Attributing “attacks” on civilians during evacuation to the Ukrainian Armed Forces

What it claims

Ukrainian soldiers are portrayed as a threat to the civilian population, allegedly planning attacks on evacuation corridors. Such reports aim to cast the Russian army as the sole “savior” of civilians in the combat zone.

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.

• Ukrainian militants planned to attack the civilians of Kostiantynivka during their evacuation by Russian assault troops.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 10 Aug 2026

  t.me/MonitoringUA/94222

• A Russian reconnaissance drone spotted a Ukrainian soldier in the bushes preparing to strike a civilian evacuation corridor.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 10 Aug 2026

  t.me/MonitoringUA/94222

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 discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eyes of the local population and justify Russian aggression as a “liberation mission.”

Techniques used

• Name Calling or LabelingUsing the term “Ukrainian militants” to dehumanize AFU service members.
• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceClaims about planned attacks on civilians hiding in basements.

The real grievance it exploits

The fear of civilians being caught in the crossfire or targeted while attempting to flee a combat zone.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Note the use of emotionally charged labels and the lack of independent verification. Russian sources systematically create staged “rescue” videos to hide the fact that the Russian invasion itself forced people into basements.

Sources (all time)

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 135,164 subscribers
  1 post · 27 Aug 2026

  • 27 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37871
• Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВОTier 115,791 subscribers
  1 post · 10 Aug 2026

  • 10 Aug · t.me/MonitoringUA/94222
• FREE KHERSONTier 38,608 subscribers
  4 posts · 14–22 Aug 2026

  • 22 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17947
  • 16 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17811
  • 14 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17761
  • 14 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/17759