Shifting responsibility for the war onto Ukraine through the image of a “forced response”

What it claims

Russia’s invasion is cast as a forced response to a war that Ukraine had supposedly already been waging against Russia. Accusations of “Russophobia,” camps, and attacks on civilians are reduced to an explanation for the start of the war. Ukrainian strikes on targets in Russia are also labeled as the original cause of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

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.

• Russia was forced to start the war because Ukraine was already fighting it and persecuting Russians.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 1 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

• Ukrainian drones are used mainly to strike buses, food trucks, and fuel tankers.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 9 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To reduce the Russian audience’s sense of state responsibility for starting the war, justify its continuation, and portray strikes on Ukraine as retaliation rather than a consequence of Russian decisions.

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationThe war is explained through a single causal line: Ukraine supposedly attacked first, while Russia merely responded.
• Appeal to AuthorityStatements by Russia’s president are presented as conclusive proof that the invasion left “no choice.”

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits grief over losses, anxiety for loved ones, and fear of further war and strikes on civilian infrastructure. In such circumstances, a simple explanation that shifts all blame onto an external enemy can feel psychologically easier.

How to counter

• Fact-check: Chronology should be checked separately from political justifications: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022. A statement by an official does not establish causes or responsibility.
• Technique exposure: Notice the “they started it” tactic: it erases the sequence of events and turns any later action by the other side into a justification for war. Ask which exact event is named as the cause, when it occurred, and whether independent evidence supports it.

Sources (all time)

• Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВОTier 115,782 subscribers
  11 posts · 1–14 Oct 2026

  • 14 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95899
  • 14 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95889
  • 9 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95780
  • 9 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95776
  • 9 Oct · Archived copy
  • 1 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95536
  • 1 Oct · Archived copy
  • 1 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95534
  • 1 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95535
  • 1 Oct · t.me/MonitoringUA/95533
  • +1 more
• Open Ukraine| Открытая УкраинаTier 1180,375 subscribers
  2 posts · 16 Oct 2026

  • 16 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103760
  • 16 Oct · t.me/OpenUkraine/103758
• Евгений МураевTier 186,883 subscribers
  2 posts · 30 Sept – 7 Oct 2026

  • 7 Oct · t.me/murayevUA/1327
  • 30 Sept · t.me/murayevUA/1312