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Ukraine witnessing “a dozen tonnes” of pro-Russian propaganda ahead of a potential attack, says Kiev minister

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Ukraine is currently facing “a dozen tonnes” of pro-Russian misinformation aimed at supporting Moscow’s bogus claims to the area and softening the ground ahead of a possible fresh invasion, according to Ukraine’s information minister.

With international alarm mounting over the prospect of a large-scale Russian military invasion, Oleksandr Tkachenko claims his country is already under constant attack from anti-Ukrainian fake news spread by Russia-linked TV channels, newspapers, and social media sites.

He told Sky News that Ukraine is stepping up efforts to combat lies, but that it takes time to educate individuals who may not realize the Twitter, Facebook, or Telegram post they are reading is incorrect or twisted material.

Russia’s ‘information war’ is still ongoing

“They (Russia) create a sort of false mirror,” he stated during a speech at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in Kiev.

“When you look at a mirror you usually see a nice face… but they created a bubble where reality was very different from what happened on the ground.

“This information war from Russia continues to this day.”

President Vladimir Putin shocked the world in 2014 when he invaded Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula without firing a single shot.

The operation was veiled in a blanket of bogus and twisted news stories that erroneously presented the coup as a homegrown revolt against anti-Russian sentiment in Kiev.

It meant that many Western governments were caught off guard, not completely comprehending what was going on on the ground until it was too late.

A Russia-backed uprising in the country’s east was less successful, as Ukrainian forces were able to limit land seizure, but the battle – and disinformation – never ended.

Russia ‘using fake news to bring legitimacy to its actions’

According to the government minister, the volume of fake news grows in tandem with any new tensions, which has occurred in recent weeks as Western concern has grown over a massing of roughly 100,000 Russian troops and weapons along Ukraine’s border.

Mr Tkachenko, a former journalist, stated: “All the time when any hot political issue rises, yes, we see a dozen tonnes of disinformation which is coming from different sources”.

Asked whWhen asked if he thought the Kremlin was using fake news to smooth the ground before an actual, military invasion of Ukraine, he responded: “For sure. But I think the first reason why they are using this disinformation is to bring legitimacy to what they are doing physically, to what they are doing on the international arena, to what they are trying to do – threaten Ukraine or grabbing our territory.

“So, for them it is a sort of defence: how to make legitimate (the) occupation of Ukraine.”

Politicians and journalists in Ukraine debunk fake news

Another purpose of fake news is to weaken the authority of the Ukrainian government or to falsely accuse Ukraine of a provocation, which Moscow may then use as a pretext for military intervention.

One such possible scenario was a video that surfaced earlier this month purporting to show Ukrainian border guards opening fire on migrants attempting to enter Ukraine from Belarus.

Ukrainian media and social media activists also contribute to the country’s resilience against disinformation.

They, along with other organizations throughout Europe, create articles, social media posts, and films to debunk fake news.

Alyona Romanyuk, a journalist and YouTuber, even put up a website with colleagues to highlight what they feel are dozens of lies and manipulations contained in President Putin’s lengthy essay on Ukraine, which was published by the Kremlin in July.

“It was like a guideline about our history and our culture,” she said of the Putin essay. “It was terrible.”

Image Credit: Getty

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