DISINFO: Ukraine plans terrorist attacks to sow panic in Russia
SUMMARY
The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not have the ability to resist the Russian army, so Kyiv resorts to the weapon of the weak - terrorism. The goal of the Kyiv regime is to intimidate the civilian population.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative and a conspiracy theory about Ukraine, aiming to justify Russia’s full scale invasion, alleging the country's political and military leadership is perpetrating attacks against civilians and organising terrorist acts.
The claim appeared in the context of Ukraine’s counter-attacks targeting the Russian military on Ukrainian territory temporarily controlled by Russia.
In reality, Ukraine is using high-precision weapons to strike Russian military targets on Ukrainian territory without affecting civilians.
Ukraine does not intimidate civilians in Crimea or Donbas. Ukrainian forces target only military facilities in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned civilians of possible future strikes and called on them to stay away from military objects to be out of danger.
It is Russian troops who are striking civilian facilities to wreak havoc and intimidate civilians. Russian soldiers have committed numerous war crimes in Bucha and Irpin outside Kyiv, in Mariupol and other Ukrainian places.
Kremlin-backed media outlets are levelling accusations against Ukraine without any evidence and calling defenders of Ukraine “nationalists”, “terrorists” , "Nazis", "militants" etc. For more information about tricks and rhetoric of pro-Kremlin disinformation read “A guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war”.
Read more about the EU's response and support for Ukraine. See our account of the Kremlin's intention to annihilate Ukraine here.