Russian propaganda finds ‘evidence of Ukraine's guilt’ in Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sector in Hungarian historian’s claims

Russian media outlets, z-Telegram channels, and Russian TikTok accounts are spreading a video excerpt from an analytical program on the Hungarian TV channel HirTV. The propagandists broadcast a quote from Balint Somkuti, a Hungarian historian and political scientist, who claims that Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure began on October 8, 2022, allegedly following an explosion on the Crimean bridge, which the Russian occupiers illegally built across the Kerch Strait. Somkuti calls the explosion on the bridge a “terrorist attack” and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “red line,”, which the Ukrainian authorities allegedly crossed.

Thus, Somkuti accuses Ukraine of terrorist attacks committed by Russia against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

This is a fake and manipulation. This is Balint Somkuti's personal opinion, which is not based on facts. Russia has been attacking Ukraine's civilian infrastructure since the first days of the full-scale invasion, including energy facilities. These attacks took place even before October 8, 2022.

It worth noting that the bridge across the Kerch Strait was built by the Russian Federation after the illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, and is part of the occupiers' military logistics. There is a lot of evidence that the Russians used the bridge to transfer military equipment and soldiers to the annexed peninsula. Therefore, according to Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, this bridge is a legitimate military target for Ukraine.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, are considered war crimes. It was because of the systematic attacks on Ukraine's energy system that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Thus, Balint Somkuti justifies the Russian elite, which is accused of war crimes by international bodies.

The Hungarian political scientist gained renown as a “star” of Russian propaganda for the first time, although he had previously appeared on Belarusian television.

Somkuti created his account on social media platform X only in December 2022. He made his first post in early January 2023, in which he supported the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, regarding the so-called “truce” on Moscow's terms.

He actively commented on the fighting in Bakhmut and the Ukrainian counteroffensive, constantly being on the side of the Russian Federation. In his posts, the political scientist refers to Russian propaganda sources, particularly to one of the largest z-Telegram channels “Two Majors”, which he considers a “reliable source”.

The Russian Federation, with the help of so-called “experts” abroad, is attempting to justify its crimes and create a misleading perception in NATO countries that Ukraine is guilty of unjustified Russian terror against its own civilians.

Earlier, Russia’s propaganda spread the fake about “NATO mercenaries” to justify strikes on the Aurora hotel in Kryvyi Rih.

Andriy Olenin