Countering disinformation with facts - Russian invasion of Ukraine

Posted on: 2024-08-26 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO is a defensive Alliance that does not seek confrontation.
• NATO’s main purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members.
• Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, marked by the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has radically altered the security environment.
• NATO will continue to respond to Russian threats and hostile actions in a united and responsible way.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that NATO is a threat to Russia.

Posted on: 2024-08-21 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO is a defensive Alliance, seeking no confrontation and posing no threat to Russia nor to any other nation.
• It is Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine that has shattered peace and gravely altered the security environment.
• Despite claiming to be open to ending the war, Russia has only made unrealistic demands for peace.
• These demands include Ukraine conceding to all of Russia’s war aims, including giving up territories Russia has attempted to illegally annex.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that NATO is not interested in peace in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2024-08-15 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO is an Alliance bound by shared history, values and goals. For 75 years, it has worked to prevent conflict and preserve peace for 1 billion people.   
• The accessions of Finland and Sweden to NATO have made the alliance stronger and bigger than ever.
• Every nation has the right to choose its own path. That’s why NATO’s door remains open, and why no one can close it with force or coercion.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that NATO lacks unity.

Posted on: 2024-07-31 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia started its illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, and Russia can end it.
• Despite claiming it is open to ending the war, Russia has only offered unrealistic conditions for peace.
• These demands include that Kyiv concede to all of Russia’s war aims, including give up territories Russia has illegally annexed.
• These demands are unacceptable to Ukraine and show Russia’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith.
• Canada continues to advocate for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine which includes respecting the UN Charter, upholding international law, and preserving Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims it is open to a peace deal with Ukraine.

Posted on: 2024-07-24 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• In temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia imposes a pro-Russia educational curriculum that suppresses Ukrainian in favour of Russian as the language of instruction.
• The imposed curriculum includes justifications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and vilifications of Ukrainian nationhood.
• Parents of children who use the Ukrainian educational system remotely are threatened with fines, loss of custody, and detention by occupation authorities.
• Educators who remain loyal to the Ukrainian state are subject to threats and torture.
• Russian authorities require secondary schools in occupied Ukrainian territory to report the names of students aged 18 and older, deemed eligible to be drafted into the Russian military.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that Russia gives Ukrainians the freedom to choose the future of their children, but the facts show otherwise.

Posted on: 2024-07-17 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia coerces residents of the Ukrainian territories it temporarily occupies into getting Russian passports.
• Credible sources report children aged 13 to 17 being held in detention centers by occupying Russian forces may be transferred to adult prisons when they turn 18 for refusing Russian citizenship.
• Measures to push Ukrainians to accept Russian citizenship include threatening parental rights, blocking access to social support and restricting access to health care, education and other vital services.
• Proposed amendments to immigration laws will restrict the entry and ability to remain in Russia for foreigners.
• These amendments could make it difficult for Ukrainians to enter or remain in the temporarily occupied territories, forcing them to obtain a Russian passport.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that Russia gives Ukrainians the freedom to choose their future.

Posted on: 2024-07-10 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• A Russian missile struck the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital where thousands of children, including those with cancer, receive treatment, killing two people and injuring at least 16.
• Russia’s accusations are meant to divert attention away from its own active chemical weapons program, which it operates in violation of its international obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
• This is far from the first time Russia has attacked civilians. To date, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in 32,989 civilian casualties, including 11,126 killed and 21,863 injured.
• Russian attacks have also frequently struck medical facilities, resulting in damage to 439 facilities and the destruction of 66.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that a Ukrainian defence missile caused the destruction of Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital on July 8, 2024.

The facts:

• Credible reports show that it is in fact Russian forces using riot control agents and other chemical munitions against Ukrainian troops as a method of warfare.
• Russia’s accusations are meant to divert attention away from its own active chemical weapons program, which it operates in violation of its international obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
• Children who have returned from such camps have reported widespread mistreatment.
• The Kremlin has a long history of falsely accusing other countries of the violations it commits and of spreading disinformation about chemical weapons.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin has repeatedly spread false claims about Ukrainian forces using chemical weapons against Russia.

The facts:

• Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia tricked Ukrainian parents into sending their kids to “summer camps,” which would allow them to take a break from the active conflict. They turned out to be indoctrination camps that imposed Russian propaganda, language and a skewed version of history on children.
• Many camps appear to engage in systematic re-education efforts that expose children from Ukraine to Russia-centric education, including language.
• Children who have returned from such camps have reported widespread mistreatment.
• The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Russian President and “Commissioner for Children’s Rights” for alleged war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of children.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian authorities will host “summer camps” for Ukrainian children in temporarily occupied territories.

The facts:

• Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of children are reported to have been illegally forcibly transferred. So far, fewer than 400 children have been successfully returned to Ukraine from Russia.
• In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russian “Commissioner for Children's Rights” for alleged war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of children.
• The Kremlin continues to force parents in occupied regions of Ukraine to register newborns as Russian, under threat of having their parental rights taken away.
• Russia’s violation of the best interests of these children is well documented.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that there have been no “forced deportation or forced separation” of Ukrainian children and families, and it is a “personal order from Vladimir Putin” to promote family reunification. The Kremlin also claims that "they do not intend to impose anything by force.”

Posted on: 2024-05-07 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The presidential election in Russia was a non-democratic process that did not conform to international standards.
• Flaws included a biased and exclusionary nomination procedure, abuses of public resources in favour of Vladimir Putin’s candidacy, extremely unbalanced media coverage, a lack of public discussion of policy issues, and a lack of guarantees of secrecy in electronic voting.
• The system was stacked to benefit Putin and deny voters a meaningful choice.
• Russian authorities did not invite any credible international organizations to observe polling.
• Russia also conducted its election in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, the UN Charter and international law.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claimed that the votes of all citizens of Russia express the united will of the Russian Federation.

Posted on: 2024-05-03 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

Since 2016:

• the number of journalists attacked in Russia every year has increased (Source: Committee to Protect Journalists)
• Russia has dropped to 164th place out of the 180 countries surveyed for the World Press Freedom Index  
• over 1,000 journalists have fled Russia (Source: Setevye Svobody [net freedoms project])
• almost all independent media organizations have been banned, blocked or declared “foreign agents” or “undesirable organizations,” and all others are subject to military censorship (Source: Reporters Without Borders)
• the Russian government’s mass media agency Roskomnadzor has ordered all media to only use information provided by official state sources while covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; anyone caught disobeying this order could see their websites blocked and be fined up to US$62,600. (Source: Amnesty International)

Russia’s false claim:

• In 2016, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov marked World Press Freedom Day by stating that “a free, pluralistic and independent press is a necessary component of any democratic society.”

Posted on: 2023-12-15 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• On November 30th, Russia declared the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization”.
• The “extremist” label carries severe legal consequences for everyone involved in LGBTQI+-related activities or even having a known, or assumed, association with the LGBTQI+ community.
• This is an assault on human rights for thousands of Russians.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims he defends the values and freedoms of Russian citizens.

Posted on: 2023-12-06 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russian authorities are eradicating media freedom through blocking internet content, imprisoning journalists, and adopting “fake news” and defamation laws.
• At least 1,000 Russian journalists have fled Russia since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims to defend the freedoms of Russians.

Posted on: 2023-11-23 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The World Food Programme has delivered 343,300 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to African countries through the Black Sea grain corridor in 2022 and 2023.
• This is 7 times more than what Russia has pledged in humanitarian grain aid for African countries in 2023.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that Russia can easily fill the gap of humanitarian needs left by the end of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Posted on: 2023-11-17 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

Russia is coercing Ukrainians living in temporarily occupied territories to enlist in the Russian armed forces, which is a violation of international law. Russia’s coercive conscription tactics include:

• Interrogating and threatening Ukrainians to join the Russian armed forces;
• Forcing retirees and those normally exempted to join the Russian army;
• Threatening family members to reveal the whereabouts of Ukrainians who have escaped conscription.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian authorities claim they want to protect the citizens of the territories they illegally occupy.

