WAR PROPAGANDA: The inhabitants of the Kharkiv Oblast have called for the unification with Russia

The leadership of the Kharkiv Oblast will support the inhabitants who have called in rather large numbers for the unification with the Russian Federation, the Russian government media writes. In fact, over 85% of the inhabitants of Eastern Ukraine have condemned the Russian aggression, and the people cited by Moscow media do not represent the legitimate authorities of Ukraine.

NEWS: “The authorities and inhabitants in the liberated territories of Kharkiv want the entire oblast to become part of Russia. The Provisional Civil Administration (CAA) of Kharkiv supports the people’s aspirations, the head of the CAA, Vitaly Ganchev, has told TASS.

 “Our goal, however, is to move towards Russian annexation. And when they hear that there is an authority established here, that a power structure has been set up, when they see legal documents being issued, when they see the ruble being introduced and gaping the loophole in the region’s economy, people start adjusting”, Ganchev said.

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Approximately 20% of the territory of the Kharkiv oblast has been liberated. [According to Ganchev], the situation in the liberated areas remains complicated. Many settlements are being shelled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while the threat of sabotage groups remains real”.

 NARRATIVE: The inhabitants of Kharkiv have called for the unification with Russia

 WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: In fact, the regional authorities in Kharkiv have not made any statements regarding the inhabitants’ request that the region be annexed by Russia. The Kharkiv Oblast is under the control of the Regional Civil-Military Administration (HOVA), led by a governor, and the website of this institution contains no official information about the inhabitants’ willingness to unite with Russia.

 The Russian state media actually quoted Vitaly Ganchev, who does not represent the regional authority of Kharkiv. Ganchev is a collaborator of the Russian occupation army.

 The Provisional Civil Administration (CAA), which is allegedly a legitimate power structure, is in no way connected to the Kharkiv Oblast and its inhabitants. Ganchev’s statement about the authorities fully supporting the request of Kharkiv’s inhabitants actually refers to continuing hostilities, shelling and military actions on the territory of Ukraine with a view to occupying new Ukrainian settlements. Therefore, the Russian army is not liberating, but actually occupying the territory of a sovereign state.

Vitaly Ganchev is wanted by the Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office, being charged with treason, colluding with the enemy and supporting Russia. Ganchev helped the Russian Army attack objectives on Ukraine’s territory and provided it with information about the deployment and movement of Ukrainian military forces.

The narrative about the inhabitants of Kharkiv wanting to unite with the Russian Federation is equally false. In fact, 85% of people in Eastern Ukraine have a negative attitude towards Russia and only 4% are sympathetic, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Most Russian speakers in Eastern Ukraine are disappointed with Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine’s territory and to shell civilian infrastructure.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the head of the Regional Civil-Military Administration of Kharkiv, Oleh Synyehubov, stated that the evacuation of civilians from the regional center is unnecessary, since the threat of the Russian army occupying the city is low. Synyehubov pointed out Russia is bombing various settlements in the region on a daily basis, including the city of Kharkiv. The governor said he is in permanent contact with the people in the Russian-held settlements, highlighting the fact that they want to live on the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, feeling their livelihood is under threat.

Veridica has already disproved a number of similarly false narratives. In April, the Russian media wrote that the inhabitants of Zaporizhzhia have called for the city’s annexation to the People’s Republic of Donetsk. In June, media outlets in Russia were publicizing narratives about hundreds of volunteers from Zaporizhzhia who will defend the region against the Ukrainian army. Additionally, the Russian media also wrote that southern Ukraine, liberated by the nationalists, wants to become part of the Russian Federation. All these fake news stories are designed to prepare the Russian public at home for a new phase of the aggression in Ukraine and for the expansion of the conflict to other regions.