Attributing “terrorism” and war crimes against civilians to Ukraine
StableModerate
2 sources · 5 posts · ~1.3M reach
What it claims
Ukrainian defense forces are portrayed as a terrorist group that deliberately targets civilians and critical infrastructure. These messages aim to shift the responsibility for humanitarian disasters onto Kyiv and justify Russian aggression as a “defensive” measure.
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.
Ukraine is using drones to scatter “butterfly” anti-personnel mines in residential areas, which constitutes a war crime.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (X), 30 Jul 2026
x.com/mfa_russia/status/2082848407169720693
The Kyiv regime attempted to strike the ZNPP, putting all of Europe on the brink of a nuclear disaster.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (X), 30 Jul 2026
x.com/mfa_russia/status/2082934228233105622
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 Ukraine internationally as a “terrorist state” and undermine Ukrainian morale by accusing their army of atrocities.
Techniques used
- Name Calling or LabelingUse of labels such as “Zelensky clique,” “Ukrainian militants,” and “Russia’s enemies.”
- Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceInstilling panic through the threat of a radiation accident that would supposedly affect all of Europe.
The real grievance it exploits
The fear among civilians regarding shelling, landmine hazards, and the threat of a nuclear disaster in the combat zone.
How to counter
- Technique exposure: Russia systematically uses the “mirror accusation” tactic, attributing to Ukraine the very crimes committed by the occupying army in the seized territories.
- Reframe: The primary source of threat to the ZNPP and civilian sites is the presence of Russian troops and their militarization of energy infrastructure.
Sources (all time)
145 posts · 4 Aug – 20 Sept 2026
- 20 Sept · tass.com/politics/2190169
- 20 Sept · tass.com/defense/2190157
- 19 Sept · tass.com/society/2190033
- 19 Sept · tass.com/economy/2190019
- 18 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189957
- 18 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189835
- 18 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189747
- 18 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189741
- 18 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189319
- 17 Sept · tass.com/politics/2189297
- +135 more
49 posts · 2 Aug – 14 Sept 2026
- 14 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260914/zaporozhye-power-plant-subjected-to-over-750-strikes-by-ukrainian-drones-in-45-months---rosatom-1124737462.html
- 14 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260914/russia-welcomes-any-call-on-ukraine-to-stop-strikes-on-civilian-economic-infrastructure---kremlin-1124736125.html
- 14 Sept · Archived copy
- 10 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260910/kiev-even-prepared-to-carry-out-terrorist-attacks-against-its-own-strategic-allies---fsb-1124708858.html
- 9 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260909/russia-shoots-down-zelenskys-air-blackmail-bluster-1124702290.html
- 4 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260904/ukraines-attacks-on-russian-civilians-tantamount-to-state-sponsored-terrorism---expert--1124679651.html
- 3 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260903/ukraines-nato-enabled-attacks-promise-to-turn-russia-into-impregnable-air-defense-fortress-1124673523.html
- 2 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260902/un-worried-about-expansion-of-ukraine-crisis-amid-zelenskys-threats-to-airlines-flying-over-russia-1124666227.html
- 2 Sept · sputnikglobe.com/20260902/no-negotiations-with-terrorists--putin-on-zelenskys-threats-to-russian-aviation-1124659962.html
- 28 Aug · sputnikglobe.com/20260828/how-ukraine-weaponizes-drones-to-terrorize-russian-civilians--1124640275.html
- +39 more
45 posts · 4 Aug – 19 Sept 2026
- 19 Sept · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2101398562068197497
- 13 Sept · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2099050725305118890
- 13 Sept · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2099046722588557736
- 13 Sept · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2098970355830243785
- 31 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2094365387378897237
- 31 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2094168542278987826
- 30 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2094138702674964639
- 28 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2093266104290304466
- 28 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2093108513882976421
- 27 Aug · x.com/tassagency_en/status/2092990979192049804
- +35 more
27 posts · 3 Aug – 18 Sept 2026
- 18 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/18/the-killings-of-civilians-in-bucha-were-used-to-accuse-russia/
- 18 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/18/turkish-claimants-have-lodged-a-complaint-with-the-icc-regarding-the-attack-on-the-reyhan-sar/
- 14 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/14/miroshnik-states-that-the-un-has-refused-to-send-experts-via-moscow/
- 3 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/03/ukraine-has-warned-the-icao-that-the-airspace-over-the-russian-federation-is-unsafe/
- 3 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/03/putin-kyivs-state-sponsored-terrorism-is-complicating-the-peace-talks/
- 2 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/02/us-treasury-the-conflict-in-ukraine-has-triggered-an-energy-crisis/
