Russia: Kiev plots provocations with mass killings to accuse Russian troops
The Ukrainian side is planning to film a fabricated video about searching for mass graves of victims purportedly killed by Russian troops, according to the chief of Russia's National Defense Management Center.
Kiev is organizing provocations with the massacre of people in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) with the help of the West, according to Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia's National Defense Management Center.
"Official Kiev, with the support from several Western countries, continues to plan barbarous and ruthless actions with mass killings of civilians in the Lugansk People’s Republic to later accuse the Russian armed forces and LPR troops," he said on Sunday.
Provocations are planned in the Ragovka hamlet of the Kiev region, according to Mizintsev. He added that the Ukrainian side is planning to film a fake video about searches for mass graves of civilians purportedly killed by Russian troops.
"A team of Ukrainian forensic experts and police officers will be involved in the provocation to make it look more trustworthy," he said.
Read more: Zakharova blasts global media for pinning Bucha on Russia without proof
"Reporters from foreign mass media outlets have arrived in the city of Kremennaya in the Severodonetsk district and have accommodated in the building of the local hospital. They are supposed to record the Ukrainian army’s provocation with the alleged selling of ambulance cars carrying patients by Russian troops," he said.
Aside from that, he said that Ukrainian nationalists had mined chlorine reservoirs at a water utility in the Popyasnaya district and intend to blow them up when the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) soldiers approach the city.
Earlier, Ukraine published footage it claimed shows evidence of crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Bucha. "All photos and video materials published by the Kiev regime allegedly testifying to some ‘crimes’ committed by Russian soldiers in the town of Bucha, Kiev region, is another provocation," Moscow's Defense Ministry said yesterday, adding that all Russian soldiers had withdrawn from the town as early as March 30.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that this information should be seriously questioned, as the facts and timing speak against the reliability of Ukraine's statements.
"We categorically reject any accusations. Moreover, we believe that this topic should be discussed at the highest possible level, so there was an initiative to consider this topic, our initiative considered the topic in the Security Council. We know that this initiative was blocked," he said.
Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, commented on the matter, saying that the Bucha incident was staged.
"The other day, another fake attack was launched in the city of Bucha, Kiev region, after Russian military personnel left this place in accordance with plans," Lavrov said during his meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths.