Check out 5 times Russian statements diverged from reality in Ukraine

As your troops fight on the ground in Ukrainea Russia is waging a parallel war of disinformation. Even before Russian forces crossed the border, Russian authorities were crafting a narrative at odds with reality.

Publicly asserting one thing while intelligence suggests another is not uncommon, but Russia has gone so far as to insist that its actions do not constitute war or that it has no plans to impose forces, even as Russian troops detonate blasts in major Ukrainian cities and attempt to gain control of strategic locations.

More recently, after a attack on a hospital in Mariupola major city in southern Ukraine, Russian authorities have repeatedly changed their narrative.

First they claimed that Russia would never attack civilian targets, then they claimed it was a false flag operation conducted by Ukrainian rebels, but they never claimed responsibility.

Here are five examples of Russian officials essentially trying to mislead Western officials and the general public regarding Ukraine.

Hospital in Mariupol

Russian statements – After the March 9 attack that destroyed the maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that civilians were not present at the time.

“All the women in labor, all the nurses, in general, all the staff were expelled from there,” Lavrov said on March 10.

Reality – Visibly pregnant women are present in videos and photos from the hospital after the attack. The Mariupol city council said children, women and doctors were among the 17 injured in the attack.

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces were behind the attack, although Russian officials have insisted that is not the case.

no attack

Russian statements – On March 10, Lavrov openly denied that Russia had attacked Ukraine, saying, “Russia has no plans to attack other countries. We didn’t even attack Ukraine.”

Reality – Lavrov’s remarks came more than a week after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine and when Russian forces attempted to take control of several key Ukrainian cities.

For example, the authorities described the situation in Mariupol, which was under siege by Russian forces, as “critical” due to heavy bombing.

And a week before Lavrov insisted that Russia had not attacked Ukraine, a Russian attack hit an apartment building in a town north of Ukraine. Kievleaving at least 33 dead.

a limited operation

Russian statements – When Putin dispatched Russian troops to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on February 22, he initially described it as a “peacekeeping” mission.

And in a TV broadcast on the morning of February 24, after troops invaded Ukraine, Putin referred to the move as a “special military operation”, insisting it was limited to the Donbass region and stating that Russia “does not plans to impose itself on anyone.”

Reality – Russia’s presence in Ukraine is not limited. His forces span most of the country, besieging or attempting to besiege key cities far beyond the Donbas.

During and shortly after Putin’s speech, reporters on the ground noted that explosions could be heard in the capital of Kiev, as well as in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and Odessa, a major port city – neither of which is in the Donbas.

That same day, Russian forces took control of Hostomel Airport on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital.

In response to US aggression

Russian statements – Suppressing reports of aggressive Russian troop deployments in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested in a December 11 interview that any move by Russian forces was a response to US military presence and movements in the region.

“Russia is moving its forces within its territory, and we can move our forces in any direction we want and closer to areas that could pose a threat. [e atualmente] we see US warplanes landing in Ukraine and US military equipment approaching our borders,” Peskov said.

Reality – Less than a week later, after the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met with the Secretary General of the natoJens Stoltenberg, to discuss Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine, Russia announced that it wanted a legally binding guarantee that NATO would desist from any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine and end a nuclear-sharing agreement that allows the US keep its nuclear weapons in Europe and use European NATO member aircraft to deliver nuclear weapons if necessary.

These proposals were a response to what Russia sees as threats to its own security from Ukraine’s relations with NATO and NATO member countries.

However, the U.S have been providing aid to Ukraine since 2014, and US warplanes landing in Ukraine with military equipment are not uncommon.

Some US small arms and ammunition were delivered to Ukraine days before Peskov’s remarks as part of a previously scheduled security assistance package approved in September.

The US military also helps train Ukrainian troops, although the CNN reported that the Pentagon would not elaborate on timelines for operations or deployments, nor did it say whether any timelines had changed due to the buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine.

The Pentagon has noted that US Marines operate across the continent for training and exercises.

No attack plans

Russian statements – On November 28, 2021, Peskov told the state news agency TASS that “Russia has never attacked, is not attacking, and will never have plans to attack anyone.”

Reality – Days later, a US intelligence report warned that Russia planned to attack Ukraine in early 2022, the Washington Post reported for the first time.

US intelligence on Russian troop movements and Putin’s decision to invade proved to be true. For months, Russia had amassed forces along the border, underlying the premeditated aspect of the final invasion in February.

And in the weeks leading up to the invasion, the United States shared widely that its intelligence suggested Putin would invade soon.