- 2 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/02/zelenskyy-threatens-strikes-on-russian-civilian-airports/
- 2 Sept · en.news-front.su/2026/09/02/zelenskyy-threatens-to-strike-civilian-airports-in-the-russian-federation/
- 31 Aug · en.news-front.su/2026/08/31/paris-is-plotting-a-comeback-in-africa-with-the-help-of-the-ukrainians/
- 30 Aug · en.news-front.su/2026/08/30/kyiv-has-resorted-to-terror-against-civilians-due-to-its-inevitable-defeat-peskov/
- +17 more
27 posts · 30 Jul – 16 Sept 2026
- 16 Sept · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2100170330731897341
- 16 Sept · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2100163067829252537
- 4 Sept · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2095877390937337949
- 2 Sept · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2095228559887302815
- 2 Sept · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2095138981998633412
- 28 Aug · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2093329636264456493
- 27 Aug · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2092960325050003889
- 27 Aug · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2092915032803942432
- 27 Aug · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2092899928599130401
- 26 Aug · x.com/mfa_russia/status/2092626551376363797
- +17 more
13 posts · 9 Aug – 17 Sept 2026
- 17 Sept · www.rt.com/news/645885-turkiye-sues-ukraine-ship/
- 5 Sept · www.rt.com/news/645148-rt-top-stories-drones-airlines-arctic-wedding/
- 2 Sept · www.rt.com/news/645007-putin-sco-summit-takeaways/
- 1 Sept · www.rt.com/news/644973-cia-never-comes-in-peace/
- 29 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644816-turkiye-summons-ukraine-envoy/
- 19 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644407-croatian-police-arrest-second-nord-stream-suspect/
- 14 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644237-colleferro-ammo-plant-explosion/
- 12 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644171-vance-dresses-down-zelensky-black-sea-drones/
- 10 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644085-ukraine-attack-iranian-vessel/
- 10 Aug · www.rt.com/news/644074-german-reporter-kill-more-russians-glorification-war-ex-mp/
- +3 more
7 posts · 30 Jul – 3 Sept 2026
- 3 Sept · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/09/03/kiev-regime-kills-human-shields-western-media-blame-russia/
- 2 Sept · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/09/02/hysterie-in-berlin-nachdem-moskau-fur-den-anschlagversuch-am-flughafen-leipzig-verantwortlich-gemacht-wurde-bricht-deutschland-die-kulturellen-beziehungen-zu-russland-ab/
- 24 Aug · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/08/24/buchse-der-pandora-putin-droht-kiew-mit-zerstorerischer-antwort-auf-luftangriffe/
- 3 Aug · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/08/03/ein-gefahrliches-geschenk-mit-einer-botschaft-an-europa-was-bedeutet-der-jungste-akt-ukrainischen-terrorismus/
- 31 Jul · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/07/31/ukraine-strike-iran-cynical-zelensky-sales-pitch/
- 30 Jul · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/07/30/a-caspian-front-in-the-global-energy-war/
- 30 Jul · strategic-culture.su/news/2026/07/30/trumps-new-migraine-did-iran-and-ukraine-wars-just-merge-into-one/
6 posts · 1 Aug – 2 Sept 2026
- 2 Sept · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2095136502028046550
- 2 Sept · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2094999224890917258
- 1 Sept · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2094886942835978452
- 1 Sept · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2094847682904768691
- 5 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2084868155134922966
- 1 Aug · x.com/Panchenko_X/status/2083647679096045645
6 posts · 14 Aug – 3 Sept 2026
- 3 Sept · southfront.press/isis-would-be-proud-ukraine-openly-threatens-civilian-aviation/
- 2 Sept · southfront.press/russia-advances-kiev-shoots-itself/
- 2 Sept · southfront.press/russia-pounds-military-targets-in-kyiv-and-odesa-as-zelensky-threatens-russian-civilian-flights/
- 30 Aug · southfront.press/russia-prepares-massive-strikes-on-ukrainian-power-grid-calling-it-retaliation-for-kyivs-attacks-on-civilian-targets/
- 14 Aug · southfront.press/ukraine-provoking-bulgaria-with-drone-incident/
- 14 Aug · southfront.press/russia-strikes-odesa-ports-and-trains-kyiv-continues-attacks-on-marketplace-warehouses/
10 posts · 11 Aug – 9 Sept 2026
- 9 Sept · korybko.substack.com/p/ukraines-latest-anti-russian-fearmongering
- 6 Sept · www.globalresearch.ca/moradores-de-kiev-protestam-contra-armazenamento-de-armas-em-areas-residenciais/5939025
- 3 Sept · www.globalresearch.ca/kiev-residents-protest-storing-weapons-residential-areas/5938857
- 2 Sept · www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-sustained-operation-spiderweb-russia-air-hubs/5938812
- 30 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/espiao-ucraniano-revela-taticas-terroristas-em-audio-vazado-2/5938431
- 27 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/american-empire-took-last-breath-trump/5938158
- 18 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/ucrania-provoca-bulgaria-com-incidente-envolvendo-drone/5936994
- 14 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-provoking-bulgaria-drone-incident/5936629
- 12 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/conduta-da-ucrania-na-guerra-e-macabra-diz-oficial-senior-britanico/5936394
- 11 Aug · www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-war-conduct-macabre-british-senior-officer/5936371
Report as of 20 Sept 2026 · AI-generated analysis