The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) rejects outright the Kremlin’s efforts to link Ukraine to the Moscow concert hall terror attack.
ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for the attack and published shocking videos online as evidence. Despite this, Putin has been seeking to blame Ukraine, with social-media accounts controlled by the FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service, already pushing out the fake news that Ukraine, Britain and the United States were involved. Similarly, Russian propagandists have instructed ‘state-funded and pro-government media… to emphasize possible “traces” of Ukrainian involvement.’ Former president Dmitry Medvedev has demanded retaliation against Kyiv; Russian oligarch and Kremlin supporter Konstantin Malofyev said, “Let’s give the civilian population of Ukraine 48 hours to leave the cities and finally end this war with…all forces and means.”
Stefan Romaniw OAM, Co-Chair of the AFUO said today ‘As noted by Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Putin has lied about so many things – the 2004 Beslan school siege, assassination of Russian journalist Politkovskaya in 2006, the torture and prison death of Sergiy Magnitsky in 2009, Russian soldiers occupying Crimea, the shooting down of MH17, his intention to invade Ukraine, and much, much more.
“But there is no evidence to link Ukraine to this attack. It is a means by which Putin will most likely justify his continued brutal war in Ukraine, and seek to inflict even more pain, death and destruction on its innocent people.
“On the same day as the Crocus City Hall attack, Russia launched its single largest attack to date on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia fired 88 missiles and launched 63 explosive drones across Ukraine, which included targeting the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station which supplies electricity to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Over a million Ukrainians were left without heat, light and power,” Mr Romaniw continued.
“The AFUO calls on the Australian media to be critical about Putin’s suggestions that Ukraine was behind the attack. The ABC’s decision to air unfiltered and vile Russian propaganda directly into Australian living rooms through a Four Corners program last week has illuminated the need for parts of the Australian media to understand the pernicious threat of Russian propaganda and its attempts to manipulate the western media,” Mr Romaniw concluded.
Image: russian missile attack on Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station (22 March 2024)
