Here we have, yet again, another case of this propaganda war.
Ukraine accused Moscow on Thursday of forcibly taking hundreds of thousands of civilians from shattered Ukrainian cities to Russia, where some may be used as "hostages" to pressure Kyiv to give up.
Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine's ombudsperson, said 402,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken against their will.
Russia, meanwhile, denies that claim:
The Kremlin has said that those who were relocated wanted to go to Russia. Ukraine's rebel-controlled eastern regions, for example, are predominantly Russian-speaking, and many people there have supported close ties to Moscow.
So who is telling the truth?
That's the question. And while we're left scratching our head at what to believe, real people are suffering and dying.
There are many Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east of the country who feel more culturally connected to Moscow. If they have relatives in Russia, it would make a whole lotta sense to get out of Dodge so they don't get blown up.
At the same time, the Russkies are playing dirty. It's certainly conceivable that they would use women and children as bargaining chips.
Whatever the true numbers are, it ain't good!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
