Defense Ministry refutes Kremlin’s fakes about US military, chemical weapons in Donetsk region
The corresponding statement was made by the Center for Operational Information of the Ministry of Defense.
“There are no private military companies, including foreign ones, in Ukraine. Apart from those used by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The other allegation of ‘delivery of reserves of an unidentified chemical component for provocations in the towns of Avdiivka and Lyman’ is also untrue,” the Defense Ministry states, adding that the only threat to peace and security of Ukrainian citizens and territories comes from Russian-occupation forces who violate the ceasefire, kill Ukrainian citizens and block the work of the international mission.
It is emphasized that the war against Ukraine includes not only armed aggression but also a hybrid component – information operations. The press service notes that the Russian Federation had previously resorted to such disinformation, spreading in 2018 fakes about the so-called “blue barrels with allegedly poisonous substance in Krasnohorivka.”
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense points out that the current fake was voiced by Russia’s top leadership so it should be treated as a possible future provocation.
“Since the latest disinformation has been voiced at the highest military and political level, it should be taken seriously, [it should be regarded] as the preparation of a specific provocation, the scenario of which has already been developed in the Kremlin,” reads the statement.
The Ministry of Defense also stresses that the Armed Forces of Ukraine respect international humanitarian law, adhere to the Minsk Agreements, and hold their borders.
As reported, Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of the board of the Russian Defense Ministry with the participation of Putin that Ukraine and the United States were allegedly preparing a provocation in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions with the use of chemical weapons.
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