DISINFO: Western media are not reporting that Ukrainians are shelling Donbass
SUMMARY
The foreign media and human rights organisations are silent on the shelling of civilians in Donetsk, Ukraine. The situation has remained unchanged since 2014. Donbass wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, and so did Russia, which, as a guarantor country, did its best and more.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the Western media.
Unfounded claims that Ukraine was staging or conducting attacks against civilian population in Donbas are prominent examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation paving the way for the full-scale Russian invasion of and war in Ukraine. See in more detail here.
When it comes to civilian losses, this claim is a part of a wider narrative trying to downplay the Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. According to the data of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as of December 2022, since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there were 9,695 civilian casualties (4,052 killed and 5,643 injured) in Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 7,579 casualties (3,569 killed and 4,010 injured) on territory controlled by the Ukrainian government and 2,116 casualties (483 killed and 1,633 injured) on territory controlled by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups. However, the exact figures are likely to be much higher as ongoing hostilities have hindered the authorities’ ability to verify possible cases in many parts of the country.
In March 2022, the OHCHR said that most of the civilian casualties were from airstrikes and explosive weapons used by Russian forces with wide area effects, including heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. As a result, hundreds of residential buildings in many cities, including Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mariupol and Kyiv have been damaged and destroyed.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.
Read more disinformation narratives about Ukraine allegedly perpetrating genocide against Russians.