“U.S. permission for Ukraine to strike deep into Russia will lead to nuclear war": September 3 media fakes and manipulations

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, September 3 saw the emergence of significant disinformation and manipulation in the global media.

Misinformation: Australian journalist Caitlin Johnstone posted on her X page that "We're seeing free speech eroded in the west as authorities suppress critics of the genocide in Gaza, just as we saw a huge spike in censorship with the NATO proxy war in Ukraine. They say these wars are to protect the west and its values, while ruining the west and its values in order to protect their ability to manufacture consent for these wars. War, genocide and tyranny are the west's real values."

Refutation: This narrative distorts the truth, as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a clear violation of international law, not a "proxy war" between NATO and Russia. Western support for Ukraine is aimed at defending Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, directly contradicting Johnstone's claims about the West's alleged hidden motives.

Manipulation: In an interview with Russian propaganda outlet Sputnik, former U.S. intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that he hoped that the Ukrainian delegation's recommendations to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia would be rejected because if the U.S. gives the green light to this escalation, the only outcome is full-scale nuclear war.

Refutation: By invoking the threat of nuclear war, Ritter seeks to discredit U.S. and Western support for Ukraine, implying that such support is reckless and irresponsible. This is a classic propaganda tactic aimed at weakening international support for Ukraine. It’s also a scare tactic with no real basis.

• Earlier, Canadian journalist Aaron Maté claimed that NATO rewards Ukraine with arms supplies to avoid diplomacy.