The 3D printed Twitter logo displayed in front of the Russian flag is seen in this illustration photo, October 27, 2017.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
Twitter removed two tweets from the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom on Thursday for what the social media giant called a “denial of violent events” in Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine.
In one of those tweets, the Russian embassy stated that a pregnant woman seen in the photo was wounded at a children’s hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol that was destroyed by an air strike. of Russia on Wednesday was actually a Ukrainian “beauty blogger” and suggested that the photo was staged propaganda.
That tweet contained two separate photos of the women the embassy claimed were the same person. Another tweet referring to the statement remained online on Thursday after two of the other tweets were taken down by Twitter.
“This tweet violated Twitter’s Rules,” the link to that tweet was later read.
At least one child and two adults were killed at the hospital, Ukrainian officials said, and 17 others were injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a tweet with video showing the damage at the hospital, wrote, “children lying under the rubble.”
A Twitter spokesperson told CNBC in an email, “We’ve taken enforcement action against the Tweets you referenced because they violate the Twitter Rules, particularly our own. Hateful behavior and The act of cursing, hitting policies regarding the denial of violent events. “
CNBC requested comment from the embassy and from a spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Washington.
The Russian Embassy in Geneva announced in a tweet still online that the Mariupol hospital was attacked because it was being used as the headquarters of a Ukrainian paramilitary group, which was firing on Russian troops while use “#HumanShields.” Russia’s British Embassy retweeted that post.
Earlier on Thursday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says the Russian invasion has killed at least 549 civilians in Ukraine, including 41 children.
The office said an additional 957 civilians had been injured since the attack began two weeks ago, while noting that the actual total number of casualties was believed to be “significantly higher”.
“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were due to the use of explosive weapons with a wide range of effects, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch missile systems, as well as air strikes and rockets.” fire,” the office said.
