A projection appeared on the facade of Moscow’s U.S. Embassy overnight blaming the United States for children killed in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, according to a video shared by Russian state media.
“The blood of Donbas children is on the hands of U.S. warmongers,” one of the projected images read.
The video’s creators, who remained unnamed by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, told the outlet that they timed the projection for Children’s Day, which is celebrated across the former Soviet bloc on June 1.
“Today we remember the children of Donbas killed by Ukrainian Nazis with support from American warmongers,” the projection read, referring to President Vladimir Putin’s claims that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was an attempt to “denazify and demilitarize” the country.
The overnight projection was followed by a slideshow and a list of two dozen children presumed to have died during fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
The United Nations estimates that 152 children have been killed in the Donbas conflict between the spring of 2014 and late 2021, with 3,400 civilian deaths overall.
It also believes that at least 264 children had been killed since the start of Russia’s three-month invasion of Ukraine in late February.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
