Russia fabricates cynical fake to justify strikes on Ukrainian trains
Photo: Russia fabricated a fake claim about the military and civilian trains in Ukraine (facebook.com/Ukrzaliznytsia)
Russian propaganda is spreading a fake claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are allegedly using civilian trains for military purposes. The Russians are doing this to justify their systematic attacks, according to a statement from the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Propagandists claim that Ukrainian railway workers allegedly transferred part of the civilian rolling stock to the military, which supposedly led to the cancellation of some routes in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions.
At the same time, the Russians provide no evidence to support their claims. They also ignore the fact that it is the attacks by the aggressor state that cause changes in train schedules or the cancellation of certain routes.
"By spreading lies about the 'use of civilian trains by the military,' Kremlin propagandists are trying to justify the systematic strikes by Russian forces on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, including railway stations and passenger trains," the Center for Countering Disinformation said in a statement.
The Center explained that through such fabricated accusations, Russia is attempting to legitimize strikes on civilian infrastructure.
"In reality, strikes on railway infrastructure are carried out by the forces of the aggressor state as part of terror against the civilian population and have no military justification whatsoever," the statement said.
Strikes on Ukraine’s railways
On March 14, a Russian drone attacked a passenger train in the Sumy region, hitting the rear diesel locomotive of a train operating on the Smorodyne–Vorozhba route. Passengers and railway workers were not injured, as they were promptly evacuated.
On the same day, Russians struck a suburban train in the Kharkiv region with a drone, injuring the train driver and their assistant.
Earlier, on March 8, a passenger train on the Kyiv–Sumy route came under attack. No one was injured as a result of the strike.