Posted on: 2023-11-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia’s invasion has resulted in 30% of Ukraine’s protected areas being bombed, polluted, burned or otherwise affected.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian authorities claim they wants to protect the environment.

Posted on: 2023-11-10 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russian trade in goods and services declined significantly in 2022 and exports are forecasted to further drop in 2023. (Source: World Bank)
• 70% of assets of the Russian banking system are under sanctions (Source: Council of the European Union).
• The Kremlin’s sanction-avoidance strategy is making Russia dependent on other non-democratic regimes for raw materials and supplies.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that Western sanctions are boosting Russia’s economy.

Posted on: 2023-10-30 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• In occupied regions, Ukrainians without a Russian passport are being denied access to basic health care and life-saving medication, including insulin.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that they do not intend to impose anything by force.

Posted on: 2023-10-25 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Ukrainian citizens in illegally occupied regions are told by Russian forces that they could lose their land or be deported if they do not get a Russian passport.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that they do not intend to impose anything by force.

Posted on: 2023-10-25 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has committed significant personnel, armoured vehicles, and artillery fires around Avdiivka, which is indicative of offensive operations and not an “active defence”.
• Similar to Russia’s failed offensives conducted earlier in the year, Russian personnel and equipment have suffered significant losses for minimal progress around Avdiivka. This further demonstrates Russia’s difficulty in conducting successful combined arms offensives.

Russia’s false claim:

• As of October 20, 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defence continued to refer to Russia’s offensive in the vicinity of Avdiivka as part of an “active defence”.

Posted on: 2023-10-19 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The Kremlin is forcing parents in occupied regions of Ukraine to register newborns as Russian by threatening to take away their parental rights.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims it wants to protect children in regions it illegally occupies.

Posted on: 2023-10-19 - National Defence

The facts:

• On the same day, Berdyansk airbase, which houses Russian helicopters that support Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, was struck by Ukrainian missiles.
• Russia typically deploys air defence systems to protect these locations.
• This was the latest Ukrainian strike in its ongoing campaign against Russian airfields that enable its activities in Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• On October 17, 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russian air defence systems are the best in the world.

Posted on: 2023-10-12 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Ukraine is a sovereign state that is acting on its right to self-defence against Russia’s war of aggression in accordance with the UN Charter.
• NATO Allies have provided military, humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine bilaterally to support its own self-defence efforts.
• Canada and fellow NATO Allies will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Russia’s false claim:

• NATO is fighting a full-scale proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-10-10 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The Kremlin is blocking access to social support services like pensions and disability payments to force Ukrainians in illegally occupied regions to apply for a Russian passport.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claimed that they do not intend to impose anything by force.

Posted on: 2023-10-06 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The Kremlin is threatening to confiscate the land of many farmers of the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine if they do not accept Russian citizenship.
• This is one of many tactics used by Russia to erase Ukrainian identity.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claimed that they do not intend to impose anything by force.

Posted on: 2023-10-05 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has promoted the narrative of American biolaboratories in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
• Ukraine and the United States are signatories to the Biological Weapons Convention that prohibits biological weapons. This effectively bans the development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of biological agents and weapons.
• There are no American or Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories inside Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• On October 2, 2023, the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, Irina Yarovaya, claimed that “suspicious infections” in the Ukrainian military are, “with a high degree of probability,” the result of U.S.-led biolaboratories in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-09-21 - National Defence

The facts:

• The damage caused to the submarine’s hull and internal components render it functionally inoperable.
• The landing ship also has a compromised hull and extensive damage throughout multiple critical systems.
• Due to the extensive damage to these two vessels, it is likely the repair timelines will follow that of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which has been under repair since 2017.

Russia’s false claim:

• On September 13, the Russian Defence Ministry stated that two Russian vessels damaged in Sevastopol dry docks that day, a Ropucha landing ship and a Kilo-class submarine, would be fully restored and continue to serve in combat.

Posted on: 2023-09-14 - National Defence

The facts:

• Since the beginning of its counter-offensive in June, Ukraine has lost approximately 140 of its own tank reserves and foreign donated tanks, which is a minority of the total armoured firepower employed in the counter-offensive.
• Western donated equipment has a better survival rate for its crew members than equivalent Russian equipment.
• The 18,000 figure is greatly exaggerated; however, that number is far closer to Russia’s own total vehicle losses since they first invaded Ukraine in 2014.

Russia’s false claim:

• On September 12, Putin claimed that Russia has destroyed 543 tanks and 18,000 armoured vehicles since the Ukrainian counter-offensive began.

Posted on: 2023-09-09 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The main goal of the so-called “elections” is to continue unlawfully legitimizing the annexation of Ukraine’s territory and integrating it into Russia’s legal and political borders.
• Russia has done this before when it held sham referendums in temporarily occupied Crimea in 2014 and in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in 2022. All these territories are part of Ukraine.
• Russia has no legal authority to hold any elections in Ukraine. Only the Central Election Commission of Ukraine can organize and conduct elections and referendums in Ukraine.
• Elections aided or organized by Russia in Ukraine cannot be regarded as lawful under international law.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s Central Election Commission set the date for regional “elections” in 4 Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed last year.

Posted on: 2023-08-30 - National Defence

The facts:

• Both the seizure of Crimea and the violent insurrection in the Donbas in 2014, as well as the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, were solely initiated by Russia.
• Russia consistently spreads false narratives in an attempt to justify its aggression against Ukraine. These include the narratives that Ukraine is an “invented” country, that the West is attempting to destabilize Russia by spreading “Russophobia,” and that Russia is “forced” to defend itself.
• Russia uses these purported justifications and claims of victimhood to try to obscure the actual origins of the conflict and to bolster domestic support for their war against Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• In a recent address to the BRICS Summit in South Africa, Vladimir Putin stated: "Our actions in Ukraine are dictated by only one thing – to end the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites against the people who live in the Donbas."

Posted on: 2023-08-17 - National Defence

The facts:

• These statements are part of a disinformation narrative attempting to drive a wedge between the two countries and complicate the delivery of Western support to Ukraine.
• Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Further, a significant proportion of Western aid to Ukraine transits through Poland.

Russia’s false claim:

• Several Russian leaders have recently stated that Poland has secret intentions to annex large areas of western Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-08-16 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• According to a June 2023 report from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR):
  • The OHCHR documented 864 individual cases of arbitrary detention by the Russian Federation, many of which also amounted to enforced disappearances. (Actual numbers are considerably higher)
  • The United Nations located 161 places of detention where conflict-related detainees have been confined. In many of them, conditions were reported to be so dire that they may have amounted to torture.
  • 260 civilians were detained by the Russian Federation based on their political views, or for exercising freedom of expression.
  • In 91% of OHCHR-documented cases, Ukrainian civilians held by Russian Forces describe torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence.
  • There are also grave concerns regarding the summary execution of 77 civilians while they were arbitrarily detained.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims Russia is protecting the people in the regions of Ukraine that it is illegally occupying.

Posted on: 2023-08-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Before Russia’s withdrawal, the BSGI facilitated the export of almost 33 million tonnes of food to 45 countries across three continents.
• This includes more than 725,000 tonnes of wheat that the World Food Programme transported to help people in need in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
• The BSGI significantly eased global food insecurity by relieving pressure on global food prices.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that the BSGI was used solely to enrich Western businesses.

