Part 2. Tactical methodology of russian propaganda: how to justify the killing of civilians

This is the second part of the article on the methods of russian propaganda that the russian government uses to start and continue war. Since Ukraine is not the first victim of russia's fascist policy towards "brotherly nations", we have the opportunity to factually confirm the military algorithms of the aggressor.

We remind you that in the first part of the article we talked about the example of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2022 how the russian government starts a war. 

In this article, we will consider the methodology of the russian government for the shelling and bombing of civilian objects. For examples we use current events in Ukraine.

Before we begin, we would like to note that the main position of russian propaganda is the statement that "we do not shoot at civilian targets". This position is broadcast everywhere: to the population of russia, to the political circle of other countries, and even to the Ukrainians. But the truth is that civilian objects are under attack. And if there is evidence of guilt of the russian military, the propaganda begins to justify them using a pre-established "methodology".

General scheme to justify shelling of civilian objects

1. Make a statement that "Azov militants have settled in a specific building or place." Or to say that "Ukrainian nationalist groups" can use a specific place to provoke russia.
2. Bomb and / or artillery strike on the announced object.
3. If civilians are injured in the attack, and this information begins to enter the russian media, make an official statement: "The accusation is fake, russian troops do not strike at civilians".
4. If information continues to spread and new evidence emerges, continue to claim that this is a provocation and that in fact the building housed militants of nationalist groups.

Justification of attacks on civilian objects in Ukraine – 2022

As it was with the maternity hospital in Mariupol

1. Maria Zakharova said that: "in Mariupol, the Ukrainian National Battalion, removing personnel and patients from the maternity hospital, equipped firing positions in it" – 09.03.2022
2. russian troops fired on the maternity hospital – 09.03.2022
3. The russian government claims that the shelling of the building is a completely staged fake – 10.03.2022
4. russian government calls explosion of maternity hospital in Mariupol "pre-planned provocation of Azov militants" – 16.03.2022

Look for the fact-checking of the explosion in the Mariupol maternity here – Molfar investigation. 

As it was with the drama theater in Mariupol

1. The Telegram channel "News Aggregator of the People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk" (previously occupied and annexed territories by russia) reported that the Mariupol Drama Theater is preparing a sabotage by militants from Ukraine – 12.03.2022
2. russian militants dropped a bomb on the building of the drama theater, which according to various estimates housed up to 1,500 civilians – 16.03.2022
3. The russian government blamed the explosion of Azov militants, calling the explosion a provocation and discrediting the russian military – 16.03.2022
4. russian media continue to claim that the explosion in the drama theater is a fake, and that the destruction was caused by the detonation of a mine-laden building by the Ukrainian military in order to "provoke russia" – 17.03.2022

In fact, the blast was caused by russian militants, the Molfar team was investigating the incident for the British media The Times. 

As it was in the center of Donetsk with the Tochka-U missile

1. A rally of women of the Donetsk region in the center of Donetsk against violent mobilization of men by the DNR authorities is planned for March 14 – 14.03.2022
2. Russian troops fired on the center of Donetsk from the Tochka-U missile system – 14.03.2022
3. Immediately after the shelling, the administration of the occupied city accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the explosion, promptly revealing all the details and providing video prepared in advance – 14.03.2022
4. russian media accuse the Western media of publishing fakes about the shelling of Donetsk – 16.03.2022

Details of the event can of course be found in the Molfar team's investigation into the strike in the center of Donetsk.

As it was with ammonia at the chemical plant in Sumy

1. russian propaganda made statement that "Ukrainian nationalists are preparing provocations in Sumy with ammonia" – 19.03.2022
2. russian troops fired on ammonia tanks in Sumy – 21.03.2022
3. russian government accuses Ukrainian nationalists of shelling – 21.03.2022
4. russian media say that the explosion in Sumy is a fake, and the leak of ammonia occurred due to non-compliance with safety standards of plant workers – 21.03.2022

We did not conduct a separate investigation into this event, as there is enough evidence that russian propaganda uses an identical scenario to justify the destruction of public facilities and killing civilians. And to confirm this we propose again to return to Georgia in 2008. 

Justification for attacks on civilian objects in Georgia – 2008

As it was in the case with the bombing of the city of Gori

1. Georgian TV company "Rustavi-2" reported the shelling of the city of Gori by three Su-24 of the russian Air Force, one of which was shot down – 08.08.2008
2. The russian government says that most of the news about the shelling is fake – 09.08.2008
3. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the russian federation refuted the allegations of the Georgian side that the russian combat aircraft strikes at Georgian settlements – 11.08.2008
4. Despite the decision of the international court and the accusations from Georgia, the representatives of the russian federation ex post facto say that they were forced to use force – decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of 21.01.2021

We also propose to additionally consider the case, which provides an example of the behavior of the russian government after the end of hostilities. When the shelling stopped, russia "long-distance" continued to accuse Georgia to justify its military aggression in the future.

As it was when Russia accused Georgia of genocide of Ossetians

1. To justify its illegal actions, russia has blamed Georgia for the genocide of South Ossetians. In August 2008, russian media repeatedly accused the Georgian military of shooting civilians – 18.08.2008
2. In late 2008, the George W. Bush administration denied genocide in Georgia – 23.12.2008
3. According to the main provisions of the EU report on russia's war with Georgia, the allegations of genocide against Georgia by russia and South Ossetia had no evidence. The number of dead and injured on the South Ossetian side was much lower (162 people) than originally claimed by the russian side (approximately two thousand dead) – 30.09.2009
4. In 2019, President Putin continues to accuse Georgia of the historic genocide of 1919-1920 – 13.07.2019

Conclusions on the tactical methodology of the russian Federation for shelling of residential facilities and killing of civilians

1. russia continues its policy of aggression towards the territories of neighboring countries.
2. To justify its aggression and deny the facts of war crimes, the russian government is working according to the methodology: there are nationalists, they shoot themselves, there are lots of fakes everywhere, we bring peace to everyone around.
3. It always ends in assassinations and war, in which the aggressor is the imperial government of russia.

We hope that after this material there will be no more questions about who russia is and with what peace it goes to others. When you do an investigation, you see far more facts than you state. But even these facts are enough to get an idea of the russian federation, which attacked Ukraine and which will very much regret it very soon. 

The article was prepared by the Molfar team

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