Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that the pace of the Russian military in Ukraine had slowed down consciously, allegedly deliberately, "to avoid casualties among the civilian population." Russian politicians and officials have spread similar messages that the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine "not in full force" or "everything is going according to plan." In particular, in this way, Russia is trying to justify its defeats in Ukraine and create the illusion of control over the situation.

Thousands of peaceful Ukrainians, including children, have fallen victim to Russian aggression. A report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights shows that as of May 24, 3,942 civilians had been killed in a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of May 25, according to the Prosecutor General's Office, 238 children had died, and another 433 had been injured in the Russian aggression.