Posted on: 2023-08-11 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Until Russia's unjust invasion, Ukraine's agricultural industry fed 400 million people per year worldwide, including many countries in Africa and the Middle East.
• In March 2022, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index reached an all-time high following the invasion in February.
• Russia's unwarranted invasion of Ukraine caused global supply chain delays and interruptions to grain exports.
• Russia also tries to destroy Ukraine's agricultural industry, including by attacking ports, destroying agricultural infrastructure and farmland, and stealing Ukrainian grain.
• After months of reduced pressure on global food prices, Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has led to market volatility and uncertainty, which impacts emerging economies that depend on food imports the most.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that increase in food prices is not related to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-07-27 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia's illegal invasion exacerbated global food insecurity, especially in developing countries. 
• On July 17, 2023, Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an international deal guaranteeing safe passage for grain exports, including to Africa.
• Russia's withdrawal led to an increased volatility of global food prices, impacting emerging economies dependent on food imports.
• Over the last week, Russia attacked critical agricultural and grain export infrastructures in Odesa, Mykolaiv, and on the Danube River. These deliberate Russian attacks only exacerbate global food insecurity and prices.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that Russia is not interrupting food supply to Africa.

Posted on: 2023-07-27 - National Defence

The facts:

• The purpose of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) was to help stabilize food prices and prevent a food crisis by returning Ukrainian grain to the global market.
• Since the introduction of the BSGI, global food prices have eased from historic highs in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Developing nations have received 57% of exports shipped through the BSGI, while European nations have received 39% and the U.S. none. Furthermore, 725,000 tons of grain have gone to the United Nations World Food Programme, feeding 3.3 million people for one year.

Russia’s false claim:

• On July 24, Vladimir Putin stated that the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been shamelessly used solely for the enrichment of large U.S. and European businesses that exported and resold grain from Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-07-19 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO’s door has been open to new members since it was founded in 1949.
• No promise was ever made to block the entry of new members to the Alliance.
• Russia signed numerous agreements that uphold a country’s right to choose their own security arrangements and alliances.
• Specific examples include Russia’s signing of the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and the NATO-Russia Founding Act (1997).
• The question of membership is between applicants and NATO Allies. No other country has a veto.
• Ultimately, it is Russia’s own aggression that has prompted Finland, Sweden, Georgia and Ukraine to seek NATO membership.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that NATO agreed it would not expand after the Cold War.

Posted on: 2023-07-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative has relieved pressure on global food prices, including in Africa.
• The initiative has prevented 100 million people worldwide from falling into extreme poverty.
• As of July 2023, the Initiative has facilitated the shipment of over 4 million tonnes of grain to Africa.

Russia’s false claim:

• African countries are not benefitting from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Posted on: 2023-07-12 - National Defence

The facts:

• There is no evidence that weapons supplied to Ukraine have been used in France. This widely-debunked disinformation originated from a pro-Russian Telegram channel that used a picture from a 2012 sniper competition.
• Russia is leveraging public fears about insufficient weapons control in Ukraine to try and frame the Ukrainian government as an untrustworthy recipient of lethal aid.
• These statements are part of a broader, persistent Russian disinformation campaign that attempts to decrease Western support for lethal aid to Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• On July 6, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson claimed that weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are being used by protesters in France.

Posted on: 2023-07-06 - National Defence

The facts:

• Most members of the Russian political and business elite stayed silent. Most of those who publicly addressed the insurrection called on regular citizens to be cautious and shelter in place.
• As the insurrection unfolded, several prominent Russian politicians, business elites, and media figures left the country, prompting a call for retribution from Russian Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin.
• The general Russian population remained publicly indifferent to the insurrection, and some people actively cheered and brought supplies to the Wagner forces.

Russia’s false claim:

• On July 4, President Putin claimed that Russians stood together as a united front against the Wagner insurrection.

Posted on: 2023-06-06 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, almost all independent media have been banned, blocked, and declared “foreign agents” or “undesirable organisations”.
• Russia has increased restrictions on freedom of press and freedom of expression by adopting many laws, including its “fake news” and defamation laws.
• According to Reporters Without Borders, as many as 24 journalists and media workers are currently imprisoned in Russia.
• Thousands of ordinary Russian citizens have been detained, charged, or prosecuted for spreading “fake news”.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov claims that the West has launched an attack on the media that don’t obey its orders.

Posted on: 2023-06-05 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• It was Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.
• Russia dismissed all of NATO’s efforts to discuss respective security concerns to prevent a war.
• Ukraine is exercising its UN-recognized right to self-defence.
• Russia continues to aggressively violate its neighbours’ territorial integrity and independence.
• Countries like Finland and Sweden ask to join NATO because it is a defensive alliance whose purpose is to protect its member states.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that NATO is an aggressive bloc “aiming to defeat Russia on the battlefield.

Posted on: 2023-05-31 - National Defence

The facts:

• Not only has Putin’s thesis been deemed inaccurate by many prominent historians and political scientists, but the map Putin referenced did in fact label Ukraine as “Ukraine or the Land of Cossacks.”.
• Putin’s false statement was intended to support his own narrative that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people,” and that Ukraine never existed prior to being created by the Soviet government.
• This disinformation attempt is directed primarily at a domestic Russian audience and seeks to justify Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation of Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• During a May 23 televised discussion, President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine’s alleged absence from a 17th century map of Europe is evidence that Ukraine has no historical legitimacy as a country.

Posted on: 2023-05-25 - National Defence

The facts:

• There is no radioactive cloud or any unusual radiological activity in Ukraine. Environmental radioactivity across Europe is monitored by various levels of European governments and by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
• Russia is leveraging a lack of common public knowledge regarding depleted uranium tank ammunition in an attempt to create undue concern and uncertainty in the Western public.
• Russian statements are part of an established Russian disinformation campaign that attempts to decrease support for Western aid to Ukraine. Russia will continue stating false information to support this campaign.

Russia’s false claim:

• On May 19, a senior Russian official stated that the destruction of depleted uranium ammunition supplied by the West to Ukraine has led to the appearance of a radioactive cloud heading toward Western Europe.

Posted on: 2023-05-18 - National Defence

The facts:

• On May 16, a Patriot battery in Kyiv defended against a Russian missile barrage that included Kinzhal missiles.
• Ukrainian authorities have also released photos of debris from an earlier Kinzhal missile attack that a Ukrainian Patriot battery intercepted on May 3.
• Russia appears to have repeatedly and specifically targeted Patriot sites in Ukraine over the past two weeks, likely because of the system’s combat effectiveness.

Russia’s false claim:

• On May 11, 2023, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry claimed that the U.S. Patriot air defence system is unable to intercept the Russian hypersonic Kinzhal (a.k.a. KILLJOY) missile.

Posted on: 2023-05-05 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the UN, Human Rights Watch, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been extensively documenting the unlawful deportation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
• Many of these children have been unlawfully adopted by or assigned to Russian foster families despite having surviving relatives in Ukraine.
• In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russian “Commissioner for Children's Rights” for alleged war crimes related to the unlawful deportation of children.

Russia’s false claim:

• Ukrainian children are being evacuated to Russia to protect them from the conflict in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-05-03 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia actually struck a storage facility for decommissioned inter-continental ballistic missile motors, which are of no use to Ukraine’s war effort.
• Russian officials pointed to the widely-reported explosions from the strikes to support their claim that Russia had targeted materiel critical to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
• Russia is concerned that media coverage of a possible Ukrainian counter-offensive is degrading the morale of its troops and public, and wants to create a narrative that it is taking sufficient measures to prepare.

Russia’s false claim:

• On May 1, Russia claimed that its long-range strikes hit crucial ammunition and fuel stores in the city of Pavlohrad that were important to Ukraine’s expected, upcoming counter-offensive.

Posted on: 2023-03-22 - National Defence

The facts:

• Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has deported thousands of children from Russian-occupied areas without their legal guardians’ consent. Such actions form the basis of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for President Putin.
• Russia demands that parents or legal guardians travel from Ukraine to retrieve their children in person. Russian authorities are aware that doing so is extremely difficult without their assistance, which they do not provide.
• Russia has established simplified legal procedures for granting citizenship to children deported from Ukraine. This allows them to be put up for adoption and suggests that Russia does not intend to return them to Ukraine, regardless of conditions on the ground.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it intends to return children who were removed from Ukraine when it is safe to do so.

