Russia Denies Peace Talks, Blames Ukraine for Attacks
Russian officials are saying that Ukraine is attacking Russian territory. They claim this to justify not talking about peace and continuing the war.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on March 21. The institute says that Russia‘s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov used Ukraine’s denial of involvement in a gas station fire to question Kyiv’s credibility. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of violating an agreement not to attack energy infrastructure and said the US is responsible for controlling Ukraine.
Russia is using old stories to make Ukraine look bad. They say that Ukraine is attacking Russian nuclear power plants and committing war crimes against Russian civilians. On March 21, Russia released a summary of investigations into alleged Ukrainian strikes on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and civilians in the region.
However, these claims are not true. Russia has committed many war crimes in Ukraine and has taken control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. They have even attacked Chornobyl’s Reactor No. 4 with a drone.
Russia is trying to disrupt talks between Ukraine and the US about energy infrastructure. They may use these narratives to pressure Western leaders to stop supporting Ukraine.
By saying that Ukraine is attacking Russian facilities, Russia aims to make its own actions seem justified. This will help keep Russians on their side and shift attention away from what Russia is doing. The ISW says this is a tactic used by Russia during the full-scale war to erode support for Kyiv and maintain control over public opinion.
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