EUvsDisinfo

OTD in 1956, Hungarians rose up against Soviet-backed communist rule. Students demanded free elections, a free press and the withdrawal of Soviet troops. On 4 November, the Soviet Union launched an invasion to brutally crush the uprising.

While Russia obstructed all aid and evacuation efforts in occupied Oleshky, Ukraine used heavy-lift drones in September to deliver nearly 4 tonnes of food and medicine to residents facing severe shortages under brutal Russian occupation.

What Russia cynically calls ‘liberation’ means Ukrainian cities reduced to rubble, civilians driven from their homes, and entire communities destroyed. This devastation is what the Kremlin proudly calls ‘victory’ and finds worth celebrating.

Just a very quick look at the social media feed of Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, makes it abundantly clear who is threatening whom.

The Kremlin wants the world to forget who started the war. On 24 February 2022, Putin ordered an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, unleashing the largest war in Europe since the Second World War. The war was not ‘forced upon’ Russia. Russia chose to invade.

According to Kremlin propaganda, Poland has been assigned the task of starting an all-European war.   Assigned by whom? Based on what evidence? The propaganda narrative doesn’t say.   It does, however, find a way to portray Russia as the victim of yet another imaginary invasion.

Read Russia’s official account of its latest attacks on Kyiv and you’ll find a detailed list of alleged ‘military targets’. What you won’t find is any mention of the civilian killed, the homes damaged or the metro station hit during the attacks, as documented by independent observers.

From acts of sabotage across Europe to near-daily drone incursions into EU airspace and relentless nuclear threats, the Kremlin provides ample evidence that the Russian threat is real.

Kremlin propaganda: ‘military targets were hit’  Reality: subway stations, residential buildings, and critical infrastructure were struck by Russia and civilians were injured.

Behind every Russian missile striking Ukraine is a supply chain that makes its production possible. The EU’s latest sanctions target 1,569 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, aiming to disrupt weapons production and limit Moscow’s ability to sustain its attacks.

Throughout its illegal invasion, Russia has damaged or destroyed 155 churches, more than 4,200 educational institutions, and over 1,800 medical facilities in Ukraine. Last month alone, 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured as a result of Russian attacks.

Russia’s Defence Ministry insists it strikes only military and related infrastructure.   Its latest target list includes residential buildings, medical facilities, a shopping mall, and a civilian metro station.   Propaganda does not erase the harm imposed on civilians.

Footage of civilian burials in Mariupol is being repackaged as evidence of recent Ukrainian military losses.    The footage is real. The alleged context is false.     Recycling images of civilian suffering to manufacture a new battlefield narrative is cynical disinformation, not reporting.

Ukraine has carried out its first-ever evacuation of a wounded soldier by drone.   While the Kremlin invents new ways to target civilians and justify it through propaganda, Ukraine invents new methods to save lives.

Russia’s latest strikes have damaged residential buildings in cities all across Ukraine.   Moscow repeatedly insists it does not target civilians.   The damage and casualties are there for all to see, regardless of how Moscow describes its strikes.

While the Kremlin continues to flood the information space with AI-generated posts and bot accounts claiming that Russia is not Europe’s enemy, Russian outlets continue to very openly debate how best to destroy Europe. Threats on one front, manufactured pacifism on the other.

Russian state media promote Moscow as a reliable supplier of food to the world.   The same outlets justify Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports which disrupt the global food supply.

The claim that Ukraine doesn’t want peace, like most claims coming from the Kremlin, is a lie. Last year, the Kremlin rejected seven peace proposals, including a Christmas truce. Peace requires Russia to end its aggression, not Ukraine to surrender.

A baby in a stroller. Families spending an afternoon in the park. Children playing.   Russia struck them with a drone. Six people died, including two children.   The reality of the attack deserves more attention than Moscow’s claims.

In an attempt to sow distrust between Poland and Ukraine, the Kremlin has again revived the false claim that Poland plans to annex Ukrainian territory. The only country trying to redraw Ukraine’s borders by force is Russia, which invaded Ukraine and continues to illegally occupy its territory.

Russian diplomatic accounts promote friendship with Europeans.    Russian state television broadcasts threats against Europe.    And European security services investigate hostile operations linked to Moscow.    Quite a gap between the messaging and the behaviour.

In a classic Kremlin tactic to deflect responsibility, Russia continues to blame Ukraine for global food insecurity. In reality, Russia’s invasion, attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, and disruption of shipping are the real threats to global food supplies, not Ukraine’s legitimate self-defence.