Posted on: 2023-03-22 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• In a report issued on March 16, 2023, the UN stated that Russian authorities have committed war crimes in Ukraine and that some of their actions may amount to crimes against humanity.
• These crimes include attacks on civilian infrastructure, willful killings of civilians, torture, sexual violence, and forced deportations of children.
• The UN’s report echoes earlier reports, including by the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, that found that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
• On March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Putin and Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Lvova-Belova for their alleged responsibility for war crimes in Ukraine.
• It is clear that Russian authorities are conducting a war of aggression rather than protecting people in Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia mounted its full-scale invasion of Ukraine to protect the people who live there.

Posted on: 2023-03-15 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia’s low unemployment rate is not due to a strong economy, but to the large-scale changes and losses to its working-age population.
• Russia mobilized more than 300,000 citizens to fight in Ukraine, inflating its employment figures. It also lowered joining requirements to accept those with criminal records – a group that would have had a larger percentage of unemployed members.
• At least 140,000 of Russia’s deployed troops have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the war. Almost 1 million working-age Russians have also fled the country during this time, and are unlikely to return in the next several years.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it has achieved its lowest ever unemployment rate, saying that this is the result of a strong economy.

Posted on: 2023-03-15 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative creates a maritime humanitarian corridor for vessels leaving Ukrainian ports. Russia agreed to these terms in July 2022 and again in November 2022
• As of March 9, 2023, the UN World Food Programme has chartered 16 humanitarian shipments out of Ukraine to countries like Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Somalia.
• These shipments are delivering much-needed Ukrainian food products to vulnerable populations around the world despite Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative is no longer a humanitarian initiative.

Posted on: 2023-03-07 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• As of March 2, 2023, the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) has facilitated the export of over 22.8 million tons of grain to global markets despite ongoing supply chain disruptions caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine.
• As of March 2, 2023, 64% of the wheat exported out of Ukraine under the BSGI has been shipped to developing countries. 
• The BSGI has significantly eased global food insecurity and reduced the cost of food for vulnerable populations.
• According to the UN Secretary General, this reduction in global food prices has prevented 100 million people from falling into extreme poverty.

Russia’s false claim:

• Grain shipments out of Ukraine are only benefiting wealthy European countries.

Posted on: 2023-03-02 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia continues to demonstrate a commitment to its maximalist war aims, which is at odds with its professed openness to a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
• For example, Russia insists, as a precondition to any peace agreement, that 4 contested regions of Ukraine are and must remain part of Russia.
• Russia knows its preconditions are a non-starter for Ukraine, indicating Russia is currently unwilling to negotiate a good-faith peace agreement.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia has continually claimed that it is open to negotiations to end its war in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-03-01 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The backlog of grain shipments in Ukrainian ports is caused by Russian officials, who are deliberately slowing down inspections and refusing to increase the number of inspection teams.
• The refusal to increase inspection capacity jeopardizes the success of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as delays threaten the viability of exports and impact future food production in Ukraine. 
• Putin’s war created the need for the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the first place, and continues to stoke global food insecurity, exacerbate food price inflation, and jeopardize the lives and livelihoods of people in Ukraine and around the world.

Russia’s false claim:

• Ukraine has intentionally created a backlog of grain shipments in Ukrainian ports.

Posted on: 2023-02-28 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• UN officials have confirmed that rape is part of Russia’s military strategy and a “deliberate tactic to dehumanize the victims.” 
• Mass graves containing the bodies of hundreds of victims were discovered in several regions of Ukraine following the retreat of Russian troops. 
• Filtration centres were identified in Mariupol and Kharkiv, where civilians were detained by Russian authorities, and confessions of cooperation with Ukraine were extracted by torture. (Source: Human Rights Watch)
• From February 24, 2022, to February 13, 2023, 7,199 civilians died and 11,756 civilians were injured in Ukraine due to the war. (Source: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) 

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims it is committed to complying with the rules of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention.

Posted on: 2023-02-23 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces have shown poor adaptability during the first year of their invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s systemic military and industrial problems will likely hinder its efforts to reconstitute forces, making its losses in Ukraine a setback of generational proportions.
• Ukrainian defenders have demonstrated much greater flexibility and innovation than Russian forces, allowing them to destroy enormous quantities of equipment and withstand Russia’s vast munitions expenditure.
• Not only will Russia’s armed force development be hampered by the drawn-out war, but its entire society will also feel the effects. The conflict will further degrade living standards, erode civil liberties, and involve a substantial human toll for the Russian people.

Russia’s false claim:

• In his speech on February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the experience Russia has gained during its “special military operation” in Ukraine will shape the future development of its armed forces.

Posted on: 2023-02-23 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• According to the Government of Ukraine, 16,207 children have been forcibly deported to Russia since the beginning of the invasion.
• In May 2022, Putin signed a decree making it easier for Russians to adopt and obtain citizenship for Ukrainian children, accelerating the continued abduction of Ukrainian children.
• In many reported cases, children from Ukraine were sent to Russia, despite still having living relatives and families in Ukraine. (source: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights).

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian officials claim they do their best to keep children with their families.

Posted on: 2023-02-15 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces have used Iranian systems for both battlefield surveillance and for one-way-attacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
• Russia has become increasingly reliant on these drones as it has expended a significant proportion of its domestically produced long-range munitions and struggles to maintain adequate battlespace awareness.
• Ukrainian air defences have performed well against these systems. Ukrainian crews are effectively employing air defence platforms donated by international partners to intercept the majority of one-way attacks.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia denies that it is employing Iranian-sourced drones in its war against Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-02-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia has launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine, an independent state whose sovereignty Russia agreed to respect in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
• Russia has held sham “referendums” in a blatant attempt to annex 4 regions within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, actions that the UN General Assembly has declared have no validity under international law.
• Russia also illegally annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014 and has engaged in other illegal acts of aggression against neighbouring states, including Georgia.
• Russia’s flagrant disregard for the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation is a clear violation of international legal principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia is a global leader in upholding the UN Charter’s fundamental principle of respect for the sovereign equality of states.

Posted on: 2023-02-10 - National Defence

The facts:

• Ukrainian forces continue to inflict heavy losses on attacking Russian elements, in particular around the towns of Bakhmut and Vuhledar.
• Russia has faced its own serious ammunition pressures during the war, and has had to turn to its few foreign partners to maintain supplies of several munition types.
• Russian disinformation efforts often project Russian operational difficulties onto the Ukrainian side, and their forces in Ukraine are very likely currently grappling with their own sustainment problems.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that ammunition shortages will result in the collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of March.

Posted on: 2023-02-02 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 18,657 civilian casualties.
• The January 14 attack in Dnipro killed at least 40 civilians and injured more than 75, making it one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Ukraine since the spring of 2022.
• Indiscriminate attacks by Russian forces continue to jeopardize the lives and safety of civilians in Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian forces do not attack civilian targets in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2023-02-01 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian units are facing serious staffing and equipment shortages. Available forces are mostly being committed piecemeal to ongoing fighting, persistently degrading Russia’s reserve of combat power.
• Russia’s incremental gains over the winter have come at enormous cost. Their forces are resorting to repeated frontal “wave” attacks against Ukrainian positions, a tactic unlikely to produce a breakthrough.
• Russia’s extensive defensive preparations in occupied areas indicate their degree of concern about future Ukrainian counter-offensives. Ukraine retains the overall strategic initiative in the war.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia media claims that the mobilization carried out since late last year has positioned Russian forces to “crush” Ukraine within the next six months.

Posted on: 2023-01-25 - National Defence

The facts:

• Independent observers from the International Atomic Energy Agency have found no indication that Ukraine is using its nuclear power plants as military sites.
• Since seizing Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the early days of the invasion, Russian occupation forces have continually stationed military assets in and around the facility.
• Russia’s claims are likely intended to generate confusion about the risk of Western military support to Ukraine, while deflecting attention from Russian behaviour at a major nuclear installation.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that Ukraine is using its nuclear power plants to house military equipment, raising the risk of a nuclear catastrophe that would affect neighbouring countries.

