed by Russian troops. There is enough well-documented evidence of Russia's direct involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity during its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities, their international counterparts like France, the UN, International criminal court investigate real crimes and have no need to stage provocations to blame Russia. The EU supports the International Criminal Court investigation with €7.25 million.
Establishing justice is one of the priorities of Ukrainian peace plan, at point seven. From February to September 2022 Ukraine had investigated 30,000 potential war crimes according to the country’s prosecutor general Andriy Kostin.
Russian atrocities in Bucha and adjacent towns and villages in Kyiv Oblast were documented after these areas were liberated from Russian troops in early April. Dozens of civilians were found in a mass grave there, as well as killings, rape and other crimes against civilians were registered in in those areas.
There is also ample evidence of Russian involvement in mass killings and torture of civilians during the Russian occupation of the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum and surrounding places. Local residents told reporters about life under Russian occupation. Hundreds of dead bodies were found in Kharkiv Oblast, some with hands tied, which indicate the killing of prisoners.Bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were found among civilians.
Russian troops heavily shell and bomb residential areas, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other civilian objects. Russian missiles struck several civilian objects in Vinnytsia on 14 July 2022, killing and wounding dozens of civilians. Russian forces hit a hotel, a shopping mall and several other civilian objects in Mykolaiv on 14 July 2022 as well. A residential area was pounded in Kryvyi Rih on 9 July 2022. Russian forces also targeted a shopping mall in Kremenchuk on 28 June 2022. They also plant mines in cities and use cluster and vacuum bombs.
Russia also regularly shells the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is creating a radioactive threat for Ukraine and the whole of Europe. EU High representative Borrell condemned Russia’s military activities there and labelled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms. IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi said he was "extremely concerned" by reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is Europe's largest. Since early October 2022, Russia has been regularly staging massive missile attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cities, launching dozens of missiles at a time.