DISINFO: The Odesa massacre is the result of the violent policy of Ukraine's leaders
SUMMARY
The victims of the 2014 Odessa massacre are the victims of the violent policy of Ukrainian leadership.
RESPONSE
The claim above about the alleged Odesa massacre is a recurring element of pro-Kremlin disinformation that is aimed at fueling ethnic tensions between Russians and Ukrainians along with the ongoing Donbas War.
There is no evidence that the then-incumbent Ukrainian government was involved in the Odesa tragedy that took place on May 2, 2014. No trial has yet established the responsibilities of the different actors before a court. A total of 5 cases on trials and 3 investigations are currently ongoing. Media reported about the tragedy in May 2014: the BBC, the Guardian, the DW. A chronology of the events has been established (1 and 2) and a non-partisan documentary film by Ukrainian Channel 7 has collected testimonies: May 2nd without Myth.
These tragic events have nothing to do with political terror. A total of 48 people died that day, about 200 were wounded. Pro-Kremlin forces accuse Maidan leaders of instigating the clashes, claiming also that far-right nationalists burned dozens of people alive, while the Ukrainian side says that Moscow and its agents of influence in Ukraine are to blame for these violent events.
"Five years on, there has still not been any accountability for the killings of six and violent deaths of 42 individuals. Some of the criminal proceedings launched after the tragic events have stalled at the pre-trial investigation stage, while others did at the trial stage. This suggests a lack of genuine interest from the authorities to ensure justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators," reads an earlier, 2019 report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine about the tragedy.
See disinformation cases about the myths of the Odesa massacre created by pro-Kremlin media outlets here.