On January 20, the website Military Review published untrue news with the title “The Defense Ministry commented on the publication of the Ukrainian media about the ‘extermination of Major General of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in DNR’.”
The report said: “The Ukrainian media literally vied with each other to go out with materials that allegedly on the territory controlled by DNR militia allegedly some ‘Ukrainian partisans’ brigade ‘Shadows’ exterminated, neither more nor less, Major General of the Armed Forces Peter Pavlov. (…) The Defense Ministry has decided not to leave these messages produced by Ukrainian media unattended. Official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major-General Igor Konashenkov said that data about the murder of a certain Russian general in Donbas is a fake.
Igor Konashenkov (quote from Interfax): “This is absolute nonsense. Such hallucinations of ‘Russian invasion’ from the main ideologists of a military solution to the internal conflict in the south-east of Ukraine is hardly accidental. We should not be surprised if this kind of revelations will be announced in the coming days and from high tribunes in Switzerland “.
The Defense Ministry claims that Major General Petr G. Pavlov does not exist in the Armed Forces of Russian Federation. The only Peter Pavlov in the rank of Major General, is known in the military as a defense minister of Bulgaria and died in 1982.”
Igor Konashenkov’s quote really exists in the message of Interfax. It was referred by many media. But it concerns only the statements of the Ukrainian side on the transport of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine. Possible murder of Peter Pavlov, as well as his very existence was not commented by the Defense Ministry.
And a primary source of allegedly Konashenkov’s words: “the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said that data about the murder of a certain Russian general in Donbass is a fake. The Defense Ministry said that Major General Petr G. Pavlov does not exist in the Armed Forces. The only Peter Pavlov in the rank of Major General, is known in the military as a defense minister of Bulgaria and died in 1982”- became “Military Review” website itself, which was already referred by all other Internet sites to republish this information.
Let us recall that on January 20 in social networks a message was spread that the Donetsk group of partisans “Shadows” kidnapped three people on the outskirts of Donetsk. One of them, according to the Ukrainian side, turned out to be Peter G. Pavlov, Major-General of the operational management of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
The news was republished by some Ukrainian media.
The fact of Petr G. Pavlov with two companions shooting down had been also confirmed by separatists from the so-called “DNR”. But in their messages they do not call him a Major General.
