Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has once again misled foreign journalists, claiming that Russia allegedly “does not want to cause excessive harm” to Ukrainian territory and “is not using all available means”.
This was reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation.
Such statements are aimed solely at misleading foreign audiences and creating a false image of a “merciful” Russia, the Centre added.
“In reality, Lavrov’s words are blatant lies marked by striking cynicism. Ukrainian towns such as Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Pokrovsk, Vuhledar, Toretsk, Vovchansk and dozens of others have effectively been wiped off the face of the earth by the Russians, who have reduced them to ruins,” the Centre emphasised.
“The few residents who still remain in the destroyed settlements have seen the occupiers’ ‘humanity’ with their own eyes and know full well what the ‘Russian world’ really entails,” the statement reads.
Lavrov’s remarks fit into the Russia’s traditional propaganda strategy. By attempting to portray a war of aggression and the destruction of civilian infrastructure as ‘measured actions’, the Kremlin seeks to absolve itself of responsibility for war crimes committed against Ukraine.