Posted on: 2023-01-18 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces in occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region have been constructing static defensive positions for months, indicating significant concern about a future Ukrainian offensive to retake captured territory.
• Russia is sinking resources into its effort to capture more territory in the neighbouring Donetsk region. Ukrainian defenders have inflicted very high losses, while Russia has achieved only minor territorial gains.
• Russia’s poorly-equipped and inadequately-trained forces will very likely not be able to conduct a successful offensive along the Zaporizhzhia frontline in the next few months.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian-installed officials in the partially-occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine claim that Russian forces will likely be poised to launch a spring offensive to capture the remaining Ukrainian-held portion of the region.

Posted on: 2023-01-13 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has devastated the Ukrainian economy, which has shrunk by more than 30% since the invasion began in early 2022.
• Poverty levels in Ukraine rose from 5.5% in 2021 to an estimated 25% in 2022.
• The invasion has displaced an estimated 14 million people, resulting in a humanitarian crisis that the World Bank expects could seriously disrupt Ukraine’s economic capacity for years to come.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that the main goal of his illegal invasion of Ukraine is to “liberate” the Ukrainian people.

Posted on: 2023-01-12 - National Defence

The facts:

• While Russian missiles likely did reach Kramatorsk on January 8, it appears that impact locations were in open areas, resulting in only superficial damage to nearby structures.
• Evidence does not suggest that the damaged buildings were being used to house Ukrainian troops. There are also no indications of a mass-casualty event, such as increased emergency response activity.
• Russia has frequently struggled with identifying and targeting Ukrainian military elements with long-range strikes, likely contributing to its choice to target more vulnerable Ukrainian critical infrastructure instead.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s military claims that it carried out a strike against Ukrainian barracks in Kramatorsk, killing at least 600 personnel, in retaliation for an earlier high-profile Ukrainian attack on a Russian barracks in Makiivka on January 1.

Posted on: 2022-12-15 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Putin’s partial mobilization has disproportionately targeted men from poor and remote areas of Russia with large ethnic minority populations.
• The mobilization has been met with large protests in the Muslim-majority Russian republic of Dagestan and other ethnic republics.
• At least 200,000 Russian citizens have fled the country since the partial mobilization was announced.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that the Russian soldiers fighting in his illegal invasion of Ukraine are motivated by a sense of patriotism and duty to defend Russia.

Posted on: 2022-12-14 - National Defence

The facts:

• No significant changes in territorial control have been observed in the past several weeks since Russian forces completed their retreat from the north bank of the Dnipro River in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
• Russian forces have demonstrated a limited ability to adapt throughout the conflict, and they continue to employ a high-casualty approach of repeatedly attacking prepared Ukrainian defenses hoping to make gains.
• Russia very likely lacks the personnel, materiel, and command and control acumen that would be needed to achieve a significant breakthrough against the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the coming weeks.

Russia’s false claim:

• Leaders of Russia’s Chechen forces claim that the Russian military has been systematically advancing with offensive actions along the entire front line in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-12-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• According to the current IMF managing director, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, not Western sanctions, has been the single most important factor driving the global economic downturn.
• Russia’s ongoing invasion has significantly disrupted global supply chains and international trade, driving up the costs of food and energy worldwide.
• The OECD estimates that Russia’s invasion could cost the global economy $2.8 trillion in lost economic output by the end of 2023.
• Canada is working with its partners to protect global food security and is imposing a price cap on Russian oil to curtail Russia’s ability to wage its illegal war.

Russia’s false claim:

• Western sanctions on Russia have triggered a global economic crisis.

Posted on: 2022-12-07 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO is a defensive Alliance and does not want war in Europe. The Kremlin started this war.
• Moscow is pursuing its imperialist ambitions in Ukraine by employing its own weapons and brutal tactics, including the targeting of civilians.
• NATO is providing non-lethal support to Ukraine. Ukraine has a right to self-defence, as enshrined in the UN Charter.
• Individual NATO Allies continue to provide military support and the delivery of essential aid.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that Western countries are pursuing their own interest and using Ukraine as a testing site for NATO weapons.

Posted on: 2022-12-07 - National Defence

The facts:

• As it has been the case during previous Russian air strikes, Ukrainian air defence successfully intercepted a significant proportion of the missiles fired at locations throughout Ukraine.
• Despite the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in recent months, the Ukrainian armed forces are sustaining their logistics support and frontline combat operations.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s Ministry of Defence claims that the most recent wave of air strikes launched against Ukraine on December 5 hit all designated targets and achieved all of its objectives in terms of disrupting Ukrainian military operations.

Posted on: 2022-12-01 - National Defence

The facts:

• The Bakhmut area is one of the few locations where Russian forces are still attempting offensive operations. Russia has gained little ground despite funnelling significant resources to the area in recent months.
• Moscow has repeatedly overstated the importance of its recent marginal gains. Ukrainian forces continue to defend the town, and supply lines remain open.
• Beyond Ukraine’s defenses, the poor quality of Russian forces and adverse seasonal conditions will further limit the short-term prospects for a significant Russian breakthrough in the area.

Russia’s false claim:

• Officials in occupied areas of Ukraine claim that Russian and proxy forces are close to completing an “operational encirclement” of the Ukrainian-held town of Bakhmut.

Posted on: 2022-11-28 - Global affairs Canada

The facts:

• Ukrainian hospitals, maternity wards, and other civilian healthcare facilities have been deliberately targeted by Russian strikes since the outset of the invasion.
• The World Health Organization has verified 703 attacks on Ukrainian health infrastructure since the invasion began in February 2022.
• Continued attacks by Russian forces on health and energy infrastructure mean that hundreds of hospitals and health facilities are no longer fully operational.
• Russia’s November 23rd attack on a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region, which killed a newborn baby, is simply the latest in a horrific pattern of attacks targeting civilian healthcare facilities.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims that the main goal of his illegal invasion of Ukraine is to “liberate” the Ukrainian people.

Posted on: 2022-11-23 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces continue to try to seize more Ukrainian territory, in particular in the eastern Donbas region. Russia is concurrently waging a missile strike campaign against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
• While recent ground attacks have largely failed and resulted in no significant territorial gains, Russia continues to reposition its ground assets in an effort to take additional territory.
• Despite major setbacks recently, Russia is still trying to maximize the amount of Ukrainian territory it occupies, and it is not working to set conditions for productive diplomatic engagement.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it is prepared to enter negotiations to end the war in Ukraine and asserts that Kyiv is the party which insists on continuing the conflict.

Posted on: 2022-11-16 - National Defence

The facts:

• The celebratory reaction of locals to the arrival of Ukrainian forces in Kherson shows no love lost for Moscow and demonstrates that the pretext for Russia’s annexation referendums was fabricated.
• Ukrainians continue to resist in areas that remain under Russian occupation. Attacks against Russian forces have continued behind the front lines in recent weeks, in particular around Melitopol.
• Moscow’s attempts to “Russian-ize” occupied areas of Ukraine through censorship, forced economic integration, and the targeting of dissidents will persist, but they are unlikely to shift Ukrainian perceptions.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that the civilian population in occupied areas of Ukraine overwhelmingly favour political unity with Moscow and see themselves as part of a common Russian national community.

