Fake: U.S. to send ex-Afghan National Army soldiers to war zone in Ukraine, as per RIA Novosti.
So here come the “trained Afghans.” Now Russia’s RIA Novosti is claiming that the Americans will send Afghans into Ukraine to help the country fight off Russian invasion. They have even already calculated their estimated number. The media outlet suggests this will be a group of 400 ex-military of the Afghan National Army, armed with American weapons. The United States is ready to fight in Ukraine at the hands of former members of the Afghan National Army, the Russians are being told. The source of such report, as usual, remains a secret, with all boiling down to an “anonymous source.” Well, no wonder it’s this way because there are simply no facts or public statements confirming the intentions of the United States to send any troops into Ukraine. The outlet even fails to mention the source’s origin or approximate position. So much for the “anonymous” source’s credibility… But the Kremlin simply seeks new ways to try to intimidate the domestic audience and maintain the anxiety level! Such statements are aimed to spur people’s belief that Russia is not an aggressor, merely being forced to purge the alleged threat coming the United States or NATO. Joe Biden has repeatedly said that the U.S. military will not set their foot into Ukraine. This was way before Russia launched its “special operation,” and nothing has changed ever since. Well, except that after February 24, he announced that American troops would not participate in the war between Russia and Ukraine, but would strengthen the NATO allies in Eastern Europe. While in Poland, Biden reiterated his statement that the American forces in Europe are not to participate in the war, but are set to protect NATO allies. By the way, the Afghan National Army effectively collapsed under the onslaught of the Taliban after the U.S. withdrew its troops in August 2021. The army left behind its bases, weapons, and vehicles, which were subsequently taken over by the Taliban. Military officials were evacuated on the last flights from Kabul, but many ordinary soldiers remained in Afghanistan. So we still have to figure out what kind of forces exactly the Russian media claim the Americans are supposed to deploy in Ukraine.
Fake: Kharkiv residents being blocked by neo-Nazis, held hostage by militants as human shields.
Russian defense officials have issued an update on the situation in Kharkiv. A military official claimed that the Ukrainian forces are blocking city residents from fleeing the city – that’s according to TASS.
Kharkiv residents are being allegedly blocked by neo-Nazis and held hostage by militants as human shields. In addition, according to the official, the nationalists are installing heavy military equipment in residential areas and setting up firing points in apartment blocks. This is all being done by militants who are fulfilling a direct order from Kyiv” to use any property and equipment of the civilian population they need, enter apartments, and equip firing points there, the report claims. At the slightest discontent of the owners, the forces are allegedly allowed to shoot them on the spot. The same kind of boogeyman stories have already been spun as regards Mariupol, the city that Russia says was destroyed by… Ukrainians themselves (what?!) Both Mariupol and Kharkiv remain under constant fire by the Russian liberators – simply because they refused to surrender. Of course, it was a major setoff for Russian troops as they were promised that the locals would be meeting them with flowers while Ukrainian forces would lay down their arms within days. The real picture on the ground though turned out to be completely different. So if they aren’t surrendering, they must be destroyed. That’s according to Russian logic. At the same time, another fairy tale must be designed to justify Russian actions and condemn some mythical “nationalists.” But the truth is completely different. In fact, Kharkiv used to be a city quite loyal to the Russians – right until the Kremlin unleashed the war. Now it’s totally Russia’s fault that things have turned upside down. As they say, there’s just one step between love and hate. In this case, it’s one shot. Here’s some stats to get the general picture… The city mayor regularly reports on the destruction and victims and that he is not going to give up. As a result of Russian shelling and airstrikes in Kharkiv, almost 1,200 apartment blocks, 53 kindergartens, 69 schools, and 15 hospitals have already been destroyed. The Russian army purposefully, he emphasized, attacks residential areas. These are not just individual households, but entire neighborhoods. Residents are subjected to full-out bombardment, are forced to shelter in basements and subway stations. The Russians open indiscriminate fire using Grad and Smerch MLR systems. Just recently, Russian troops fired at a local post office, killing six and injuring 17. This is all information from open sources, easy to verify. So Kharkiv is being attacked by Russian “liberators” rather than being “blocked” by Ukrainian “Nazis,” “militants,” or whatever.
