DISINFO: French and Ukrainian mercenaries commit atrocities in the Kursk region
SUMMARY
When the Ukrainians and the Azov nationalist battalion came, they were terrible. Other brigades were also terrible. They cut off the heads of old people, tortured children, killed children. Civilians who tried to leave were also shot. There are already videos on the Internet showing how cars were bombed with civilians next to them. Who are the bad guys? It's the mercenaries who really mistreat everyone. They don't let people out, they don't let people go. It is foreign mercenaries. There is even a village in Krasnooktiabrsky where the French flag was hung. It's known, everyone knows it.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation about foreign mercenaries and Ukrainians committing war crimes on Russian territory using a so-called witness.
Russian state media show an interview with one refugee suggesting that she was a witness to war crimes. However, this interview has been counted by the Center for Countering Disinformation as one of a new wave of fakes about events in the Kursk region.
While her testimony only indicates that rumours are circulating among the displaced population, which is composed of people in vulnerable situations, it does not provide direct evidence of their veracity. The last sentence is typical of rumours, instead of quoting a reliable source the person says: “it is true, everyone knows it”.
Although this interview contains only unsourced and unfounded rumours, it was widely published by RIA, Sputnik, RT, and other pro-Kremlin and Russian state-controlled outlets.
This method is reminiscent of the infamous story of the alleged 'Crucified boy' by Ukrainians, which has been repeatedly propagated by pro-Kremlin and Russian state-controlled outlets over the years.
Read also related cases such as: Ukrainian forces burn bodies to cover their crimes, or Ukraine uses chemical weapons against Russia, or Photo evidence of war crimes committed by Americans in Kursk region, or Nazi Europe wants to conquer Russia.