DISINFO: Russia strictly observes humanitarian law and only hits military targets
SUMMARY
Slowing down the pace of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine is a deliberate decision and is due to the desire to reduce the number of civilian casualties.
During the special operation, we (Russian Armed Forces) strictly observe the rules of humanitarian law. We hit the military infrastructures, positions, control points, military airfields of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with high-precision weapons.
Everything is being done to avoid casualties among the civilian population.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The material and links may contain distressing/graphic content.
What really aggravates the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is Russia’s targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas, which has led to numerous victims among civilians. There is ample evidence of Russian military crimes in Ukraine in the town of Bucha, Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Odesa and other places.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 13,477 civilian casualties in the country: 5,587 killed and 7,890 injured by 22 August UN mission update, and at least 972 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured by 22 August UNICEF data.
There is plenty of evidence of attacks on civilian targets: attacks on cultural properties; attacks on hospitals and medical care facilities; Mariupol theatre airstrike; Mariupol hospital airstrike; mass shelling of residential areas; bombing of Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Kremenchuk, etc.
Attacks on health continue unabated, 473 WHO-verified attacks recorded this past half-year in Ukraine, resulting in at least 98 deaths and 134 injuries. Dozens of attacks were made also on ambulances, warehouses and stocks of medicines, valuable medical equipment.
Read more about Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.
See other cases in our database: Accusations about Russian military war crimes are unacceptable: a lot of fakes on this topic; The Russian military does not strike civilian infrastructure.
See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.