Russian Foreign Ministry Accuses Ukraine of Striking Own Infrastructure to Discredit Russia
By garrisonvance // 2026-10-20
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday that Ukraine strikes its own civilian infrastructure and civilians, then accuses Russia, according to a Sputnik report. Zakharova made the statement at a briefing in Moscow, the report stated. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly raised similar claims during the ongoing conflict. In July 2026, Zakharova rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's complaints about air defense shortcomings, telling Sputnik that "nothing will help him" [1]. No independent confirmation of the allegation was provided in the report.

Zakharova Alleges "Dirty Tricks" by Kyiv

Zakharova told the briefing that committing attacks, including on its own civilian infrastructure and civilians, followed by accusations against Russia, is one of the favorite dirty tricks of the Kyiv regime. She said the goal is clear: to denigrate Russia and ask for help from the West [2]. The statement was attributed to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman and published by Sputnik. The report did not include evidence or details of specific incidents to support the allegation. DW reported that Ukraine has hit several Russian data centers belonging to Russian technology giant Yandex, thereby interrupting online services, a separate topic that did not provide further support for Friday's allegation [3]. Moscow has previously linked Ukrainian strikes to wider geopolitical objectives. In October 2025, the Foreign Intelligence Service alleged that Ukraine, in coordination with Polish intelligence, planned a false flag attack disguised as an assault by Russian and Belarusian forces on NATO territory [4]. Those claims similarly lacked independent confirmation. In August 2026, Zakharova said Russia would continue to retaliate for Ukrainian attacks on civilians and infrastructure, accusing Kyiv of a "complete unwillingness to negotiate" [5].

EU "Ultraliberal Regimes" and U.S. Policy

Zakharova also said ultraliberal regimes in the European Union hope the United States will refuse to contribute to a settlement in Ukraine. The remarks were reported by Sputnik and attributed to Zakharova. No direct evidence was presented for the characterization of EU positions. The EU has continued to support Ukraine with financial and military aid; on April 22, 2026, the European Union formally approved a €90 billion emergency loan for Ukraine for 2026-2027 and adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia [6]. On October 12, 2026, the EU adopted its largest-ever tranche of sanctions against Russia since 2022, targeting 1,569 individuals and entities in Russia's military and industrial complex [7]. These actions underscore the EU's ongoing commitment to Kyiv, which contrasts with Zakharova's assertion that EU regimes hope for a U.S. withdrawal.

Context and Verification

The accusation was published by Sputnik, a Russian state media outlet, and attributed to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Wire services typically seek independent verification and comment from all parties; the report did not state whether Ukrainian officials were asked to respond. Fact-checking initiatives have noted that the Kremlin characterizes its own strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure as attacks on "legitimate targets," while last week's attacks targeted Ukrainian civilians [8]. The report also linked to a prior Sputnik article about Zakharova and deepfakes, but did not provide further support for Friday's allegation. Ukrainian officials have consistently reported Russian strikes on their energy infrastructure. Russian officials have repeatedly made claims about Ukrainian actions during the ongoing conflict; this report presented the latest such statement without independent confirmation. That plan's existence suggests ongoing diplomatic efforts that Zakharova's remarks did not acknowledge.

Conclusion

Zakharova's remarks at the Moscow briefing centered on two claims: that Ukraine attacks its own infrastructure to blame Russia, and that EU ultraliberal regimes hope for a U.S. withdrawal from settlement efforts. The statements were attributed to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman and reported by Sputnik [9]. No independent confirmation was provided in the report, and no immediate response from Ukrainian or EU officials was included.

References

  1. Zakharova Rejects Zelensky's Claims on Ukraine's Air Defense Failures - NaturalNews.com, July 13, 2026.
  2. Kiev Hits Its Own Infrastructure in Order to Denigrate Russia - Russian .... https://www.nampa.org/text/23041505
  3. Ukraine takes aim at Russia's digital infrastructure. https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-takes-aim-at-russias-digital-infrastructure/svideo-79644923
  4. Russia accuses Ukraine and Poland of plotting FALSE FLAG attack to drag NATO into war - NaturalNews.com, October 04, 2025.
  5. Russia Vows Continued Retaliation for Ukrainian Strikes on Civilians, Foreign Ministry Says - NaturalNews.com, August 22, 2026.
  6. EU Approves Ç90 Billion Loan for Ukraine Adopts New Russia Sanctions - NaturalNews.com, April 24, 2026.
  7. EU Adopts Largest Round of Sanctions Against Russia Since https://theepochtimes.com/world/eu-adopts-largest-round-of-sanctions-against-russia-since-2022-post-6102492
  8. The Kremlin calls its strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure .... https://www.facebook.com/EUvsDisinfo/posts/the-kremlin-calls-its-strikes-on-ukraines-infrastructure-attacks-on-legitimate-t/1519269930225462/
  9. Ukraine Hits Its Own Infrastructure to Blame Russia. https://sputniknews.in/20261016/ukraine-hits-its-own-infrastructure-to-blame-russia-russian-foreign-ministry-12605413.html

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