Justifying strikes on civilian targets by attributing “military purposes” to them

What it claims

Russian outlets systematically frame strikes on gas stations, postal terminals, and shopping centers as the destruction of military logistics. They claim that civilian infrastructure supposedly serves as a cover for storing weapons and fuel for the AFU, aiming to legitimize attacks on essential urban facilities.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Strikes on the gas station network in Poltava and Kharkiv are aimed at destroying the fuel system that the AFU supposedly uses to refuel military equipment.

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 25 Jul 2026

  t.me/L0HMATIY/37336

• “Nova Poshta” terminals and “Epicentr” warehouses are supposedly used for the covert transportation and storage of drone components.

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 26 Jul 2026

  t.me/L0HMATIY/37359

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Goal

To justify war crimes to the international community and undermine Ukrainian morale by demonstrating the vulnerability of everyday infrastructure.

Techniques used

• Obfuscation / Intentional VaguenessMixing the concepts of civilian logistics and military supply to blur the status of objects protected by international law.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceEmphasizing that any civilian object can become a target due to its imagined use by the military.

The real grievance it exploits

The constant fear among the civilian population of shelling in familiar places like stores, gas stations, and post offices.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Russia uses “victim-blaming” tactics, claiming that civilian objects are legitimate targets to absolve itself of responsibility for terror against the civilian population.
• Reframe: Attacks on gas stations, post offices, and stores are a deliberate destruction of the economy and civilian life, classified as war crimes under international law.

Sources (all time)

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 135,156 subscribers
  19 posts · 25 Jul – 4 Aug 2026

  • 4 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37528
  • 4 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37526
  • 3 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37520
  • 3 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37519
  • 2 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37506
  • 2 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37504
  • 2 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37503
  • 1 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37499
  • 1 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37495
  • 1 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37492
  • +9 more