Posted on: 2022-11-14 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Since February 24, 2022, and in coordination with its allies, Canada has imposed sanctions on Russia that are aimed at limiting the Kremlin’s ability to finance its egregious war against Ukraine and pressure Russia to change its behaviour.
• Sanctions have immobilized roughly $300 billion of Russian Central Bank assets, severely restricting its ability to manage its economy, buffer its financial system, and finance its invasion of Ukraine.
• Major supply shortages caused by sanctions have forced Russia to nearly cease its production of ballistic missiles and new military aircraft.
• The IMF predicts that sanctions will cause the Russian economy will contract by over 3 percent this year, which will erode its weapons manufacturing capacity for years to come.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Russian economy has remained robust and adaptable in the face of Western sanctions imposed in response to Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-11-09 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces have made no significant gains in the area for months. Soldiers were almost certainly coerced into making positive statements in order to dispel further criticism of Russian leadership.
• Despite the lack of recent success, Russia continues to attempt attacks with uncoordinated and poorly equipped ground elements, leading to disarray and significant attrition.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that its forces are achieving battlefield “successes” near Pavlivka in southeastern Ukraine.
• Russian officials posted video statements purportedly from troops engaged in the fighting near Pavlivka, claiming that they are continuing to “crush the enemy.”

Posted on: 2022-11-04 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• This claim was presented at the UN Security Council and rejected as being transparently false, without evidence provided by Russia.
• Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected 3 Ukrainian facilities and found no indications of undeclared nuclear activities and materials.
• The Kremlin has made many claims about Ukraine’s capabilities and intent to develop or use biological, chemical, nuclear or radiological weapons. None of these claims have been proven.
• Russia has a history of using disinformation to distract from its own military failures in Ukraine or to build pretexts for intensifying the war. This is nothing new.

Russia’s false claim:

• Moscow claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a “dirty bomb”, a conventional explosive laced with radioactive material.

Posted on: 2022-11-03 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russian forces continue to carry out targeted attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine, resulting in serious damage to approximately 40% of Ukrainian energy facilities.
• Some of the attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities have been carried out using Iranian-made weapons.
• As winter approaches, millions of Ukrainians are facing major outages of heat, water and electricity.
• Russian attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure are unlawful and may amount to war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian armed forces are not targeting civilian infrastructure, including critical energy infrastructure, in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-11-02 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia’s latest strikes against Ukrainian critical infrastructure are part of an ongoing campaign that has been underway for weeks, and they are not primarily a response to the attack on Russia’s navy.
• The Russian strike campaign has been targeting civilian critical infrastructure across Ukraine, causing widespread disruption to basic utilities such as electricity and water.
• Russia will likely continue to target Ukraine’s critical infrastructure heading into winter, and the impact will be most acutely felt by the civilian population.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that its strikes on infrastructure targets across Ukraine on October 31 were in retaliation for the October 29 attack on Russia’s navy in Sevastopol.

Posted on: 2022-10-26 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has routinely made false claims about Ukraine’s capabilities and intent, including the development and use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons.
• The detonation of a nuclear weapon would be clearly distinguishable from a “dirty bomb.” Russia is accusing Ukraine of an implausible plot in order to escalate the war.
• Russia’s recent messaging on nuclear threat is likely reflective of its diminishing capacity to alter the overall trajectory of the war by using conventional military means.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that Ukraine intends to constructs and detonate a “dirty bomb” – a device that uses conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material – and then blame Russia for using a low-yield nuclear weapon.

Posted on: 2022-10-25 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Putin does not have the authority under international law to impose martial law in Ukraine.
• 143 UN member states do not recognize the legitimacy of Putin’s illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
• The European Union and NATO have also rejected Russia's so-called "referendum" results.
• Russia’s imposition of martial law comes as its forces continue to suffer setbacks on the battlefield.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin says he is imposing martial law in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine in order to protect the people living there.

Posted on: 2022-10-19 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia continues to launch regular strikes against Ukraine in an attempt to degrade Ukraine’s critical electricity infrastructure. Strikes have caused civilian casualties and collateral damage to populated areas.
• There is clear evidence from both video and recovered debris that Russia is employing one-way-attack UAVs purchased from Iran.
• Russia’s growing dependence on hastily-purchased Iranian weapons indicates that the pressure on its munitions stockpiles is increasingly severe.

Russia’s false claim:

• Following the major long-range strike salvo launched by Russia beginning on October 10, Moscow claimed that there was no need for more “massive strikes” against Ukraine, and it denied using Iranian-sourced UAVs in its attacks.

Posted on: 2022-10-12 - National Defence

The facts:

• The Russian strikes targeted at least 15 locations, including Kyiv and Lviv, and were primarily meant to disable Ukrainian critical infrastructure, including essential utilities like electricity and water.
• Russia’s targeting process has consistently demonstrated no concern for avoiding civilian casualties and other collateral damage.
• Russia has shown a diminishing ability to hold territory in Ukraine. Its attacks on critical infrastructure are likely intended to degrade Ukrainian public resolve, though they have often had the opposite effect.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian officials claim that the recent wave of long-range missile strikes against Ukraine (80+ on October 10, 20+ on October 11) did not target civilian infrastructure or public spaces.

Posted on: 2022-10-06 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The UN has said there are credible accusations Russian forces sent Ukrainian children to Russia for adoption as part of a forced relocation and deportation program.
• More than 1,800 children were reportedly transferred.
• The parents of some of these children were killed by the Russian military.
• In May 2022, President Putin signed a decree simplifying Russian citizenship procedure for Ukrainian orphans.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia is making efforts to protect children during the special military operation in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-10-05 - National Defence

The facts:

• Ukrainian forces have made substantial gains northeast of the city of Kherson in recent days. Russian forces have been pushed back more than 20 km in some sectors of the front.
• The gains come after weeks of consistent strikes to degrade Russian forces and supply lines in the area, which successfully weakened the occupying forces’ combat capacity.
• Current Ukrainian gains are very likely durable. Due to attrition and severely limited re-supply options, Russian forces lack the capacity to stage a counter-attack.
• Russian forces north of the Dnipro River are in an increasingly precarious position, and additional Ukrainian successes in the area in the coming weeks would not be surprising.

Russia’s false claim:

• Occupation authorities in Ukraine’s Kherson region claim that the Russian frontline is “stable” and that Ukrainian attacks only lead to “serious losses in their ranks”.

Posted on: 2022-10-05 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia wouldn’t need to mobilize another 300,000 citizens if its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine was going as planned.
• Over 2,400 Russian citizens have been arrested for protesting the mobilization and many others are fleeing the country.
• Long lines at the border, sold-out flights, and large anti-war protests reflect the Kremlin’s growing problems at home and on the battlefield.

Russia’s false claim:

• The partial mobilization will ensure the continued success of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-09-28 - National Defence

The facts:

• As expected, these sham referendums were held without even the most basic standards of democratic legitimacy. The supposed results, down to the precise percentage in favour, were pre-determined by Russia.
• Armed occupation forces were present at staged polling stations and were used in some cases to mobilize local residents to “vote”.
• None of the staged activity represented genuine democracy. The polling stations, voter line-ups, “observers,” and “counting” were orchestrated for the sole purpose of creating fabricated images to broadcast.
• The Kremlin is expected to officially declare the occupied regions now part of Russia, in order to support its mobilization effort and legitimize its illegal invasion and occupation of Ukraine to the Russian domestic audience.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that referendums held in occupied areas of Ukraine resulted in local ranges of 87% to 98+% of the vote in favour of annexation to Russia.

Posted on: 2022-09-22 - National Defence

The facts:

• Moscow has pre-determined the outcome – the affected regions will supposedly vote for annexation to Russia. However, no democratically legitimate process will actually occur.
• Persistent Ukrainian resistance to Russian occupation throughout the invasion, including attacks against Russian military targets behind the front line, demonstrates the local population’s rejection of Russian expansionism.
• Annexation will be used to justify the Kremlin’s new mobilization measures, which are needed due to mounting losses. Ukrainian counter-offensive operations continue to pressure, degrade, and demoralize Russian forces, resulting in major sustainment issues.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that upcoming referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine will give residents the opportunity to express their will regarding their own political future.

Posted on: 2022-09-21 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Since the implementation of the UN-led Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 27, 2022, global food prices have fallen to pre-war levels, positively impacting vulnerable countries.
• According to the UN, as of September 15, two-thirds of Ukraine's cargo volume went to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
• Türkyie re-exports wheat and flour to the Middle East and Africa.
• Without this agreement, the gains made in lowering food prices will be lost causing further hunger.

