Double standards in media reporting on Russia-Ukraine conflict

A BM-21 Grad fires on Russian positions near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region on June 4. AFP

#Opinion

The Russian Embassy in Cambodia has taken note of a number of news pieces regarding the Ukrainian conflict that have been reprinted by Khmer Times.

On June 9, an article initially appeared in the Malay Mail alleging that Russia had carried out an attack on a centralised spent nuclear fuel storage facility located in the exclusion zone close to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Without presenting any evidence or bothering to spend the time to verify the facts, the West immediately declared our country responsible for the incident.

Against this backdrop, the silence surrounding well-documented proof of nuclear terrorist acts by the Zelensky regime is highly telling. In May and June alone, the armed forces of Ukraine attacked the Zaporozhskaya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) several times:

• On May 16-18, artillery strikes were carried out on the plant’s territory;
• On May 23 and 31, transport carrying personnel was attacked; on May 25, a Ukrainian FPV drone struck a vehicle transporting ZNPP staff;
• On June 4, more than 20 UAV strikes were recorded against energy infrastructure facilities providing external power supply to the plant;
• On June 5, Kiev violated the temporary localised ceasefire brokered by the IAEA by attacking a demining team working on a power line critical to the safety of the ZNPP.

On May 30, the first-ever targeted attack on the core equipment of a nuclear power plant took place, involving a direct explosion that damaged the turbine hall – Power Unit 6 was affected. This unprecedented incident in the global nuclear industry went unnoticed by Western governments and the media serving their interests.

Other materials that groundlessly accuse our country of causing civilian casualties include AFP articles published by Khmer Times on June 3 and 10. Accompanied by emotive illustrations, they show the victims of alleged Russian strikes on Kiev, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, and the Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.

However, AFP either completely ignores or occasionally and briefly mentions the victims of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Over the past week alone, 43 people have been killed and 234 wounded as a result of deliberate actions by Ukrainian armed forces. Eight civilians were killed and 12 wounded in the DPR following a strike on a Moscow–Simferopol coach. The AFU uses multiple launch rocket systems and cluster munitions to strike populated areas and deliberately attacks passenger trains. None of this is consistent with Zelenskyy’s professed desire for peace.

Given the spread of false information, we once again urge Cambodian readers to verify information concerning our country. We reiterate that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation target only military infrastructure and dual-purpose facilities.

We call on all sovereign governments, sector-specific international organisations, and independent media to call things what they are and to strongly condemn Kiev’s brutal terrorist attacks committed in violation of every provision of international humanitarian law.

Russian Embassy in Cambodia

-Khmer Times-