Biological weapons in Ukraine and discord among allies: Russia continues to justify the invasion

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One month after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the aggressor’s propaganda machine is actively contributing to the war, from justifying or denying war crimes to baseless statements on disagreement and conflicting interests of Ukraine’s allies in the West.

Secret laboratories of the Pentagon

Russian propagandists, including high-level officials, are saying more and more often that biological and chemical weapons are developed in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov suggested that Ukraine could be a project of the Pentagon to establish biological laboratories. An official of the so-called “LPR” spoke about “chemically hazardous substances” allegedly found in newly occupied territories of Ukraine. According to US President Joe Biden, such a focus of disinformation on this subject is a clear signal that the Kremlin itself plans to use biological and chemical weapons against Ukraine.

“Anti-Slavic” substances

Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin went even further and said that the weapons allegedly developed in these laboratories were aimed at Russian Slavs to cause their extinction, allegedly using biological material from Ukrainians and other Slavic peoples. The curious idea that the resulting weapons were meant to target specifically Russians and not other Slavic people was, however, not explained.

The Polish government is again ruled by America

While Poland remains one of Ukraine’s most reliable allies in the foreign arena, Kremlin propagandists are trying to downplay relations between the two countries and generally discredit Poland’s role in the geopolitical arena. On Telegram, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tried to set apart the Polish government and people, claiming that the latter would face serious difficulties due to “pointless” sanctions allegedly dictated by the United States. At the same time, almost two thirds of Poles are ready to personally help Ukrainian refugees, and more than 90% of the country’s population supports their acceptance in Poland.

Discrediting Ukraine’s allies

Unsuccessful in trying to reduce Poland’s zeal to help Ukraine, Russian propagandists took on other allies. They are spreading the narrative that Poland’s “selfish” policies hurt its relations with other Visegrád countries, including Hungary, which allegedly does not support sanctions against Russia. To discredit the UK, which has been a leader in pushing sanctions against Russia since the full-scale invasion, Russian pranksters with ties in special services have tried to trick the UK Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace into implying the UK’s support to the development of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Azov is to blame once again

Russia openly continues to lie about its war crimes in Ukraine. To justify the shelling of the maternity hospital in Mariupol, the propagandists claimed that the base of the Azov Regiment was located there (apparently, right next to the mothers and newborns). As for the air strike on the premises of the Mariupol Drama Theatre, they deny it entirely, but instead claim that it was mined and blown up by the same Azov “militants” as a “bloody provocation.”