Russia’s false claim:

• Putin claims grains did not go to vulnerable populations despite Moscow’s effort.

Posted on: 2022-09-06 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• Russia indiscriminately targets civilian population using unjustifiable and ruthless tactics:
  • An attack on a railway station in Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast;
  • Atrocities committed in Bucha, Irpin, and Borodyanka;
  • An attack on civilian targets from Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, including holding civilians hostage on the site;
  • Shelling of a maternity hospital and other medical facilities in Mariupol;
  • Missile attacks on civilian buildings and a cultural centre in Vinnytsia.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia is only targeting military targets (storage facilities and support routes for delivery of military equipment to Ukraine).

Posted on: 2022-09-01 - National Defence

The facts:

• Ukrainians in occupied areas continue to resist Russia’s illegal invasion. Local resistors have targeted Russian military logistics assets, which has disrupted the occupying forces’ operations.
• Ordinary Ukrainians are working to get information about the oppressive conditions in occupied areas to the outside world, despite the risk of reprisal and Russia’s effort to control communications.
• Russia has forcibly removed Ukrainian civilians, including children, from their home regions to locations in Russia.

Russia’s false claim:

• The head of Russia’s National Guard reported to Putin that troops deployed to occupied areas of Ukraine “feel that the population of the liberated areas is supporting us” and that “they realize that we are defending their right to a peaceful life and their children’s happiness.”.

Posted on: 2022-08-30 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO is a defensive Alliance, whose purpose is to protect its Allies.
• NATO has increased its military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance as a direct result of Russia’s behaviour, which reflects a pattern of aggressive actions against its neighbours.
• NATO’s military presence does not pose a threat to Russia’s army of 1 million troops.

Russia’s false claim:

• NATO’s enhanced military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance threatens Russia.

Posted on: 2022-08-25 - National Defence

The facts:

• Losses over the past 6 months have severely degraded Russian ground forces. Russia is very likely consolidating depleted units and deploying insufficiently trained personnel to key combat roles.
• Ukrainian strikes against Russian supply depots, command posts, and logistics elements have significantly degraded Russia’s ability to sustain a high operational tempo.
• Russian forces have been forced to seek incremental gains by launching smaller-scale, simpler operations. Russia’s overall offensive momentum has been stalled for weeks.
• At the same time, Russia continues to demonstrate minimal regard for civilian casualties by conducting persistent long-range attacks against Ukrainian urban centres, including those far from the frontlines.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s Minister of Defence claims that the slowing pace of its “special military operation” is deliberate and that the slow-down is an effort to minimize civilian casualties.

Posted on: 2022-08-23 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• NATO has never made such an agreement.
• NATO is committed to its Open Door policy for aspiring members.
• NATO respects the right of every country to choose its own security arrangements and does not coerce states to join the Alliance.
• Decisions regarding NATO membership are up to each individual applicant and the 30 NATO Allies.

Russia’s false claim:

• NATO promised Russia not to expand after the Cold War.

Posted on: 2022-08-19 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has stationed military equipment inside the perimeter of the nuclear facility, including in close proximity to reactor buildings and other key infrastructure.
• Ukrainian technicians continue to operate the nuclear power plant under the direct oversight of armed Russian military personnel, which raises the risk of human error caused by stress or interference with normal patterns of work.
• There would be no elevated threat to the safe functioning of the nuclear power plant if not for Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation of the area.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia blames the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the ongoing threat to the safe functioning of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in a Russian-controlled portion of southern Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-08-12 - National Defence

The facts:

• Several Russian military aircraft were destroyed or damaged to the point of inoperability. Other Russian equipment and structures at the airfield were also significantly damaged.
• Russian air forces have sustained losses of at least 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters since Russia expanded its invasion of Ukraine in February.
• The losses at Novofedorivka will likely immediately degrade Russia’s air operations capability over occupied areas of southern Ukraine and the northwestern Black Sea.

Russia’s false claim:

• On August 9, an explosion occurred at the Novofedorivka airfield, near the town of Saky in occupied Crimea, Ukraine.
• Russia claims the blasts were caused by an accidental munitions detonation and that no military aircraft were lost.

Posted on: 2022-08-08 - Global Affairs Canada

The facts:

• The sanctions that are in place target Russian leaders and other supporters of President Putin’s regime and his war against Ukraine.
• The sanctions are not aimed at hurting the Russian population, and there are no sanctions in place that would prevent ordinary Russian citizens from obtaining the necessities of life.
• The sanctions are meant to reduce President Putin’s capacity to wage war.

Russia’s false claim:

• The Kremlin claims that sanctions against Russia are hostile and anti-Russian.

Posted on: 2022-08-05 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia and its proxy forces are preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting the Olenivka facility to see or speak with the surviving POWs who are held there.
• Russia first circulated images of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rocket components that it claims were used in the strike on August 3, five days after the explosion. There is no evidence that the material displayed by Russia is linked to the events of July 29.
• Russia has a track record of blocking independent investigation into events in Ukraine, most notably it tried and failed to obscure the circumstances surrounding its downing of a civilian airliner over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that the July 29 explosion at the Olenivka penal facility in occupied Ukraine, which killed at least 50 Ukrainian POWs, was the result of a strike conducted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces using Western-supplied weapons systems.

Posted on: 2022-07-28 - National Defence

The facts:

• We expect this year’s Vostok exercise to be far smaller than previous ones, largely due to Russia’s considerable troop shortages caused by high losses in Ukraine. During the last Vostok exercise in 2018, Moscow reportedly sent 300,000 Russian troops to participate.
• Almost all Russian Army units have been involved in combat in Ukraine. Russia has seen such high casualties across most of its Army units that it is struggling to even find untrained recruits to backfill deployed units.
• Currently, Russia’s deployed forces in Ukraine are insufficient for it to achieve its stated objective of replacing the government in Kyiv, and Russia will continue to struggle to make even modest tactical progress on the eastern and southern fronts.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it is holding all of its annual military exercises as usual this year, including Vostok, which is typically a large strategic exercise in eastern Russia.
• Moscow has also indicated that it is using only a part of its available forces in Ukraine, which it claims is sufficient to attain its military objectives.

Posted on: 2022-07-22 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has always had maximalist geographic ambitions in Ukraine. Moscow’s failed efforts to capture Kyiv, and the northeastern cities of Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv at the outset of the invasion demonstrate these significant territorial ambitions far beyond the Donbas.
• Russian forces have also occupied parts of southern Ukraine since February, which precedes the delivery of recent Western aid to Ukraine that Moscow is using as pretext for expanding military objectives.
• Due to considerable losses of personnel and equipment, Russia likely no longer has the military capability to achieve its ambitions in Ukraine. It is now being forced to scale down its strategic objectives while providing a new public rationale for the piecemeal territorial control it has achieved.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia has claimed that, in response to Western military aid being provided to Ukraine, it has been “forced” to expand its goals beyond the “liberation” of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to include other major portions of the country.

Posted on: 2022-07-14 - National Defence

The facts:

• In fact, the Ukrainian strikes in Nova Khakova hit a Russian ammunition depot. The depot was part of the military logistics system sustaining Russian forces operating in southern Ukraine.
• Russia continues to rely primarily on its artillery for its campaign against Ukraine. This is a resource-intensive approach which has led Russia to centralize munitions storage.
• The concentrated storage of munitions makes such depots vulnerable to catastrophic detonations if hit, and Ukrainian strikes against similar targets will likely challenge Russia’s re-supply capacity.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that a recent strike at Nova Khakova in southern Ukraine was a Ukrainian attack against civilian infrastructure, which caused industrial saltpeter (potassium nitrate) stored in a warehouse to detonate.

