Last week, I voiced fears that Russian invaders might set up a terrorist act against civilians in the non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Donbas. At the same time, it’s not only that Ukraine would be blamed for the attack – Russia would insist Kyiv used weapons supplied by its western powers.
The primary point for Russia to run this plot is Russia’s turn to chair the UN Security Council for the next month. So it’s an infamous liar, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN and the UN Security Council, Vasily Nebenzya, who is most likely to trumpet outrage after Russia commits an act of provocation, claiming the Ukrainian Army is “killing” civilians in Donbas, using American or British weapons. He would therefore demand that the West cease weapons supplies to Kyiv.
So what we’re seeing now is that Russian propagandists have already crafted a report alleging that the Ukrainian Army opened fired at a power substation in Olenivka, using 60-mm mortars, claimed to have been supplied by the U.S. as part of the latest, fourth, batch of lethal aid.
Of course, this report is totally false.
Moreover, reports like that are regularly used by Russian propaganda pundits against nations that Russia is trying to compromise in every way possible.
But in this case, they did their job just too poorly, to say the least.
It’s not surprising though because behind the effort stood a guy named Patrick Lancaster. He’s the one who replaced the infamous Graham Phillips in circulating all kinds of Russian fake stories as a seemingly “independent” and “unbiased” “foreign journalist”. It should be noted here that Lancaster was stupid enough to even file for “DPR” citizenship and after that sought to become a Russian citizen, although facing a denial. But that’s not the point here…
The point is that this wannabe “journalist” claims that on January 29, 2022, Olenivka, the settlement long occupied by Russia, came under fire of NATO-type 60-mm mortars, which had been allegedly delivered to Ukraine from the U.S. as part of the fourth batch of lethal aid.
It should be reminded that the fourth cargo plain carrying defense assistance for Ukraine arrived at Bosyrpil Airport on January 28.
That is, following the logic of Lancaster’s report, it is suggested that on January 28, these 60-mm mortars were brought to Ukraine and then, literally from the airport tarmac, in less than a day, taken to the front line, all oiled up, and then used right away to shell Olenivka. So perhaps this is because Ukrainian troops would have no other weapons to fire to hit that substation, had they wished to do so? Were they supposed to wait until the U.S.-supplied 60-mm mortars arrived! Is that the logic applied? Well, this just doesn’t make sense at all!
But hold on, here comes the most interesting part. The latest, fourth, batch of aid delivered to Ukraine from the USA did not include 60-mm mortars.
Round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!