DISINFO: Ukrainians shoot Russian POWs while corrupt Western media say otherwise
SUMMARY
Ukrainians troops are maltreating civilians in Russia’s Kursk Region like German Nazis were doing during the Second World War. They are shooting Russian POWs while corrupt and vile Western media, which are not media at all, issue reports about humane treatment and food supplies.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives accusing Ukraine of war crimes. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a Ukrainian advance into Russia's adjacent Kursk Region. These claims are baseless. There is no trustworthy information from independent sources to uphold these allegations.
This is reminiscent of the unforgettable Russian state TVs story from 2014 about a crucified boy in Slavyansk. Pro-Kremlin and other Russian state-controlled outlets showed a woman who claimed to be an eyewitness to the bloody massacre of a three-year-old child and his mother; several years later, as EUvsDisinfo wrote about, she admitted that she had only retold rumours. In 2014, none of the media outlets claiming the atrocities attempted to provide specific details, and no one even named the boy or his mother.
We are now seeing similar narratives about the Ukrainian advance into the Kursk region as the Insider points out.
Dozens of Russian POWs from the Kursk Region have been placed in a Ukrainian prison. They told reporters they were being treated humanely and had been provided medical treatment. These interviews were held in the presence of Red Cross officials.
Regarding the claims about corrupt Western media, according to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, the nations with the most press freedom and freedom of speech are Western countries, with European nations predominating, as well as Canada and the United States. In contrast, Russia ranks 162nd out of 180 in the press freedom rankings, with the report stating:
"Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, almost all independent media have been banned, blocked and/or declared “foreign agents” or “undesirable organisations”. All others are subject to military censorship".
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Ukrainians behave like Nazis in Kursk Region, that The attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk is a terrorist act, and that Ukrainian Nazis demolish statue of Lenin in Russia’s Kursk Region.