According to Russian propaganda, Russian forces never target civilians - because, well, they are Russians, "soulful, kind and honest people," and are definitionally incapable of such actions.
Instead, as it is patiently explained to Russian citizens every evening, it's the Ukrainian Nazis that inexplicably chose the exact moment a Ukrainian city is surrounded by RF forces to immediately massacre the civilian population inside.
Basically, Russian defense is "they are killing themselves." And Russian citizens regurgitate this in interviews, so it's working very well. As we say in Russian "Goebbels is nervously smoking a cigarette."