Disinfo: Claims that Russia is engaged in a disinfo campaign against Ukraine are baseless

Summary

American officials reportedly shared information with European allies including a map outlining an alleged “buildup” of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. The report also included unsubstantiated claims that Russia is engaged in a disinformation campaign against Ukraine.

Disproof

Russia’s disinformation and misinformation campaigns have played a very important role in preparing the ground for the Crimea operation, the further action in East Ukraine and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The strategy and tactics employed since the start of Euromaidan in Ukraine represent an implementation of the ideas developed by Russian military analysts and outlined by General Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of Russia’s General Staff, nearly a year before the crisis in Ukraine. General Gerasimov defined the elements of a new kind of 21st-century war where the lines between war and peace, uniformed personnel and covert operatives are blurred and the main battlespace has moved from the physical ground to the hearts and minds of the populations in question.

Ever since the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine in early 2014, the undeclared war between the two countries has unfolded alongside an avalanche of deliberate disinformation. Most of this has come from Russian state media or the Kremlin itself, but an ideologically diverse range of Western sources have also echoed many of Moscow’s more outlandish claims.

Read here some examples of disinformation campaigns against Ukraine in the last weeks. 

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it.sputniknews.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 267
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 22/11/2021
  • Article language(s) Italian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: War in Ukraine, Hybrid war, Euromaidan, Eastern Ukraine, illegal annexation, Crimea
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Disinfo: Poland and the Baltic states commit only destructive acts in the post-Soviet space

Since Poland and the Baltic states are unable to come up with anything but destructive acts in the post-Soviet space, the main Western countries use the services of these states only when they need these destructive actions. In crisis situations, Poland and the Baltic states are carefully pushed aside and the West solves the problem on its own.

This situation always takes place in the case of relations with Russia. Eastern Europe has reconciled with the fact that the leaders of the USA, Germany and France communicate with Putin bypassing them – they do not ask their allies what they think about the dialogue with the Kremlin. However, the talks with Lukashenka behind the backs of Eastern European NATO members is a particular humiliation.

Nov 21, 2021
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about “aggressive” countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The second part of this massage presents Poland and the Baltic states as the countries, which have no “voice” in NATO, being the “puppet-states” or colonies of the United States or the EU.

Poland and the Baltic states are often groundlessly presented as anti-Russian, Russophobic countries involved in destructive actions in the post-Soviet space (such as organisation of a colour revolution in Belarus and undermining the security of Russia).

Disinfo: US needs armed confrontation between Europe and Russia to rescue its own economy

The threat of a conflict on the global level is as real as during the 1962 Сaribbean crisis [ed. Cuban missile crisis]. America is accelerating the crisis that could escalate into a real armed confrontation (with Russia). For Europe, it could destroy part of it. For the US, it is the possibility to rescue its own economy.

Nov 21, 2021
Disproof

The message is mixing disinformation narratives about Europe as a puppet of the US, which is provoking war with Russia through its proxy and narratives of US policy driven exclusively by companies producing military equipment.

The US is not seeking war or any kind of confrontation with Russia. It is officially stated that:

Disinfo: Poland aggravates border situation to distract attention from domestic problems

Poland aims to aggravate the situation [in terms of the border crisis]. The Polish authorities have failed with the migrants, so they started looking for other opportunities and ways [to fight Belarus]. Warsaw has two goals: first of all, to present itself as a defender and, secondly, to distract attention from internal divisions and problems in Polish society.

Nov 20, 2021
Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets about the migration situation on the EU-Belarus borders.

The claim that Poland aggravates the situation on the border with Belarus in order to fight with Belarus and reach its domestic goals is ungrounded.