Moscow’s propaganda machine remains in
full tilt, suggesting that a Russian military invasion is more likely than any
de-escalation of the current conflict instigated by Russian President Vladimir
Putin. If that is the case, America and Europe had better be prepared to impose
tougher sanctions than the mild ones enacted thus far.
Of course, Moscow sees itself as a bunch
of innocents.
Let’s break down the lies in a single
statement by Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov as reported by the Kremlin’s propaganda’s mouthpiece, Russia Today:
Kremlin lies: “The authorities in Kyiv
not only bear direct responsibility, but are complicit in these criminal
activities. Their arms are up to the elbows in blood.”
Facts: The bloodshed started with
the Kremlin’s military invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
Not only did Russia violate international law and commit war crimes, Putin lied
about the presence of the Russian military – and cowardly hid the soldiers’
identities behind masks and uniforms without insignia – before finally fessing
up last month. The proof of trained Russian soldiers or special forces in the
unrest in eastern Ukraine is incontrovertible. Dozens of people have been
kidnapped, and several killed, in this stealth invasion. Blood is good for
Putin, because he will either use it as a pretext for a broad-scale invasion of
Ukraine or to foment more unrest and destabilize the nation, as revenge
killings beget more revenge killings.
Kremlin lies: “They allowed extremists
and radicals to burn unarmed people alive (in Odessa on May 2). I stress that these people were
unarmed.”
Facts: Eyewitnesses say a pro-Russian
crowd in Odessa came ready for war and attacked an unarmed pro-Ukrainian rally before a football
match. The instigators of violence from the Kremlin side were armed with guns,
clubs, Molotov cocktails and masks, eyewitnesses said. They broke into and barricaded themselves inside the Trade Unions House. There are reports they continued firing on the crowd from inside
the building. How the fire started is under investigation; the Interior Ministry
said that the Russians and pro-Russians inside set the building on fire through
carelessly throwing Molotov cocktails from the roof, catching lower floors on
fire and sealing their doom.
Kremlin lies: “It is the highest
manifestation of cynicism (from the West). The people who justify this punitive
operation are the same ones that did not allow the legitimate president of
Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, to bring order to the country.”
Facts: Yanukovych fled the
nation, abandoning his presidency, because he feared for his life ahead of
formal charges that he and his top officials ordered the murders of more than
105 EuroMaidan Revolution demonstrators. He also faces a raft of corruption
charges as the new government in Kyiv learns about the extent of the theft. Instead
of returning Yanukovych to face trial and justice, Putin is shielding his crony
and other top officials.
Kremlin lies: “In spite of consistent attempts
to encourage dialogue, Russia has hit against provocation not only from Kyiv,
but also its Western sponsors.”
Facts: The old joke
applies here. Question: How do you tell that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is
lying? Answer: His lips are moving. The April 17 Geneva Agreement called for
the Kremlin-backed militias and insurgents to abandon the government buildings
they seized in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. They did nothing of the kind.
Instead, Ukraine has uncovered weapons, stopped hundreds of Russian insurgents
from entering the nation and revealed phone conversations showing that the Kremlin’s
role is one of instigating violence in a sovereign neighboring state, not encouraging
dialogue and compromise.
Kremlin
lies: “Our colleagues in the West are basically trying
to justify the large number of murders we are seeing.”
Facts:
Even
when Yanukovych was in power, the West encouraged dialogue and compromise, but
none was forthcoming from the ex-president’s side until it was too late and
violence had been shed – and all evidence, except for Russophile conspiracy
buffs, suggests the violence came at Yanukovych’s orders. But that’s what
criminal trials are meant to decide. The Kremlin didn’t even give the interim
government in Kyiv one week to restore order and authority before launching a
terror campaign, first in Crimea and then in eastern Ukraine and now in
southern Ukraine.
Kremlin
lies: “Desperate people call, they ask for help. The
vast majority want Russia’s help. All of these calls are reported to President
Vladimir Putin.”
Facts:
Sounds like a pretext to invade Ukraine, which Putin has never regarded as a
sovereign state. The violence would vanish if the Kremlin pulled out its
troops, special agents and hired thugs – or stopped Yanukovych and his cronies
from financing the instability, as is now alleged by the authorities in Kyiv.
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected]
