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Discord among Ukrainians: a digest of Russian propaganda on April 11

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CONTENT:

  1. Russians killed ex-presidential candidate of Ukraine
  2. Russia is ready to use chemical weapons in Ukraine
  3. The Kadyrovites confessed to the destruction of Mariupol
  4. “Ukrainization of the conflict”
  5. The French are hiding “Ukrainians’ crimes”
  6. Ukraine compared to ISIS
  7. Russia claims it has destroyed Slovak S-300
  8. Acid attack of propagandists in Rubizhne
  9. “Tornado” will attack the Belgorod region
  10. 30,000 bags with killed Azov soldiers
  11. Nobody is abandoning Kharkiv

1.    Shooting of an ex-presidential candidate of Ukraine

On April 11, the family of a former presidential candidate of Ukraine (1999 and 2004) Oleksandr Rzhavskyi officially confirmed that he was shot to death on March 27 next to his Bucha house by a Russian military servant. He was killed in front of his wife and sister. Buried on site.

Russia decided to try to hide this crime. Following the release of this official information on April 11, RIA Novosti published an audio recording of a conversation recorded by Russian soldiers allegedly on March 30 before leaving Bucha with a person the agency introduces as Rzhavskyi. According to audio recordings, the occupiers invited him to go with them to avoid reprisals by “neo-Nazis.” 

2. Chemical weapons against the defenders of Mariupol

Russian propaganda, which had been lying about Ukraine organizing chemical attacks, has now called for the use of this nonconventional weapon. It even named the target, Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Eduard Basurin, a man who calls himself the press secretary of the “DPR” military command, was instructed to announce this intention.

He suggested using a chemical attack against Ukrainian soldiers at Azovstal plant. He explained that “it makes no sense to storm the underground fortifications of the enterprise… Therefore, we must turn to the chemical troops, who will find a way to smoke the moles out of their burrows.”

Azov later reported that the Russian occupiers had used a poisonous substance of unknown origin against the Ukrainian military and civilians in Mariupol, which had been sprayed from a Russian drone. Symptoms indicate the use of Zarin gas. 

According to US Permanent Representative in the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Russia will face great consequences from Washington if it does use chemical weapons. 

3. The Kadyrovites confessed to the destruction of Mariupol

The propaganda continues creating stories with the participation of civilians, trying to convince the world that Mariupol has been destroyed by “Ukrainian Nazis.” 

But another confirmation of the barbaric bombing of peaceful Mariupol by the occupiers this time was provided by Kadyrov’s militants, of all people. In the published video, they admit that the city was bombed by Russian soldiers.

Kadyrovites themselves must have forgotten how Russians bombed their lands during the war in the Caucasus. This video will remind the whole world that Russia’s tactics remain unchanged.

4. “Ukrainization of the conflict”

Nikolai Starikov, one of the public ideologues of the modern Russian regime, admits that the occupiers will not be able to defeat the Ukrainians who are fighting on their land.

Starikov: “What do we do in this situation? Make the conflict Ukrainian.

What was done in Chechnya. It is not the Russians who are fighting the Chechens, but the Chechens are fighting the bandits and the devils. In Ukraine, it should look like this: Ukrainians are fighting ‘Banderovites and Western puppets’ who are ready to sacrifice the entire population and heritage to the interests of the West. The Russian army is helping this process of denazification. In order to ‘Ukrainize the conflict,’ it is necessary to establish new authorities in Ukraine and stop recognizing Zelenskyy as a legitimate authority.”

It was this logic that Russia used to establish the “people’s republics” in 2014 to later attack the entire Ukraine, using them as justification. By seizing territory, Russia sees people solely as a resource needed for war with Ukraine. That’s why it organizes the deportation of people to Russia.  

The propaganda reports: “During the special operation, more than 752,000 refugees from Donbas and Ukraine arrived in Russia.”

Starikov: “We must organize draft among people from the liberated territories, at least in Donbas. There are all grounds for this. According to the constitution of the “LDPR,” Mariupol and other territories belong to them. Accordingly, the men who are there should be drafted into the army.”

5.    The French are hiding “Ukrainians’ crimes”

A group of French technical and scientific gendarmes has arrived in Ukraine. According to French Ambassador to Ukraine Étienne de Poncins, they will investigate the war crimes of the Russian occupiers in Kyiv oblast.

Meanwhile, Russia’s MoD believes this “group… will try to hide the crimes of Kyiv against ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ and to falsify accusations against Russia’s Armed Forces.”

Russian propagandists also believe that the French are meant to cover up crimes in Mariupol as well. The day before, we wrote about Anatolii Sharii, who suggested that “if there are French people among the defenders of the city, it may influence the results of the French elections…”

6.    Ukraine compared to ISIS

A new hit from the propaganda was the equating of Ukraine to ISIS based on a video where a Ukrainian woman kills a Russian man. They once again mention the torment of Russian soldiers, “not condemned by the official Kyiv or Brussels or Washington.” Some Telegram channels are calling for the video to be distributed among European politicians. 

7.    Russia claims it has destroyed Slovak S-300

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russian missile strikes in Dnipro destroyed S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems delivered to Ukraine by Slovakia. However, Slovakia’s PM Eduard Heger denied these claims. Moreover, he did not rule out further transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

8. Acid attack of propagandists in Rubizhne

Russia media claim that on April 9 in Rubizhne, Luhansk oblast, the Armed Forces of Ukraine blew up a cistern with nitric acid at Zorya plant.

It was actually hit for the second time now by the Russian military, as reported by head of Luhansk oblast military administration Serhii Haidai. In addition, the explosion of chemicals in Ukrainian military’s own fortified area does not give it a tactical advantage, and the Armed Forces are not going to leave their positions in Rubizhne.

9.    “Tornado” will attack the Belgorod region

Russian propagandists have spread a fake video about “Zelenskyy ordering Ukrainian fascists to attack Belgorod region.”

The video shows a group of soldiers, one with the logo of the company “Tornado” working under the MIA, which was disbanded in 2015. Actors portraying Ukrainian soldiers are first commanded “Direct! Dismissed! (which they say in Russian instead of Ukrainian), and after that, they read Zelenskyy’s alleged order, calling him the “commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” The actual Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The “order” refers to hostilities directed at Belgorod and Belgorod region. It was later reported that a “yellow” terrorist threat regime had been imposed in the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions of Russia adjacent to Ukraine. 

10. 30,000 bags with killed Azov soldiers

A satellite image is circulated online, which allegedly shows 30,000 body bags with Azov fighters in Mariupol.

VoxCheck has refuted this fake: a photo taken on March 29 by the Maxar Technologies Worldview-3 satellite showed about a hundred people queuing in front of one of the surviving grocery stores in Mariupol. 

11. Nobody is abandoning Kharkiv

Social networks spread information that Kyiv does not allocate money to Kharkiv region within the first package of aid to the territories liberated from the occupiers. This leads to the conclusion that Ukraine allegedly forgot about Kharkiv and made peace with it being taken by Russia.

In reality, Kharkiv oblast is not on this list only because today it is not completely liberated from Russian troops, partially remaining under occupation.

PM Denys Shmyhal emphasized that this UAH 1 billion of aid is only the first part, and “there will be more work to restore” Ukraine after the victory and liberation of all the occupied territories.

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