The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has called the report of one of the most popular American media outlets, The New York Times, about the Kursk Oblast, conducted by a journalist of russian origin, manipulative.
The Center for Countering Disinformation stated this on Facebook.
"The American publication The New York Times published a manipulative report from the border area of the Kursk Oblast of russia, which tells about the "destruction and death" after the actions of the Ukrainian military," the report says.
Journalist Nanna Heitmann, a German photographer of russian origin, spent several days in the territory of the russian federation accompanied by fighters of the russian unit Akhmat, who, the Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized, are known for their crimes against civilians in the territory of Ukraine.
"The author's position is clear from the title - "Ukraine has invaded russia". The text itself does not say a single word about the fact that this war began with the aggression of the russian federation, about the occupation of Crimea, tens of thousands of killed Ukrainians or about the reasons for the Ukrainian operation in Kursk. Instead, there are emotional stories about "victimized russian civilians", accusations of NATO and sympathy for the russian military," the department said.
The CCD said that the publication is an example of how "neutral" journalism can work to relay narratives consonant with russian propaganda: "In a war where one side is the aggressor, neutrality without context turns into disinformation."
The agency also informed that a scandal broke out around Nanna Heitmann this spring: the international jury of the World Press Photo competition mistakenly paired her photo of a wounded militant from the terrorist group "DPR" with a photo of a Ukrainian girl who suffered from russian shelling.
"The work that Heitmann submitted to the competition well illustrates her "neutrality" and "dedication to journalistic standards," the CCD emphasized.
It should be noted that the publication's photo report begins with the words "Last year, Ukraine turned part of russia into a battlefield. Now it is a place of destruction and death."
Among other things, the publication says that in the border areas of the of Kursk Oblast, "many people have ties to Ukraine and perceive the war as "family fighting family."
The material repeats the narratives of the Kremlin and state media, in particular, NATO expansion as the cause of the war, while Ukrainians are allegedly victims of propaganda that blames everything on russian dictator vladimir putin.
The publication also mentions accusations from russian media and russian officials against Ukraine of civilian deaths and alleged mistreatment of civilians, while rarely providing any evidence. At the same time, the russian authorities have rejected The Times' requests for more detailed information.
At the same time, the media added that interlocutors who were in Sudzha when it was controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces generally reported respectful treatment of them by Ukrainian forces in the city, including the provision of medical and other assistance.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, this report also caused outrage in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi sharply criticized the publication, stating that it was not a balance sheet or "another side of history," but "simply a permission for russian propaganda to mislead the audience."
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