Russia is fighting this war for ethical reasons, which is why it will keep fighting until it wins, Moscow propaganda argues. In fact, Russian troops have committed numerous war crimes.
Propaganda: Russia’s restraint in the war in Ukraine reflects Moscow’s moral principles
NEWS: “The USA is the main beneficiary of this international alliance on the territory of Ukraine, meant to slow down Russia’s development and cause some serious trouble for this country. […] In the case of Poland, we won’t use the same methods we did in Ukraine during this strange military operation. We already need to take firmer measures. The president said we didn’t start anything.
[…] Russia’s geopolitical actions have never fallen short of moral boundaries or ethical standards. Anglo-Saxons and Western Europe have been and will be the crux of Nazi ideology. To them, moral principles serve no purpose. These countries only care about benefits and their own interests. […] We are fighting those who attacked us. Despite the lies and filth in the Western media, we manage to get our point of view through to European citizens”.
NARRATIVE: Russia’s moral principles prevent it from cutting short the war in Ukraine.
Fact: Russia has committed war crimes on the territory of Ukraine, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In fact, Russian servicemen have never abided by the standards of international law, or ethical or moral principles for that matter. Russia did not how restraint in this war, which the Kremlin officially terms a “special military operation”. On the contrary, after launching countless attacks against civilian targets (residential buildings, schools, hospitals, etc.), Russia was designated a terrorist state, first by the European Parliament, then by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In Kherson alone, the Russian FSB operated at least 20 torture chambers.
According to human rights organizations, the UN mission to Ukraine, independent journalists and experts, Russia attacked civilian objectives, used cluster bombs, bombed hospitals and other medical units and tried to destroy Ukraine’s electric grid. The Russian Federation also deported children and committed war crimes in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson.
In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. The document states the Russian president failed to exert the proper control over his civilian and military subordinates, who committed war crimes or were an accessory to them.
Considering that Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” has failed to attain its objectives, the prolonged war and a series of attacks on the Russian borderlands which Kyiv is yet to claim publicly, pro-Kremlin media justifies Moscow’s lack of response by invoking moral principles, to which the West is allegedly “totally oblivious”. The article also picks up on a number of false narratives about Nazism in the West and the widespread Russophobia in European countries.
At the same time, the Russian government media tries to persuade readers that the war continues because Russia shows restraint and compassion towards civilians. According to the false narratives, if Poland or Great Britain had been the target instead of Ukraine, these countries would have been quickly obliterated by the Russian army with the full use of its capabilities. In fact, Russia lost numerous battles, from the battle for Kyiv to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the autumn of 2022. Moscow took the initiative at the end of last year, but the results of its offensive are rather modest – the Russian army was held off in Bakhmut, a city devoid of any strategic significance, according to military analysts.
Veridica has disproved several false narratives regarding the nature of the war in Ukraine. According to Russian propaganda, Ukraine is a terrorist state that must be punished. A year since the launch of the large-scale invasion, the Russian media stated that “the special military operation” saved Russia from the NATO invasion and Ukrainian Nazism. Another popular narrative speaks about Moscow’s restraint when bombing Ukraine, knowing Ukrainians show no support for the Nazi leaders in Kyiv.
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