Disinfo: Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not part of Georgia, and Crimea is officially part of Russia

Summary

The aggression of Georgia in 2008 and the armed coup in Kyiv in 2014 were organised by Washington.

Based on international law, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not part of Georgia, and the Crimean Peninsula has been part of Russia since 2014.

Disproof

Several recurring disinformation narratives about Euromaidan, the Russo- Georgian war and the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives are trying to deny any role for Russia in the Russo-Georgian war, blaming the US for the war which resulted in the further occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by additional military forces from Russia. Many international organisations condemned the further occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, see e.g. the CSCE statement here, the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia here and the European Parliament's declaration.

The EU's independent investigative commission into the 2008 Russia-Georgian war confirmed that Russia had been provoking Georgia for a long time and "Much of the Russian military action went far beyond the reasonable limits of defence." Currently, Russia occupies 20% of Georgia's territory, 13 years after the Russo-Georgian War, and continues to breach its international obligations by consolidating its control in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

There was no coup d'état in Ukraine. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was an organic reaction by numerous parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk of this disinformation claim here.

No international body recognises the so-called referendum in Crimea. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution titled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and declaring its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.

The European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order. In response to the illegal annexation of Crimea, the EU has imposed restrictive measures against the Russian Federation. In June 2021, the European Council decided to renew the sanctions introduced in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation until 23 June 2022.

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  • Reported in: Issue 271
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 27/01/2022
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia, Georgia, Georgian region of Abkhazia, Georgian region of South Ossetia, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Russo-Georgian War, Euromaidan, Crimea, illegal annexation, Manipulated elections/referendum, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, International Law
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Disinfo: NATO has no unity and is on the verge of disintegration

The statement of the President of Croatia on the withdrawal of the country’s military contingent from NATO forces in case the conflict in Ukraine escalates once again proves that the NATO in not united and the Alliance is already on the verge of disintegration.

Jan 26, 2022
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO.

The article manipulates the recent statement made by Croatian President Zoran Milanović, saying that in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, he will withdraw the country’s military contingent from NATO forces. However, the deployment of troops is the prerogative of the Croatian Defense Minister, not the President. According to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the comments made by Milanović do not depict the official stance of the Croatian government. According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić-Radman, Croatia is a loyal member of NATO and its actions are always consulted and agreed on with its allies.

Disinfo: Washington's aggressive policy and Ukrainian crisis are destroying NATO

The Ukrainian crisis, created by the US, could destroy NATO. The irresponsible policy of Washington has created regional wars for decades. In 2014, the US organised a coup in Kyiv. Washington created a zone of military tensions in Europe for its own goals. In the context of this destructive foreign policy of Washington, the existence of an anti-Soviet, anti-Russian and anti-China military alliance has no purpose and is dangerous for Europe.

Jan 26, 2022
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narratives claiming that the US was behind Euromaidan in Ukraine in 2014 and presenting NATO as an anti-Russian alliance.

NATO is a defensive alliance, whose primary aims are to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. Moreover, NATO poses no threat to Russia. During the Warsaw summit in July 2016, NATO made it clear that “The Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia”. This was also reaffirmed in the Brussels Summit Communiqué of 14 June 2021.

Disinfo: The US and NATO are baselessly getting hysterical about an imagined Russian invasion of Ukraine

It should be noted that all the hysteria in the US and NATO about the imagined invasion of Ukraine is developing despite the complete absence of any real measures on the part of Russia.

Jan 26, 2022
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West. This narrative served as part of a disinformation campaign aiming to deflect any Russian responsibility in the escalation of tensions with Ukraine as a result of Russia’s military buildup on the border.

Since late October 2021, Russia has conducted a military-build up along the Ukrainian border, including the deployment of as much as 90,000 troops as well as of specialised military units, electronic warfare systems and heavy-armoured vehicles. Despite Russian denials, this has been proven by satellite images and intelligence of the US, Ukraine and NATO, among other countries and institutions.