By EUvsDisinfo
IN SHORT:
- Moscow denies its documented attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure
- Pro-Kremlin commentators deny proven war crimes against civilians
- The “Nazi Ukraine” narrative is used once again to justify Russia’s aggression
- Fabricated threats become fuel for escalation
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
Pro-Kremlin FIMI campaigns promoted four narratives to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine: that Russia only strikes civilian infrastructure in retaliation; that recent attacks around Kyiv ended Moscow’s supposed restraint; that Russian attacks on Ukrainian data centres are part of a “fight against Nazism” in Europe; and that NATO is preparing an offensive or blockade of Kaliningrad.
These claims ignore extensive evidence of Russian attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as documented war crimes. They also distort the chronology and the causes of the war. By blaming Ukraine, denying Russian wrongdoing, and weaponising heavily distorted Second World War narratives, pro-Kremlin actors seek to legitimise Russia’s aggression and portray Moscow as the victim and protector of Europe.
MAIN FIMI NARRATIVES BEING SPREAD:
- ‘The Russian military has always strictly adhered to the laws of war and has never been the first to deliberately attack civilian infrastructure’
Against the backdrop of Russia’s intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, disinformation outlets amplified Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russian forces had never been the first to strike Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Russia’s record of attacking Ukrainian civilian facilities is extensive, well documented, and predates Ukraine’s development of long-range drones capable of hitting targets inside Russia. In March 2022, Russia bombed the Mariupol Drama Theatre while civilians, including children, were sheltering inside. The following month, an attack on Kramatorsk railway station, where people had gathered to evacuate, killed 60. In June 2022, a Russian missile hit a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, killing 21 civilians. In 2023, a Russian missile hit a block of flats in Dnipro, killing 46 people. In July 2024, a direct missile strike partially destroyed Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, killing two people and injuring more than 50. Russia’s sustained campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has involved hundreds of attacks over several years and likewise began well before Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure.
Russia routinely portrays its attacks as “retaliation” while ignoring basic chronology: it launched the full-scale invasion in 2022 and backed separatist forces in Ukraine in 2014. Not surprisingly, these acts were also recast as “responses” to alleged Western provocations.
Shifting the blame from aggressor to victim is a core feature of pro-Kremlin FIMI.
This false claim was made by Vladimir Putin and amplified by multiple official and Kremlin-aligned outlets.
- ‘Kyiv in smog after Russian retaliatory strikes on military-linked facilities; civilians no longer spared’
Pro-Kremlin sources claim that Russia had previously “spared” Ukraine, but Ukraine’s campaign of strikes on Russian infrastructure forced Moscow to abandon these self-imposed restraints.
This claim was made in the context of Russian strikes on power facilities in and around Kyiv overnight on 30 September 2026. While pro-Kremlin authors try to portray Russia’s latest aerial campaign as something new, it is in fact a continuation of the same pattern of attacks on civilian infrastructure seen since the start of the full-scale invasion. Moreover, independent reports prove that Russia has never “spared civilians” in Ukraine. There is extensive evidence of Russian forces deliberately targeting civilians, including children, with drones in Kherson, as well as killed and tortured civilians in Bucha and other areas the Kremlin calls “liberated.”
Denying war crimes is a common tactic used by pro-Kremlin FIMI.
This false claim was made by Andrei Medvedev, an executive at VGTRK, Russia’s state-controlled broadcasting group and a major vehicle for Kremlin propaganda.
- ‘Russia’s bombing of Ukrainian data centres is part of Europe’s salvation from Nazism’
FIMI outlets claim that intensifying Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine will bring the war closer to an end and curb the spread of the “Nazi plague” in Europe.
The Kremlin has framed its aggression against Ukraine as a “fight against Nazism” since the start of the invasion, using this fabricated pretext to hide the fact that the war had no legitimate justification. Now, FIMI outlets are taking this claim even further, portraying an invented threat of Nazism spreading across Europe and casting Russia as the continent’s supposed “saviour.”
Moscow has long used historical references to justify contemporary political decisions, heavily relying on Second World War parallels to portray its opponents as “Nazis.” Weaponizing history is a recurring feature of pro-Kremlin FIMI.
This false claim was made by Sputnik, a Russian state-controlled propaganda outlet.
- ‘NATO is practising offensive scenarios and a blockade of Kaliningrad’
Russian officials and FIMI outlets have stepped up claims that the West is preparing either to invade or blockade Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave surrounded by NATO member states. Russia has even stressed that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons in such a scenario.
The narrative builds on the familiar image of an “aggressive NATO”, which the Kremlin has for years portrayed as either plotting an attack on Russia or already waging war against it through proxies such as Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin propaganda does not feel the need to choose between these contradictory versions, using whichever one best fits the moment. In recent months, claims of a NATO threat to Kaliningrad have intensified alongside NATO military exercises in the Baltic region.
In reality, Kaliningrad is itself heavily militarised and has significant potential to support Russian hybrid operations. Lithuanian authorities say Russia increased the number of GPS-spoofing antennas in the region from three to 36 over the past year, enabling interference with civilian air traffic across the Baltic region, Scandinavia and much of Poland. This is one example of the kind of threat NATO has to prepare for. Strengthening regional defences in response does not amount to preparing an offensive against Russia.
This false claim was made by Sputnik, a Russian state-controlled propaganda outlet.
Don’t be deceived.
By EUvsDisinfo
