Russia is waging a just war on the territory of Ukraine and protecting civilians, unlike Israel, a country supported by the West, pro-Kremlin media writes.
NEWS: Russia should heed the example of Israel: look at how it is destroying its enemies, taking out their leaders, bombing various territories without regard for civilian casualties. Most countries around the world have condemned Israel – so what? Its neighbors fear it, and in the end, the end justifies the means. Such reasoning can be heard in Russia, but such advice is not only inhumane, stupid and dangerous, but most importantly, it is grounded on a completely faulty analysis of the situation [...]
The only way to secure one’s home (“eradicating terrorism”, in the language of Israeli propaganda) in this context is to kill not only the master and his descendants, but also all his family. Therefore, Russia has nothing to learn from Israel: the brutality and violence of this state can hardly be attributed to “madness and courage”, they are merely the result of cruelty and unlimited rage [...]
And Russia is restoring its unity, its former natural state: a geographical, spiritual and civilizational state. It is Russia that has not only a great past, but also a great future – a just and stable future.
NARRATIVES: 1. Russia does not employ Israel's inhumane methods of conducting military operations. 2. Unlike Israel, Russia has the historical right to launch military operations on the territory of Ukraine in order to unify its territories.
PURPOSE: To justify Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, to demonize the West and its support for Israel and Ukraine.
Fact: Russia has committed war crimes on the territory of Ukraine and is attacking civilian targets. Russia's war is not a historical and just one, but one of occupation and conquest
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: In fact, the two wars (Ukraine and the one in the Middle East) are different in nature, and the comparison made by Russian media is designed to manipulate public opinion. Israel is attacking Hamas and Hezbollah for reasons of national security, in response to a series of aggressive actions and acts of terrorism launched by these militant groups that do not recognize the state of Israel and whose declared objective is its destruction. Hamas is active in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both are staging attacks on Israeli territory, prompting Israel to respond with military incursions of its own in order to protect its citizens. On October 7, 2023, for instance, Hamas killed over a thousand Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians.
Meanwhile, Russia is carrying out military operations designed to invade and conquer new territories in Ukraine, without having been provoked by the Ukrainian side. Russian servicemen have committed war crimes (Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Izyum, Kherson) and is purposefully striking civilian infrastructure targets with a view to ramping up war fatigue. Torture chambers were set up in various localities, where Ukrainians were humiliated and beaten by the Russian army.
Several of Russia’s actions in Ukraine have been criticized by the international community and labeled as brutal or inhumane. These include attacks on civilian infrastructure (schools, hospitals and residential areas), which have caused civilian casualties and humanitarian crises. Siege tactics were also used on certain settlements, resulting in starvation and forced relocations. Together with the international community, Ukraine is investigating the shooting of prisoners of war or the deportation of children. At the same time, the Russian army brutally bombed (to the point of full destruction) numerous Ukrainian towns (Mariupol, Avdiivka, Bucha, etc.) and millions of Ukrainians were forced to take refuge inside or outside the country.
Russia has no historical right to attack Ukraine and call this war one of “cultural, spiritual and geographical reunification”. This armed conflict is a conflict because it involves Russia's attempt to occupy Ukrainian territories. The invasion was launched without direct provocation, with the aim of gaining military and political control over parts of Ukraine or destroying Ukrainian statehood as a whole. Russia's military operations led to the occupation of certain regions (in the east and south), in a manner that is reminiscent of imperial expansion campaigns, and which violated the norms of international law. This type of aggression encroaches on Ukraine's national sovereignty. Moreover, Russia is a guarantor of Ukraine’s territorial integrity as a signatory of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. Russia recognized Ukraine’s borders in 1997. Therefore, the brutal violation of international obligations by a state, which promised to be the guarantor of their implementation, undermines the entire UN security system established after World War II.
BACKGROUND: Following the outbreak of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian Sunni Islamist movement Hamas in October 2023, Hezbollah launched attacks of its own on Israel to support Hamas. The missile strikes led to the outbreak of a war, which resulted in hundreds of dead and wounded, most of them in Lebanon. The conflict escalated sharply in mid-September. In a rapid succession of strikes, Israel struck thousands of Hezbollah targets and eliminated most of the group's leadership, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. At the same time, starting February 24, 2022, the territory of Ukraine is the stage of a large-scale military conflict between the military forces of Kyiv and Moscow, characterized by intense fighting, humanitarian crises and international interventions, having a significant impact on global geopolitical stability and regional economy.
This story was published as part of the project „Investigating the impact of disinformation targeting the Israel-Hamas war in the Black Sea region”, financed by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).
Unica responsabilitate pentru orice conținut susținut de Fondul European pentru Media și Informație (EMIF) revine autorului și nu reflectă în mod necesar pozițiile EMIF și ale partenerilor Fondului, Fundația Calouste Gulbenkian și Institutul Universitar European.
The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.
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