LETTER: False narratives about Russia

We took note of the photograph published in Business Day on November 22 and yet again noticed a convenient way of distorting the facts used by the Western media (and by those who participate in spreading their false narratives).

The photo showed an alleged “Russian missile strike at a hospital”, with the caption below the picture quoting the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine saying more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since February 2022, including 560 children. Everything needed to convince the readership of Russians deliberately targeting civilians, attacking civil infrastructure, carpet bombing of the Ukrainian territory.

We wish there were no civilian casualties, but unfortunately military action always results in human costs, especially when civilians are widely used as human shields. Yet to comprehend what the outcome of strikes on civil infrastructure may be, take a look at the situation in Gaza.

The latest reports from the UN health authorities indicate that more than 13,000 civilians, including more than 4,100 children, have died in the enclave since the fighting began on October 7 — 67% of those killed in Gaza are believed to be women and children.

Once again: 13,000 civilians in less than two months. Do you think if the Russian army really targeted civilians in Ukraine for almost 21 months this number would be lower than in Gaza? You know the answer. The numbers speak for themselves.

Ilya Rogachev
Russian ambassador to SA

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