Moscow: Ukraine Uses Provocations to Accuse Russia of 'Disproportionate Strikes' to Scare Civilians

Russia declared a special operation in the Donbass region aimed at defending the DPR and LPR from attacks by the Ukrainian military that have been taking place for over a week.

Ukraine's Security Services are preparing provocations similar to those practiced by the group White Helmets, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. According to him, Kiev plans to shoot staged videos claiming to show mass casualties among Ukrainian civilians.

"Their goal is to accuse Russia of allegedly conducting non-selective and disproportionate strikes, and to intimidate the civilian population, as well as broadcast [these videos] on Western TV channels", Konashenkov said.

The spokesman echoed an earlier statement by the Defence Ministry that the Russian forces deployed on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) are not carrying out strikes on Ukrainian cities. Konashenkov stressed that there was no threat to Ukraine's civilian population.

Russia's Special Operation in Donbass

The statement follows the start of the special operation by the Russian armed forces in the Donbass region ordered early this morning by President Vladimir Putin after a request from the DPR and LPR.

In his televised address, Putin stated that the situation in Donbass, which he has repeatedly described as "genocide", required Russia's intervention. He added that all of the responsibility for the bloodshed lies on the shoulders of the Ukrainian leadership and called on the country's military to refuse to follow Kiev's criminal orders, lay down their weapons, and go home peacefully.

Leaders of the NATO countries condemned Moscow's decision to launch the operation, labelling it an "invasion" of Ukraine. They threatened to impose even harsher sanctions than the ones that were invoked following Russia's recognistion of the DPR and LPR's independence on 21 February.