DISINFO: Russia’s massive attack targeted Ukrainian military facilities 17 Nov 2024
SUMMARY
Russia launched a massive attack against military facilities from Ukraine on 17 November 2024. The Russian armed forces hit airfield infrastructures and critical facilities in Ukraine in the latest journey of the special military operation.
RESPONSE
The claim is a distortion of the facts. Russia’s massive attack with more than 120 missiles and 90 drones on 17 November 2024 mainly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian buildings. This makes the 17 Nov. attacks among the most heavy ones since the Feb. 2022.
These attacks are part of a systematic campaign since 2022 to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid and exhaust the Ukrainian population, especially in the winter. While according to international law some of the targets may be legitimate if they serve a military purpose, both the UN, legal scholars and human rights groups agree that this destruction campaign is almost certainly a violation of international law. According to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry, Russia has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities since October 2022.
By describing the targets of this attack as linked to military activities, this disinformation clainm aims to frame this massive bombing as legal, as part of a wider effort to portray Russia as a responsible military actor and deflect criticism of its illicit war actions. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia only attacks military facilities in Ukraine, that Ukraine violates international humanitarian law while Russia respects it, that war crimes accusations are war propaganda against Russia , or that claims that Russia intentionally targeted civilian objects are completely untrue.