Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Tuesday that it’s “hard to believe” that the United Nations could impose this kind of censorship. As Russia continues to censor similar words from its own media and outside media and bring consequences such as jail time for those who do, the U.N.’s alleged censorship has sparked backlash.

“I urge the UN to swiftly refute such reports if they are false,” Kuleba wrote. “UN reputation [is] at stake.”

Naomi O’Leary, a journalist for the Irish Times, reported on the alleged censorship after she said she obtained an email the U.N. Department of Global Communications reportedly sent to staff that told them to use the terms “conflict” or “military offensive” instead of “war” or “invasion.”

Kuleba likened the alleged censorship to the kind currently happening in Russia. Russian newspapers are subject to regulations by Roskomnadzor, a government media watchdog. So far, the agency has banned terms like “assault,” “invasion” or “declaration of war” when describing the conflict, instead opting for terms like “special military operation,” Newsweek previously reported.

Russia passed legislation last week banning news outlets from spreading “fake” information about the war, with the harshest punishment for violating the rule being 15 years in prison. As a result, many news outlets, such as BBC and CNN, have suspended their operations within Russia.

The alleged U.N. email also told employees not to add the Ukrainian flag to personal social media profiles or websites to avoid “reputational risk,” according to The Irish Times.

“This is an important reminder that we, as international civil servants, have a responsibility to be impartial,” the email reportedly read.

A U.N. spokesperson called the email “fake” on Twitter. Melissa Fleming, a global communications leader for the U.N., also responded to Kuleba’s tweet to deny the email’s existence.

“No such official communication has gone out to global staff to refrain from using certain words,” she wrote, also linking to a tweet from Rosemary DiCarlo, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, in which she used the word “war” to describe the situation in Ukraine.

However, according to O’Leary, an anonymous U.N. employee sent the journalist a message saying the email was real and the fake news claim is a lie. A U.N. spokesman told The Irish Times, “I don’t dispute the validity of that email but it can not be considered official policy to staff.”

“It is doubly Orwellian for [the U.N.] to now accuse me of fake news given they don’t deny it,” O’Leary wrote on Twitter.

Update 03/08/22 2:55 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.