Russian FM's cynical justification for occupation of Ukrainian regions: What is known
Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russia has fabricated a fake story about alleged "horrific attacks" by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on civilians in occupied parts of the Kherson region. It then used these false claims to justify refusing to return Ukraine’s own territory, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
As usual, the Russian Foreign Ministry distorted the real situation and accused Ukrainian forces of attacking civilians in the town of Oleshky, located in the occupied part of the Kherson region.
The ministry claimed that Ukraine’s Defense Forces allegedly struck a marketplace in Oleshky, supposedly killing seven people and injuring another twenty. According to their statement, there were not just one, but allegedly two drone strikes.
Using this fabricated story as justification, the Russian Foreign Ministry once again claimed that Ukraine has no right to reclaim its own territories, and that Moscow does not intend to return them.
"It is absolutely clear that behind these unfounded claims (from Kyiv – ed.) lies the so-called restoration of Ukraine within its 1991 borders. Naturally, Russia will never allow such a scenario to be realized," the ministry stated.
What really happened in Oleshky
In reality, Ukrainian defenders carried out a precision strike using FPV drones on Russian troops who were hiding among civilians at a marketplace in Oleshky.
According to the WarArchivе Telegram channel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine identified the location of Russian soldiers who were using the presence of civilians as cover. To avoid civilian casualties, Ukrainian forces used FPV kamikaze drones for targeted strikes. As a result, the enemy position was destroyed, and five personnel, who were casually smoking cigarettes, were eliminated.
It was reported that no civilians were killed, but Russian forces used the incident to once again lie to the world and cover up their own recklessness.
Kremlin's disinformation
Russia has repeatedly spread falsehoods about Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Recently, Russian propaganda launched a new phase of a large-scale disinformation campaign, fueled by false reports of the so-called "complete liberation" of the Kursk region. The campaign focused on alleged "atrocities committed by the AFU," including widely circulated fake stories about supposed killings and executions of civilians by Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
In addition, Russian forces attacked the city of Pavlohrad with drones on April 25, killing three people. In an attempt to shift blame, Russia fabricated a story claiming that the destruction of residential buildings in Pavlohrad was supposedly caused by Ukrainian air defense systems.
