What follows is NewsGuard’s summary and translation of top news stories from Russia’s state TV Channel One. NewsGuard presents these stories in the order that they appear on the program. NewsGuard shares this summary as part of our mission to monitor and report all categories of misinformation, including Russian disinformation. Please note that these summaries of Russian state TV broadcasts may well contain falsehoods or propaganda, and NewsGuard does not vet them for accuracy or balance.
Top news stories about the Russia-Ukraine war on Russia's Channel One on Wednesday April 13, 2022.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that there is a new planned provocation by the Kiev regime
Our Ministry of Defense warned that the Kiev authorities are preparing a new provocation. They plan to stage the incident in the city of Irpen. Western journalists will spin the fake news to discredit the Russian military.
Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center, said: “The Kiev authorities, under the patronage of the countries of the collective West led by the United States, continue to collect pseudo-evidence of Russia’s culpability. To this end, a curfew and complete blockade of the city Irpin is being put in place from 06:00 on April 12, 2022 to 09:00 on April 15, 2022, while entry during this period will be allowed only to representatives of law enforcement agencies and ‘unspecified’ volunteers. It has been reliably established that this period of time will be used by Kiev to carry out a provocation with the organization of cynical staged filming and further promotion of the fake by the Western media.”
Our embassy in the United States has reacted to statements from the State Department, which allege Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine. These statements are unfounded, the Russian diplomats stressed. They also emphasized that our armed forces do not have chemical warfare agents and all stocks of chemical weapons were destroyed back in 2017.
Channel One presenter Irina Kuksenkova spoke about who protected her during the shelling of Mariupol
Irina Kuksenkova was injured while filming a report in the industrial zone of Mariupol. She was preparing a report about the work of our military, and it was they who heroically shielded her during the shelling from the gangs.
The troops received prompt medical assistance: the wounds were light, someone was barely hurt. Kuksenkova said: “A big thank you. I wish them good health so that they can quickly return to service. They themselves said they want this very much. People need to know what our Russian army is like. There is such a spirit of unity, of brotherhood, of sticking together.”
Decisive actions, bravery, and courage allow Russian servicemen to fulfill their duty
The Russian Ministry of Defense released the names of new heroes. Among them are Corporal Mikhail Krylov. He discovered a unit of Ukrainian saboteurs, who were preparing to attack our convoy. Krylov was one of the first to fight them. The corporal hampered the actions of the neo-Nazis with intense fire and ensured that main forces were deployed. Even when he was wounded, he continued to attack the radicals. The enemy was defeated.
Ukraine’s Security Service released a photo of Viktor Medvedchuk in handcuffs
The story about the detention of Viktor Medvedchuk, the head of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, has developed. According to reports, a new photo of him in handcuffs was distributed by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Vladimir Zelensky announced that Medvedchuk was taken into custody as a result of a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine. And now it has become clear why. A few hours later, the Ukrainian president recorded a video message, though not to his people, but to our country. He offered to exchange the Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners of war. Medvedchuk is not at war and has not yet been convicted of anything.
Every day, Russia opens humanitarian corridors for refugees from Kharkov and Mariupol
Humanitarian corridors operate from 10 am. Moreover, according to our Ministry of Defense, Russia is ready to organize safe routes and evacuate citizens in other directions as soon as possible. In the meantime, those who manage to escape from the hands of neo-Nazis are being placed in the Russian regions.
About a thousand refugees from Ukraine, including 300 children, were welcomed in Tatarstan alone. Humanitarian aid — essential items and, for children, toys — are being collected. Refugees recall with horror how, until recently, they were hiding from shelling and how they were used as human shields by the radicals.
Armed Forces of Ukraine continue shelling the Lugansk People’s Republic with phosphorus and cluster shells
Fighters of the Lugansk People’s Republic step by step, village by village, are pushing back Ukrainian units to prevent this from happening again. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, not sparing civilians, continue shelling, including with the use of banned weapons — phosphorus or cluster bombs, and they leave anti-personnel mines on the ground.
The Eternal Flame in Kherson was lit for the first time in a while
Local residents carry flowers to the memorial that commemorates the unparalleled courage of the Soviet soldiers, who died for the liberation of the city during the Great Patriotic War.
People say that various reasons have been given for the extinguishing of the Eternal Flame, including, they say, to save gas. But the truth is that in recent years people have not actually had the opportunity to honor the memory of those who fought against fascism. Now that the city is under the control of the Russian military, this is no longer a problem.