ウクライナ「ジェノサイド」はうそ　米、ロシア「偽旗作戦」を批判

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国務省は１６日、親ロシア派が支配するウクライナ東部ドンバス地方で「ジェノサイド（集団殺害）」が起きているとの根拠のない情報をロシアが流布し、侵攻の口実づくりをしていると非難した。（写真は米首都ワシントンの国務省で、記者団の質問に答えるネッド・プライス報道官）
　ロシアのメディアは今週、ドンバス地方の秘密の集団墓地とされる写真を公開。ウラジーミル・プーチン大統領は１５日、ウクライナが同地方で「ジェノサイド」を行っていると語った。
　ソーシャルメディアではこうした情報に加え、ウクライナがドンバス地方の住民に対して化学兵器を使用するのではないかとのうわさも拡散している。
　米国務省のネッド・プライス報道官は「いずれも事実無根」とした上で、「ウクライナ侵攻の口実に使われかねない」と警告した。
　プライス氏によると、ロシアは２０１４年のクリミア半島併合前にも、ウクライナがロシア語話者の多い同地の住民を迫害していると主張していた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/02/18-12:19）

The US State Department said Wednesday that Russia was attempting to create a pretext for invading Ukraine with unsupported claims of genocide and mass graves in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region.
Russian media published articles and photographs this week of purported secret mass graves in Donbass, controlled by Moscow-aligned secessionists who have been battling Ukrainian government forces since 2014.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kyiv was committing genocide in Donbass.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price alleged that Moscow was making the claims as an excuse for invading Ukraine.
Over the past several weeks, we've also seen Russian officials and Russian media plant numerous stories in the press, any one of which could be elevated to serve as a pretext for an invasion, Price told reporters.
Those claims, which have spread on social media, include genocide, mass graves and the potential of the Ukrainian government to use chemical weapons against the people of Donbass.
There is no basis of truth to any of these allegations, Price said.
These are false narratives that Russia is developing for use as a pretext for military action against Ukraine.
Price said that ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, Moscow also claimed the government was persecuting the people there, many of whom are Russian speakers.
At the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaki also rejected the allegations as false flag ruses.
We're in the window where we believe an attack could come at any time, and that would be preceded by a fabricated pretext, she said, referring to fake videos, false accusations about chemical weapons or accounts of attacks on Russian soldiers that have not actually occurred.