Contrast
An internet user shared a video comparing Russian and Ukrainian attacks. At the top is the July 20 Russian attack in Kharkiv, at the bottom – the Ukrainian strike in Belgorod.
“Contrast… Ukronazi strikes on fuel depots and Russian strikes on them:
Russian FPV drone strikes a Kharkiv gas station at night when there is not a single person there, aiming to avoid civilian casualties.
Ukrainian FPV drone strikes a gas station in broad daylight, full of civilians.
No propaganda. Just watch the video.
Otherwise, it cannot be called anything but Nazism,” the man commented.
It is obvious that exactly those episodes were chosen that create the impression that Ukraine acts recklessly, while Russia avoids civilian casualties.
Specifically selected attacks
15min could not verify these specific attacks from the provided videos. However, it was established that Russia indeed attacked Kharkiv and several gas stations during the night from July 20 to July 21. No people were injured in these strikes on gas stations.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has recently intensified strikes on gas stations in Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions. On July 27, it was reported that Ukraine struck gas stations in the Belgorod region 43 times in July alone.
In five days – from July 19 to 23 – Ukrainian drones struck at least 19 gas stations in Belgorod and its surroundings.
“The increase in Ukrainian attacks seems like a symmetrical response to Russian strikes,” military analyst Kirill Mikhailov told the Agentstvo agency.
Therefore, it is likely that both clips posted by the internet user may be genuine.
In summer, Russia also started a new campaign targeting Ukrainian gas stations. According to Kyiv data, more than two hundred people were affected by these attacks in June and July – on average about three per day.
According to Ukrainian officials, the intensified attacks in recent weeks were likely aimed at disrupting civilian life in areas where Russian forces are struggling to advance. This is said to be an attempt to drive out residents and deepen societal tension. Officials say these strikes are also a response to Kyiv’s drone and missile strikes on Russian oil and gas facilities.
Acting mayor of Zaporizhzhia Regina Kharchenko reported that the city suffered 54 strikes on gas stations over 24 days (until July 27). Four people died and 29 were injured during the attacks.
“This is deliberate terrorism aimed at civilian infrastructure and civilians,” she said.
Additionally, the Russian elite drone unit “Rubikon” recently released a video montage (archived) showing nine daytime FPV (first-person view) drone strikes on gas stations in Kharkiv and neighboring Sumy region. Several attacks show parked vehicles and people walking nearby.
This shows that the internet user selectively chooses attacks where no one was harmed. However, this does not prove that Moscow does not target civilians. On the contrary – there is plenty of evidence that this is done deliberately.
Recurring Kremlin narrative
The analytical project “Russia Matters” stated in a July 29 report that since the start of the war, according to Russian government data, “8,012 civilians have been killed.”
Read more Revealed where it is best to move to live in 2026: the leader is one Baltic country
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, 16,431 civilians have died. However, the UN emphasizes that their confirmed numbers are likely lower than the actual figures.
June saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine in the past four years. At least 393 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured during Russian attacks that month. It was the bloodiest month since April 2022.
May had already recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in over four years – 282 dead and 1,794 injured – but this number increased further in June.
Russia constantly repeats the claim that it does not attack civilians. This Kremlin narrative is not new. It attempts to deny Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the obvious, repeated attacks on the country’s population.
The European Union’s anti-disinformation project “EUvsDisinfo” emphasizes that this claim is clearly false. Russia has struck hundreds, if not thousands, of civilian targets in multiple wars, including Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine.
As stated in a 2025 statement by the international NGO Amnesty International, Russia continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas, targets vital civilian infrastructure, and apparently deliberately strikes civilians.
UN officials emphasize that Russian attacks in Ukraine show a clear pattern of targeting civilians.
Germany’s Ministry of the Interior also stresses that there is abundant evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, especially against civilians. Independent media have documented numerous cases of Russian soldiers committing rapes and torture, as well as arbitrary and deliberate killings of civilians in Russian-occupied territories.
Russia conducts daily airstrikes on Ukrainian cities. The Russian military targets civilian infrastructure, including schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, and churches.
“EUvsDisinfo” also emphasizes that accusations by Ukraine of war crimes, atrocities, and illegal actions throughout the war have been a constant practice of the Russian government, pro-Kremlin, and other Russian state-controlled media. Such accusations are part of a strategy to discredit Ukraine and divert attention from Russian military aggression and Russia’s own human rights violations in Ukraine.
Pro-Kremlin media constantly portray Ukrainians as “Nazis” and terrorists committing atrocities, aiming to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
15min verdict: lacks context. Both Ukraine and Russia strike gas stations, which are considered part of civilian infrastructure. However, the clips selected by the internet user distort and manipulate the real situation. Russia targets civilians and civilian infrastructure, so the claim that Moscow supposedly protects Ukrainian lives does not correspond to reality. UN data show that Russian attacks have caused more civilian casualties.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social media. More about the program and its rules – here.
Read more Source: Ahead of the presidential elections, France suspects Russia of interference