Posted on: 2022-07-07 - Communications Security Establishment

The facts:

• Kremlin officials continue to be directly involved in guiding and coordinating Russia-backed disinformation efforts.
• Russian disinformation campaigns have falsely blamed Ukrainian radicals for the destruction of chemical and nuclear sites in Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian disinformation campaigns have made false claims that Ukrainian radicals have planned attacks on chemical and nuclear sites to support accusations that Russia was using these weapons against the Ukrainian population.

Posted on: 2022-07-07 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has relied heavily on large-scale artillery bombardment during its recent offensive in eastern Ukraine. This has resulted in widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and littered large areas with unexploded ordnance, including in Severodonetsk.
• Ukrainians have had to flee from their homes, businesses, and communities, heavily de-populating areas which Russia has managed to capture.
• Occupied areas suffer not only from widespread physical damage, but also from economic isolation from the rest of Ukraine and the imposition of Russian-installed authorities.
• Ukrainians in occupied areas are subjected to arbitrary killings, detention, torture, and forced displacement, as well as other restrictions and human rights violations. There is no prospect of a return to normal life under Russian occupation.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian messaging emphasizes the supposed return to normal life and economic activity in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. A recent example is the claim that a major factory in Severodonetsk, the site of intense fighting last month, will return to work next week.

Posted on: 2022-06-30 - National Defence

The facts:

• The shopping mall was directly hit by a Russian AS-4 cruise missile, which carries a 1000-kilogram warhead.
• Russia is routinely using these older-model missiles—which are inaccurate by current standards—against built-up areas, resulting in heightened civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian buildings.
• The strike occurred during daytime hours, and the mall had been open for business in the days leading up to the attack.
• This mall strike suggests that Russia’s target selection process is likely driven by poor intelligence, limited awareness of activity surrounding target locations, and little or no concern for avoiding civilian casualties and other collateral damage.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia has made several false claims about the June 27 strike on a shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, including that the damage was the result of a secondary explosion and that the mall was not in use by civilians.

Posted on: 2022-06-23 - National Defence

The facts:

• Ukraine continues to control the city of Lysychansk. Ukrainian forces south of the city continue to contest the area and degrade Russian elements trying to advance.
• Russia failed to achieve its initial objective of a broad encirclement of Ukrainian forces in the Donbas. The poor performance of Russian ground formations throughout the war has forced Russia to seek ever-smaller tactical gains that it can claim as battlefield victories.
• Russian-controlled separatist elements in eastern Ukraine have forcibly mobilized recruits and sent them into combat unprepared and poorly equipped, resulting in very high casualty rates.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims to have achieved an “operational encirclement” of Ukrainian forces defending Lysychansk, a key city in the battle for control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-06-17 - National Defence

The facts:

• Most of Russia’s long-range strikes have been against Ukrainian infrastructure. Russia is likely having difficulty targeting the Ukrainian military logistics network and is resorting to easier static targets, including civilian facilities.
• Russia has also resorted to using older, less-accurate missiles as its strike campaign has significantly depleted its stockpile of more modern munitions while failing to achieve a decisive strategic effect.
• Now facing unprecedented sanctions, Russian industry and supply chains will have significant difficulty replenishing stocks of advanced munitions and the other large-scale losses of Russian military equipment.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it is successfully targeting shipments of Western-supplied military equipment being provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-06-09 - National Defence

The facts:

• Ukraine is actively contesting control of these areas, and it has conducted counterattacks, which have prompted some Russian withdrawals.
• Russia continues to impose heavy-handed measures on local Ukrainians, including media control, arbitrary arrests, and forced economic integration with Russia, including the seizure of agricultural produce for re-sale.
• Russia’s invasion has exposed Ukraine’s civilian population to an elevated risk from mines and other unexploded ordinance that will take years to clear.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it is establishing a permanent presence in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and that life in these areas is returning to normal.

Posted on: 2022-06-02 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia has repeatedly attacked civilian infrastructure in and around Odesa with long-range missiles.
• Elements of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have repeatedly sailed threateningly towards Odesa, forcing Ukraine to maintain defences along the shore and in coastal waters.
• Russia has occupied and stationed military assets on Ukraine’s Snake (Zmiinyi) Island south of Odesa, raising the collateral threat to merchant shipping in the area.
• Russia has linked the issue of allowing the safe transit of grain from Odesa to sanctions relief for Russia, showing that it treats its blockade of critical food supplies as a bargaining chip.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it is not blocking export of grain from the Ukrainian port of Odesa, and that a “humanitarian corridor” is available to allow much-needed food supplies to reach global markets.

Posted on: 2022-05-27 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia routinely trains and deploys mercenary forces, and it has again done so in its invasion of Ukraine.
• Russian mercenaries are currently attacking Ukrainian forces defending towns in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
• Leaders and fighters for private Russian military companies typically include right-wing extremists and convicted criminals.
• Russian mercenaries have a track record of indiscriminate violence and looting in locations around the world, which will only compound the suffering Ukraine has already endured.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian law outlaws mercenary forces and a new draft law is set to increase the prison terms for Russians found guilty of mercenary activity.

Posted on: 2022-05-19 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian troops continue to occupy Kherson and the surrounding region, and have indiscriminately shelled urban areas throughout the invasion.
• The people of Kherson have strongly and publicly rejected Russia’s occupation, and they clearly do not support the illegitimate local authorities installed by Moscow.
• Fierce local opposition has forced Russia to cancel plans to hold a quick referendum on separation from Ukraine.
• Significantly, Russia has resorted to a “Russianization” campaign in Kherson, which includes internet censorship, forced use of Russian currency, and ongoing military occupation to try to suppress dissent.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia claims that it has no troops in the city of Kherson, and that Ukrainian forces have attacked the civilian population in retaliation for supporting Russia’s occupation.

Posted on: 2022-05-12 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia’s war has damaged this season’s crop and is preventing Ukrainian grain from reaching global distribution chains and, therefore, foreign markets.
• We’ve see evidence that Russian forces have been seizing grain stocks and destroying grain storage facilities in occupied areas.
• Russia’s invasion has had profound impacts on global food security, constricting Ukraine’s domestic access to grain and leading to a spike in prices internationally, resulting in food insecurity across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russian officials claim that Ukraine’s western allies want to forcibly export Ukraine’s grain supply to recoup their investments in the country.

Posted on: 2022-05-04 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russia’s air force has failed to establish air supremacy over Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces continue to effectively engage Russian aircraft along the frontline with ground-based air defence systems.
• The contested airspace environment has forced Russia to rely on a dwindling stock of expensive long-range missiles to attack Ukrainian targets rather than further risk its air assets.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia routinely claims its air assets have successfully targeted dozens of Ukrainian command posts, fighting positions, and supply depots near the frontlines in the battle for the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

Posted on: 2022-04-28 - National Defence

The facts:

• All of these regions continue to see major fighting as a result of Russia’s invasion.
• “Peaceful life” has not returned to occupied territory, as Russian forces continue to destroy infrastructure, loot, and suppress dissent in many occupied agricultural areas, in addition to suburban and urban zones.
• Russia’s invasion has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes in agricultural communities, causing a major disruption to this year’s planting season. This poses a severe risk to regional and global food security, and is causing a spike in global grain prices.

Russia’s false claim:

• Russia’s National Defence Control Centre claims that “peaceful life” is resuming and that an agricultural push has begun in “liberated” areas of Ukraine, including the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions, and parts of the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions.

Posted on: 2022-04-14 - National Defence

The facts:

• Russian forces attacked the train station using a “Tochka-U” close range ballistic missile, killing over 50 civilians waiting to evacuate.
• Russian social media channels initially bragged about the strike, claiming to have hit Ukrainian “militants,” though these posts were later deleted.
• Russia’s claims that it no longer employs the “Tochka-U” system are false. This strike originated from Russian-occupied territory inside Ukraine.

Russia’s false claim:

• Ukrainian forces attacked the train station at Kramatorsk on 8 April to force civilians to remain in the conflict zone and use them as human shields.