Distorted accounts of the special military operation in Ukraine in the French media
The French media continue inventing sensational news items about the course of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Recently the Fifth Republic’s television and newspapers fired a huge artillery salvo from their fake news cannons.
In an interview with Le Monde, Director of the French Institute of International Relations Thomas Gomart called Russia’s special operation “a colonial war under nuclear protection,” apparently recalling familiar realities (France itself has waged colonial wars, and not that long ago). Meanwhile, it is only possible to speak of the special military operation in the context of colonialism in the sense that Russian troops are helping Ukrainians get rid of the semicolonial yoke that the current and previous administrations have imposed on them.
Speaking about “nuclear protection,” Gomart resorts to the rhetoric of his American colleagues in disinformation that often use this idea. Russia’s official position on the use of nuclear weapons is well known and has nothing to do with the current events in Ukraine and Donbass. Sadly, having become interested in this issue, the expert failed to comment on statements made by Ukrainian leaders who wanted Ukraine to acquire nuclear bombs and munitions despite their international commitments.
The daily Le Parisien has stepped even further into the gutter of reporting. In an effort to demonise Russia, it accused the Russian troops, which are fighting neo-Nazis, of being “Russian fascists” that are waging hostilities against the armed forces of Ukraine. Indicatively, the authors preferred to not let their experts and officials down (which is logical considering how strictly French law deals with slander and defamation). Instead, they cited Der Spiegel that mentioned some internal reports by German intelligence (obvious fakes like those that Der Spiegel often carries). The authors of these French and German publications have become particularly inventive when contriving the names of the groups allegedly taking part in the special operation.
Naturally, these journalists keep silent about the large number of neo-Nazis that are really committing war crimes in Ukraine, arms in hand. But they are fighting on the side of the armed forces of Ukraine and have legal status like the Azov volunteer battalion.
French journalists also continue inventing new reasons for the special military operation. Without thinking twice, France 24 television came up with this one: the operation was launched to improve the demographic situation in Russia. They even quoted allegedly reputable French sociologists Laurent Chalard and Alain Blum. They reach their far-fetched conclusions from the height of their statistical ivory towers. First, we would like to remind them that Russia has other ways of improving demography and that the goals of the special operation are well known – to defend the population of Donbass and to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine.
It is understandable that French readers are tiring of their media that fuel the Russian threat and repeat the same news. So, journalists are compelled to up the ante. But we would still like to ask the French media to show a more responsible approach to the noble mission of the Fourth Estate and start telling their audiences something actually important, like the truth.
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