By EUvsDisinfo
IN SHORT:
- Russia uses UNGA to demand “proper investigation” into its well-documented war crimes in Bucha
- Ukrainian officials accused of child trafficking while Russian officials are wanted by the ICC for the same crime
- “Nazi Ukraine” narrative used to justify strikes on civilian infrastructure
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
This week’s narratives demonstrate how the Kremlin relies on familiar FIMI tactics to respond to new developments. Rather than creating entirely new narratives, pro-Kremlin actors recycle established themes and adapt them to current events. The renewed denial of the Bucha massacre is a particularly clear example. Despite extensive documentation and independent investigations, Russia continues to flood the information space with multiple, often contradictory explanations.
Bucha also remains one of the topics most heavily targeted by coordinated pro-Kremlin amplification on social media, with Russian accounts aggressively pushing denial, distortion and alternative explanations whenever the massacre is discussed. Lavrov’s use of the UN General Assembly to revive these claims highlights another recurring tactic: dismissing international institutions when their conclusions are inconvenient, while invoking their authority when it serves Kremlin messaging.
The same pattern of blame reversal appears in narratives about Ukrainian children and the persistent “Nazi Ukraine” trope. Claims of Ukrainian child trafficking redirect attention from Russia’s documented deportation of Ukrainian children, while accusations of Nazi-linked research seek to justify Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure. Taken together, these cases show a remarkably consistent approach: deny or deflect responsibility for Russian actions, accuse Ukraine of similar or worse behaviour, and recycle established narratives whenever new events provide an opportunity to deploy them.
MAIN FIMI NARRATIVES BEING SPREAD:
Disinformation outlets claim that the killing of civilians in Bucha was orchestrated by Kyiv with NATO support and that most victims listed on the Bucha memorial were actually Ukrainian combatants.
These and many more mutually contradictory claims (why would Ukraine orchestrate the killing of its own combatants in the early days of the Russian invasion?) have been repeatedly recycled by Russian FIMI outlets since the Bucha massacre came to light in March 2022. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave them renewed prominence at the UN General Assembly, amplifying virtually every established Bucha-related narrative, from outright denial and forensic claims to conspiracy theories. It’s ironic that pro-Kremlin outlets dismiss the UN as ineffective and “slowly dying,” yet invoke its authority when calling for a “proper investigation” into Bucha.
The Bucha massacre, along with the atrocities committed by the Russian military in other towns and villages outside Kyiv, has been extensively documented and independently investigated by numerous media organisations and investigative bodies, making continued denial particularly important for the Kremlin – not just on the international stage. The sensitivity of the issue is also evident inside Russia, where people have received lengthy prison sentences for speaking about the atrocities in Bucha under legislation criminalising so-called “false information” about the Russian military.
Repeated denial and flooding the information space with multiple contradictory explanations for the same event are classic FIMI tactics.
This false claim was spread by Sputnik Georgia, a local version of the Russian state-controlled FIMI outlet.
‘Ukraine hides its own child-trafficking business while demanding the return of children’
Pro-Kremlin sources claim that the Ukrainian authorities are involved in trafficking children from combat zones to Europe for sexual exploitation or as organ donors on the black market.
This narrative is used to distract attention from the documented abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia and the involvement of Russian authorities in these crimes. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, over their alleged responsibility for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.
Russian FIMI outlets revived the claims deflecting Russia’s responsibility for these war crimes in their extensive coverage of the United Nations General Assembly, which passed a resolution on Ukraine calling, among other things, for the return of Ukrainian children transferred or deported by Russia.
Blame-shifting is a staple of FIMI messaging.
This false claim was spread by The Other Ukraine, a Russian FIMI outlet.
This false claim appeared in the connection with Russian attack on Kyiv on September 28, which severely damaged the building of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
The NASU is a modern scientific institution, and claims that it engages in pseudoscientific research or can be compared to SS organisations such as the Ahnenerbe have no basis in reality. Accusing Ukraine of Nazism is one of the most persistent pro-Kremlin narratives, and this example shows how readily the label can be attached to virtually any topic. This time, it is used to blame Ukraine in general, and the Academy of Sciences in particular, for making the war possible – even though it was Russia that annexed Crimea, sent troops into Donbas, and launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continue to hit civilian buildings in Kyiv, while outlandish claims like this are used to justify its actions. Once again, we’re seeing the familiar FIMI tactic of reversing blame.
This false claim was made by Dmitry Astrakhan, a Russian war correspondent for the pro-Kremlin outlet Izvestia who has also contributed to RT and has been under Ukrainian sanctions since August 2025.
Don’t be deceived.
By EUvsDisinfo
