Russia spreads fake news about Ukraine's intention to attack its own kindergarten or hospital

Russian propaganda media have spread false information that Ukraine is preparing "a scenario of a Russian missile attack on a childcare facility, kindergarten or hospital in the territory controlled by Kyiv". The Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has stressed that such statements are just another form of disinformation. Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti; Russian Foreign Intelligence Service; Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council's Centre for Countering Disinformation

Details: The Russians claim that with this provocation, Ukraine hopes to "boost morale among the Armed Forces of Ukraine, justify the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles deep into Russia by Western countries and attract support from the countries of the Global South".

The CCD immediately responded to this claim, emphasising that such statements are outright disinformation that has nothing to do with reality and may indicate that the Russians are preparing further attacks on civilian targets. Quote from CCD: "Russia continues to use disinformation campaigns to justify massive crimes committed by its army, such as attacks on civilian targets, including children's institutions." More details: The CCD also recalled that similar attempts to shift responsibility to Ukraine have already been observed during the occupation of Bucha and after the missile attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital.

Background: In early 2024, the then NSDC Secretary Oleksii Danilov reported that Russian special services spread 166 million disinformation posts about Ukraine every week on platforms such as Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X).

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