On 21 August, on the 1274th day of the full-scale war, our editorial office recorded:
The head of the Khmelnytsky regional military administration, Serhii Gamaly, denied information about the mining of the bridge over the Smotrych River in Kam'yanets'-Podil's'kyi ( the bridge is called "Running deer"). Gamaliy said that the bridge is guarded by territorial defense fighters and there is always someone there.
The Luhansk regional state administration reported that ten unknown people in Svatovo impersonated the local residents and recorded a video in support of the Putin regime. The occupiers are distributing this video and propaganda letters. This is psychological pressure, the purpose of which is to "expose to as many Ukrainians as possible that everyone is supposedly waiting for Russia." The Luhansk regional state administration has also made public the instructions on recording such videos.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels share a common message that the world and international organizations are not calling the Russian invasion of Ukraine a war because "Zelensky is ashamed to declare it." All the while, the President of Ukraine has repeatedly called the Russian invasion of Ukraine a war, while the Russian Federation denies this fact and uses a number of terms among which are "Special Operation" and "Rescue Operation." Within this "operation" Russian occupants strike objects of civilian infrastructure and kill civilians.
The statements that other countries do not call the events occuring in Ukraine "a war" are incorrect. The posts in question give the example of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine which called the war "Putin's conflict in Ukraine." The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly called the Russian invasion a war and has called for its cessation in his addresses.
Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading this thesis, criticizing the new law on ensuring civilians' participation in Ukraine's defence. Such reports argue that civilians can allegedly kill anyone if they believe that "the victim committed aggression against Ukraine." The same law stipulates that civilians may use weapons in the same way as the military ("the use of firearms by civilians is similar to the use of weapons by servicemen in carrying out their tasks to repel armed aggression against Ukraine").
In addition, the alleged "abolition" of the Criminal Code is a blatant lie. After all, other laws - №7116 and №7124 - increased criminal liability in Ukraine, namely for looting and treason or sabotage.