Russia’s disinformation over chemical attacks and threat of dam destruction

In its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has consistently used disinformation as a tool to manipulate public opinion and justify its actions. 

Recently, Russian media have spread false narratives about Ukraine planning chemical attacks while simultaneously threatening the destruction of dams near Kyiv. These tactics aim to discredit Ukraine and incite fear, both domestically and internationally.

Fabricated chemical attack accusations

On July 12, Russian Telegram channels began circulating claims that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing to launch chemical attacks on the Donetsk and Kherson fronts. 

The Center for Countering Disinformation in Ukraine refuted these allegations, emphasizing that Ukraine adheres strictly to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

According to the Center’s statement, “Such accusations from Russian sources are blatant fabrications aimed at discrediting Ukraine in the eyes of the international community and weakening its support from Western allies.” 

The statement further highlighted that Russia itself has a documented history of using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, often boasting about these violations on social media.

Threats of dam destruction

In a parallel narrative, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made a provocative statement on July 12, alleging that Ukraine planned to destroy the Kyiv Hydroelectric Station and the Kaniv Reservoir dam. She asserted that false accusations of Russia in these attacks would be expected.

• https://t.me/tass_agency/260253

Maria Zakharova referred to a report by the World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, which modeled potential flood scenarios in the event of dam failures. Under this pretext, she accused Ukraine of preparing attacks on its own dams.

Ukraine: Russia tries to mislead international media

The Ukrainian government has denied Russia’s claims. The Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized that the Kremlin’s claims aim to incite fear among Ukrainians and promote narratives that advocate for “peace at any cost,” implying Ukraine’s surrender.

Kyiv provided reassurance that the dams in question are under strict security and resistant to missile strikes and sabotage.

In response to Russian accusations that Ukraine is allegedly preparing to destroy the Kyiv HPP and the Kaniv reservoir dams, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called on the international media not to cite Russian sources without providing context about their history of deceit. “There can be no realistic purpose or motive for Ukraine to destroy its own infrastructure or endanger its own people,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The real purpose of Moscow’s statements is to intimidate Ukrainian society and mislead the international community and media. Russia has demonstrated this strategy many times before: accusing others of what it does or plans to do,” the statement reads.

Russia’s strategy of accusing Ukraine of the very crimes it commits itself is not new. Following the June 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, Russia accused Ukraine, despite evidence of Russian involvement in the explosion. 

False accusations serve to obscure Russia’s violations and aggression. It’s essential for global media outlets to be vigilant when facing these deceptive practices, as citing the Kremlin’s assertions without context, facts, and the history of their claims can easily turn into spreading Russian disinformation. 

In light of the ongoing Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, these false accusations from Moscow suggest that Russia may be preparing strikes on the dams mentioned near Kyiv.