Disinfo: NATO enlargement poses a threat to Russia

Summary

USSR and Warsaw Pact no longer exist but NATO not only exists but is developing as well. NATO enlargement and development of its infrastructure near Russian borders is one of the potential threats to Russia’s national security. Russia has done everything to cooperate with NATO in order to deal with real problems such as international terrorism, local military conflicts, uncontrolled spread of weapons of mass destruction. But Russia-NATO cooperation was actually cut.

Disproof

The statement contains multiple recurring pro-Kremlin narratives on NATO. The first narrative is NATO as a relic of the Cold War. This narrative aims at undermining NATO's role as a defensive military alliance. Concerning the claim, that NATO is the relic of the Cold War, at the London Summit in 1990, Allied heads of state and government agreed "to keep standing together, to extend the long peace". This was their sovereign choice and was fully in line with their right for collective defence. Since then, thirteen more countries have chosen to join NATO. Twice since the end of the Cold War, NATO has adopted new Strategic Concepts (in 1999 and 2010), adapting to new realities. Thus, rather than being disbanded as a relic, NATO adapted, and continues to change, to live up to the needs and expectations of Allies, and to promote their shared vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace. See the identical case about NATO here. The second narrative claims that NATO poses a threat to Russia. NATO has many time underlined that it is a purely defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. In direct response to Russia's use of military force against its neighbours, NATO has deployed four multinational battle-groups to the Baltic States and Poland. These forces are rotational, defensive and proportionate. They cannot compare to the three divisions Russia has established in its Western Military and Southern Military Districts. Before Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, there were no plans to deploy Allied troops to the eastern part of the Alliance. See other cases on NATO posing threat to Russia here, here and here. The last narrative implies that NATO refused cooperation with Russia. NATO has reached out to Russia consistently, transparently and publicly over the past 29 years. NATO and Russia worked together on issues ranging from counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism to submarine rescue and civil emergency planning. However, in March 2014, in response to Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine, NATO suspended practical cooperation with Russia. The NATO - Russia Council is still active.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 176
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 04/12/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia
  • Keywords: security threat, USSR, EU/NATO enlargement
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Disinfo: Greta Thunberg declared war against white men

The “green madness” spanning the western world is already leading to serious economic repercussions. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg are against the so-called “patriarchal system of oppression” and urge to refrain from having children. They also declare that it is the locals’ racism that makes migrants to commit crimes. If Ocasio-Cortez and Thunberg succeed in their environmental plans, the world will never be the same, and Russia and China are likely to remain the last islands of common sense. The flow of tourists from the European Union will go to Russia, because only in Russia (and in China, but we are closer) you can safely eat natural (rather than soy) meat and ride a gasoline car without being tormented by the conscience and the “ecological moral police” – the social network activists.

Disproof

No evidence given. This is a conspiracy about the West allegedly exploiting the environmental agenda and climate change topic. See earlier disinformation cases claiming that Greta Thunberg is a political tool, key targets for “green blows” will be Russia and China, that the climate mafia is exploiting Greta Thunberg to lower living standards, and that Greta Thunberg is a prophet of a new totalitarian wave equalling to radical Islam.

Disinfo: Netherlands MH17 hysteria demonstrates Dutch government complicity in the tragedy

The Dutch government, as a agent of the Euro-Atlantic establishment, has lost all links to the reality and is not even pretending that it cares about the human rights and the objective investigation; Representatives of the European elite involved in covering up the truth behind the MH17 crash are panicking because the mainstream ‘Russia is guilty’ narrative has collapsed. Dutch government tried to pay a bribe to Tsemakh for his loyality and participation in the MH17 farce by proposing him to move to the Netherlands. Under international law (as well as laws of a majority of the states), the concealment of facts related to the crime is a signal of complicity in the crime. The Dutch government, which is allegedly a neutral side in the MH17 case, is de-facto impeding the objective investigation of the tragedy.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Joint International Investigation and the downing of the flight MH17. The disinformation message appeared after the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service claimed that Russia willingly allowed Mr Tsemakh, a suspect in the MH17 case, to leave the Russian Federation and refused to execute the Dutch request for extradition. Read more here. Ukraine has also issued the warrant for Volodymyr Tsemakh. A special team, known as the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), was established to conduct the criminal investigation of the downing of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. The JIT comprises officials from the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the Dutch police, along with police and criminal justice authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT the Dutch Public Persecution service will persecute 4 individuals for causing the crash of the MH17 and murdering of 289 persons on board. The JIT has launched an appeal for witnesses who might have more information about the persons involved in the downing of the MH17. Every witness who comes forward maybe offered a witness safety and protection program. If necessary the program can protect witness identities and may include the use of assumed identities and may include re-location and in some cases permanent re-settling in another country. Read more here. See previous disinformation cases: JIT investigators tried to bribe Volodymyr Tsemakh; The JIT investigation is not interested in truth; The Netherlands has not taken into account the evidence confirming Russia's innocence in the downing of the MH17, and others.

Disinfo: Members of the White Helmets were also members of terrorist groups

The White Helmets; founded and trained by James le Mesurier, a British secret agent and mercenary, who was killed in Turkey, most likely because his services were no longer needed. Their Head Office in the Netherlands is sponsored by the EU and US. Hollywood made an “awesome” documentary about these terrorists to brainwash Western media. Actually the members of the White Helmets all supported Al-Queda and Al-Nusra and were all members of these terrorists groups, still the West calls them “relief workers”.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the White Helmets. No evidence is given to substantiate the claim that they have connections to Al Qaeda and/ or other terrorist groups. The claim that the White Helmets are the creation of“Western intelligence” is unsubstantiated and constitutes a groundless conspiracy theory.