Fake: Ukrainians are holding Russian specialists hostage at Rivne NPP
The Russian representative office in the IAEA spreads a report that Ukraine is allegedly holding Russian nuclear specialists by force at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant. Everything related to nuclear sites remains the best boogeyman story that scares the Russians. In fact, though, there are no nuclear specialists from Russia working at the Rivne NPP. That’s according to a statement by Ukraine’s nuclear energy operator Energoatom. According to the available information, there were only four Russian armed guards who recently accompanied the cargo – nuclear fuel elements delivered to the RNPP even before the “special military operation” started. Since then, up until the moment of the unloading and transfer to the Ukrainian side, they were guarding it in line with contractual obligations. Now that the cargo has already been unloaded and the guards have left the territory of the NPP, they are in no hurry to leave the territory of Ukraine. Maybe they are in no rush to return to their homeland because it unleashed the war in the first place? By the way, they are nicely accommodated, with all necessities provided, staying in a hotel of their own free will. Meanwhile, at the Zaporizhia NPP, there are indeed 11 nuclear specialists representing Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy operator, who were definitely not invited by anyone. And it is they who entered the station with the help of Russian invasion forces, and remain there illegitimately. So this must be kept in mind when sharing news about “hostages.”
Fake: Russia is creating a humanitarian corridor to allow 67 foreign vessels leave Ukrainian ports. Foreign ships can’t leave so far over threats of Ukrainian mines and shelling.
As usual, Russia keeps trying to rescue someone and offer a helping hand, even when it’s not asked to as this hand is drenched in blood. Everyone has long gone wary of its “corridors.” Now it’s the ships that Russia is going to “rescue” from Ukrainian ports. And before that, Russians trumpeted that the Ukrainians had mined the sea area and that now 420 of them are set adrift in the Black Sea. Well, it’s a liar-liar-pants-on-fire situation… This is a traditional move on the part of the Russians – to scream that someone’s committing a crime to drive all suspicions away from themselves. First of all, where did they get such accurate data on the number of drifting mines? How can anyone count them and be aware of their location? It’s very simple, in fact, for someone who actually planted those mines. This implies that it’s Russia’s dirty act – well, if it’s not another fake story aimed to intimidate even more countries into halting all maritime traffic in the Black Sea. After all, Russia believes it’s not only Ukraine and Russia that should be afraid, but also Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. After all, they are all NATO allies so let their anxiety grow, right? It might grow, indeed, not only over Russia’s aggression but also of its stupidity. At the onset of war, there were about 80 vessels in Ukrainian ports, most of them foreign. Some were even attacked, one was drowned. Some crewmen were wounded and some were killed. Now that the mine threat has been voiced, the Kremlin, obviously, seeks to instill even more fear in the crews of foreign vessels so that they avoid not only Ukrainian ports but also those of Ukraine’s Black Sea neighbors. Meanwhile, playing its role of a “liberator,” Russia could indeed clear a safe corridor (by picking back up those 420 mines) to make sure everyone’s grateful to them and make their lies more believable.
Fake: Russians find Ukrainian “Capture of Crimea” medals
So here comes yet another attempt at justifying Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, which is aimed to explain why it was urgent and inevitable. In fact, since the first days of war, the Russians have been told that Ukraine allegedly planned to regain the temporarily territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions by force. The same allegedly applied to Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia. Also, propagandists claimed Ukraine was preparing to go to attack Russia or Belarus. Just like that. And so, Russia allegedly went for a “pre-emptive strike” by invading Ukraine! Now, the Kremlin’s RT agency posted on its Telegram channel a photo of what is claimed to be the “Capture of Crimea” medals that the Ukrainians had already minted. Now netizens are actively circulating across social networks the photos of these “medals,” allegedly discovered at a military draft station in parts of Kherson region now occupied by Russian forces. The Russians also claim the exact dates of this Ukrainian “operation” are known: Ukraine allegedly planned to regain Crimea in the spring of 2022, with the support of NATO allies. The ridiculous part of the fake story is the number of mistakes the Russian masterminds made in crating these “awards.” The “certificate” handed along with the medal says it was issued by the presidential “order” (I reality, it should be a “decree”). Also, Zelensky’s initials are printed as “V.A.”, while in Ukrainian it’s “V.O.” Also, the quality of paper used to print the certificate out is so poor it doesn’t even stand criticism. The certificate also lack a serial number and a stamp, but that’s not all… The very wording of the medal name is dubious. Had Ukraine wanted to produce such medals, they would say “Liberation”, not “Capture.”
Fake: “Nationalists” shoot civilians in Chernihiv for asking to flee city
In their latest report, Russian defense officials tell another horror story about Ukrainian “nationalists,” this time claiming they shoot civilians in Chernihiv who ask permission to flee the city for safer areas. It is also claimed that more than half of the 120,000 residents remaining in the city are sick and not provided medical assistance. But whose fault is this in the first place that these people can’t get proper medical care? Isn’t it because Russia’s “liberation” efforts that Chernihiv hospitals have been deenergized, along with the rest of the city? Before the invasion, the city was a thriving location, up until those Russian “liberators” came to try to besiege it. By the way, Chernihiv is one of Ukraine’s large cities that are geographically located relevantly close to Russia, and people there were generally positively inclined toward the Russians. Today, however, their stance is quite the opposite. And still, Russian propaganda is trying to convince own population, including through such horror stories, that the inhabitants of Chernihiv had to be freed from the rule of monster nationalists… Remember how people were killed while standing in line for bread? The Russians were told that these were not the invasion forces who were responsible for the atrocity. Now the Russians are being told that the nationalists shoot their own people. These claims by the Russian defense officials are all about trying to intimidate own citizens and convince them that the war is a right thing to pursue. Following the Russian government’s logic, everyone who supports Ukraine are Nazis. But it’s 141 UN member states who do, as well as the Pope, Elon Musk, the Olympic Committee… Are they all Nazis, too? Or perhaps it is, in Russia, on the contrary, where Nazism has reached a terrifying scale? Perhaps it has been installed into the Russian minds? Meanwhile, it’s a real catastrophe being observed in Chernihiv, the city that is now on the verge of survival, the city whose outskirts of have been wiped out by shelling and bombing. Half of the population has already fled the city, while among the remaining 130,000 there are indeed many sick and weak. Today, Chernihiv is completely cut off from Kyiv, because the Russians bombed the bridge across the Desna River, which had been used to ship humanitarian aid to the city and evacuate civilians. Now the locals say the Russians are compiling lists of the civilians for evacuation to Russia’s Kursk region. So, having severed Chernihiv’s connection with the capital, the Russians have practically turned its inhabitants into r hostages, forcing people to get evacuated to Russia, but the locals still refuse, defying threats of reprisals. These are not just war crimes, these are crimes against humanity that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.