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Disinfo: Belarus’ Lukashenko mocking Russia by carrying out a military exercise with NATO and UK

Summary

Belarus’ president Lukashenko is mocking Russia by carrying out a joint military exercise with NATO and the United Kingdom. British troops will deploy in what not so long ago the West considered “an advanced post of tyranny” and against which it still keeps some sanctions.

Disproof

As a sovereign country independent since 1991, Belarus has every right to take part in military exercises with any country it wishes according to international law. The British and Belarusian armies have already cooperated for military exchanges in previous years. The event is held on a bilateral basis in the framework of cooperation in the training of peacekeeping personnel, aiming at Belarus' participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. According to Belarusian Defence Minister, Oleg Belokonev, the country wants to remain close to Russia but with a military training connection to NATO, as is the case of Serbia.

This is part of a recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying the existence of a Belarusian nationhood separated from Russia. This narrative has increased since 2018 amidst Russian pressure to further integrate both countries into a single Union State. You can see other examples in our database, such as allegations that genuine independence will only be possible in a union with Russia, that pro-Western development would mean the end of Belarus, or that the US wants to turn Belarus into a Russophobic country, destroy its economy and statehood, orchestrate a colour revolution, a coup and a foreign invasion and turn it into a colony of the West.

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publication/media

News Front - Spanish (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 188
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 05/03/2020
  • Language/target audience: Spanish, Castilian
  • Country: UK, Belarus
  • Keywords: Union State of Belarus and Russia, Alexander Lukashenko, NATO

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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