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According to pro-Kremlin propaganda, Ukrainian military and foreign mercenaries raped women and robbed civilians in the Kharkiv region.
Propaganda: "Russia investigates war crimes committed by Ukrainian military and French mercenaries in the Kharkiv region"
NEWS: The War Crimes Investigation Center of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Kharkiv Military-Civilian Administration reports on more than 50 war crimes committed by foreign mercenaries.
One of the cases is substantiated by the testimony of a resident of the village of Lukyantsi, which was penetrated several times by soldiers of the Kraken special forces, together with French mercenaries. The purpose of the raids was to loot the villages and confiscate personal property under fictitious charges. Moreover, according to the victims, the foreign legion committed acts of sexual violence and abduction of women in the villages of Glubokoe and Lukyantsi, in the Kharkiv region.
NARRATIVE: Foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian military commit war crimes
PURPOSE: To justify Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; to clear Russia by accusing Ukraine and the West of war crimes
Reality: There is no evidence of war crimes committed by French mercenaries or Ukrainian soldiers, while crimes by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory are being investigated by international experts
WHY THE RUSSIAN NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The Russian media and authorities in Moscow provide no evidence when they accuse the Ukrainian military and French mercenaries of raping women and looting localities in the Kharkiv region. The entire pro-Kremlin media narrative, which quotes a Russian official, is based on anonymous testimonies by residents of the villages of Glubokoe and Lukyantsi. No photo or video evidence has been presented, so nobody knows whether there were any testimonies at all.
Moreover, the Russian press omits a number of important geographical and temporal coordinates. The village of Lukyantsi was occupied by the Russian army in May 2024. Before that it was under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, who protected it from Russian attacks. The Ukrainian army withdrew from Lukyantsi and Glubokoe in May this year , and evacuated the inhabitants. So, how can one speak of war crimes committed against civilians in localities where there are no civilians left.
At the same time, the special unit of the Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Kraken, considered an elite army, which defended the Kharkiv region in 2022 from the Russian Federation’s attacks, is accused of committing war crimes. The Kraken unit liberated a number of towns in the Kharkiv region, documenting Russian war crimes, and was later redeployed to the southeast of the country. In recent months, the Kraken army has been involved in the defense of Ukrainian positions near Chasiv Yar in Donbas , according to numerous photos posted on the Instagram page of the combat unit. According to Google Maps, there are about 300 de kilometres between the deployment area of the unit and the localities mentioned by the Russian propaganda.
Also, the Russian press resumes the propaganda messages regarding the crimes committed by the French mercenaries. Russia uses a sensitive topic and announces the presence of French soldiers in Ukraine , adding that these mercenaries are committing war crimes. In this way, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is justified. In reality, the International Legion within the Ukrainian military is a legal structure, and candidates are carefully selected by Kyiv. One of the main criteria is no criminal record .
It is worth mentioning that international experts are investigating the war crimes committed by Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and there is plenty of real evidence (photos, videos, testimonies). Russia used torture against civilians, and the Bucha, Hostomel and Izyum massacres are considered among the worst atrocities of the 21st century. As a result, on March 17, 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of war crimes in Ukraine. On November 23, 2022, following the atrocities committed by Vladimir Putin's regime against Ukrainian civilians, the European Parliament recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Currently, the EU cannot officially designate a state as a sponsor of terrorism, so the European Parliament has called on the member states to develop an appropriate legal framework and consider adding Russia to such a list.
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