DISINFO: Ukraine strikes civilians with drones in the Kherson region
SUMMARY
Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes damaged civilian infrastructure and disrupted Russian emergency response efforts. Fires broke out, and the ongoing aerial threat made rescue operations unsafe.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets denying Russian war crimes and accusing Ukraine of committing atrocities. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to deflect Russia’s responsibility for potential war crime. Russia has a well-established pattern of falsely accusing others or denying its own responsibility when confronted with war crimes and atrocities.
Accusing Ukraine of war crimes, atrocities and illicit actions without proof or through faked testimonies has been a regular practice by Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin and other Russian state-controlled outlets throughout the war. These allegations are part of a strategy to discredit Ukraine and deflect attention from Russia's military aggression and human rights violations committed by Russia in Ukraine.