DISINFO: Finland’s NATO membership aims to corner Russia
SUMMARY
What is the meaning of Finland joining NATO? With this new adhesion, NATO wants to contain and corner Russia. The West has spread an alarmist discourse about Russia’s supposed intentions to confront countries in the European region.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO enlargement and encircling Russia.
This disinformation narrative deliberately ignores the real reason for Finland’s NATO membership, which is a direct reaction to Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's unprovoked attack led to a massive shift on public opinion towards the Atlantic Alliance in Finland: while prior to the invasion only 24 percent of Finns expressed support for joining NATO, this figure jumped to 74 percent shortly afterwards, and to 85 percent at the moment of its actual entrance. A similar trend took place in Sweden for the same reasons.
Regarding Russia's intentions, Russia has executed multiple aggressions against neighbouring countries, including the illegal annexation of Crimea, the promotion of separatist conflicts in Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, and multiple destabilization attempts against Moldova and Georgia.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the West calls for Russian state to be destroyed, that Russia’s nuclear deployment to Belarus is a response to NATO expansionism, that NATO instigated a war in Ukraine to weaken Russia, or that the Russian special operation was provoked by Ukraine and the West.