Residents of Slovyansk were likely shocked to hear from Ukraine's Deputy Interior Minister in early April that an order had been given to pro-Russian separatists to seize kindergartens in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
They must have been equally baffled later in April to hear that the leaflets being dropped by helicopter by the Ukrainian military were a trick — and that anybody picking them up would be shot on sight.
But these reports, later denied and debunked, are part of what analysts say is common practice in any conflict — a propaganda tool meant to dehumanize the enemy that has been used frequently during the conflict in Ukraine, on both sides of the political spectrum.
Mikhail Pogrebinsky, a political scientist at Kiev's Center for Political Research and Conflictology, said such a method of distorting reality could be used to justify violence.
"If you call people insects then it means you can step over them and kill them without any remorse," Pogrebinsky said.
"What happens is that white is called black and vice versa, and people are portrayed as not human, which then warrants violence against them," Pogrebinsky said.
From kindergartens under siege to poisoned water and tea and concentration camps, The Moscow Times has compiled a list of some of the most bogus horror stories that have emerged during the Ukraine crisis.
Complete story at - Don't Drink the Tea and Other Myths From the Ukraine Conflict | News | The Moscow Times
They must have been equally baffled later in April to hear that the leaflets being dropped by helicopter by the Ukrainian military were a trick — and that anybody picking them up would be shot on sight.
But these reports, later denied and debunked, are part of what analysts say is common practice in any conflict — a propaganda tool meant to dehumanize the enemy that has been used frequently during the conflict in Ukraine, on both sides of the political spectrum.
Mikhail Pogrebinsky, a political scientist at Kiev's Center for Political Research and Conflictology, said such a method of distorting reality could be used to justify violence.
"If you call people insects then it means you can step over them and kill them without any remorse," Pogrebinsky said.
"What happens is that white is called black and vice versa, and people are portrayed as not human, which then warrants violence against them," Pogrebinsky said.
From kindergartens under siege to poisoned water and tea and concentration camps, The Moscow Times has compiled a list of some of the most bogus horror stories that have emerged during the Ukraine crisis.
Complete story at - Don't Drink the Tea and Other Myths From the Ukraine Conflict | News | The Moscow Times
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