Invaders spinning fake news on “civilian casualties” in alleged “shelling” by Ukraine Army

The Ukrainian delegation to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center, referring to the OSCE SMM report of August 3, reported on the Russian armed groupings impeding the Special Monitoring Mission’s mandate.

That’s according to the press center of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters, Ukrinform reports.

"On August 2, 2021, the medical staff of the hospital in the temporarily occupied settlement of Horlivka once again refused to provide the SMM with information about the condition of a woman allegedly injured in the shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is happening amid a mass spin by the occupying forces of reports alleging that civilians were injured in the shelling by Ukraine’s Army. This is followed by an appeal to the OSCE SMM observers to intervene and influence the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the statement said.

The Ukrainian side to the JCCC stressed that the failure to provide the OSCE SMM with information on citizens who the invaders claim allegedly sustained injuries in the temporarily occupied territories is of a systemic nature.

In particular, the OSCE SMM recorded similar cases in the hospitals of the temporarily occupied Horlivka and Luhansk (reports 153/2021 of July 3 and 152/2021 of July 2).

"In order to compromise the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupation forces are using local residents living in the temporarily occupied territory. They are notifying the Mission of their injuries by phone, thus fabricating reports. It is impossible to verify them as medical staffers in hospitals refuse to provide information on the condition of the allegedly injured persons," the statement explains.

It is noted that such actions by the Russian armed forces testify to the groundlessness of their accusations of the Armed Forces of the alleged involvement in the shelling of residential areas in the temporarily occupied territory and, as a result, injuring local residents.

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