DISINFO: Kyiv might launch a military "adventure" in Donbas, exploiting the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
SUMMARY
Russia is pushing for a diplomatic solution in Nagorno-Karabakh. Kyiv assumes that Russia would not stand up for the Donetsk and Luhansk republics or might react too late. This assumption could lead the Ukrainians to launce an attack soon. Ukrainian propagandist Alexander Kushnar has already advocated for an “Azeri-style” offensive to take the republics in the Donbas and even Crimea.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Ukraine trying to exploit the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to make gains in the Donbas.
There is no link between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the war in Ukraine. The recent escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is a continuation of the decades-old conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, while the war in Eastern Ukraine is a well-documented act of ongoing aggression by Russian armed forces, since February 2014.
In Donbas, a truce was established in July 2020. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated multiple times that the achievement of a full, comprehensive, and long-lasting ceasefire is one of the key priorities of the Ukrainian government.
Ukraine did express support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, but called for a peaceful solution and said it supports the efforts of Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - which includes the Russian Federation.
Based on the daily reports of the OSCE Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the number of ceasefire violations in the Donbas did not increase meaningfully after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalated. Thus, it cannot be proven that Ukraine, as an answer to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, increased pressure on the region.
Since the publication of the article by News Front, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a peace deal.