Rhetoric about “retaliatory strikes” is kremlin propaganda tactic
russian foreign minister sergey lavrov called the massive strikes on Ukrainian cities “a completely natural response to Ukraine’s actions.” Similar views are expressed by other representatives of kremlin and the russian ministry of defense.
▫️ The narrative of supposed “retaliatory strikes” is actively promoted to foreign audiences. kremlin seeks to portray itself as a party allegedly open to dialogue but “forced to respond to aggression.” In reality, moscow continues to stall and search for excuses not to cease fire.
The reality is that it was russia that launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 and continues to terrorize Ukrainian cities and villages every day. With lies about so-called “responses,” russia is trying to evade responsibility for attacks that kill innocent Ukrainian civilians, including children.
Statements by lavrov and other russian officials are part of the kremlin’s broader propaganda strategy: russia also justified the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine with fabricated threats supposedly coming from Ukraine and the West.
