Disinfo: NATO justifies its actions with alleged Russian meddling in Ukraine

Summary

The new joint command for special operation forces of Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia comes at a time when NATO continues to increase military presence in Europe, especially the eastern countries. This has started after the coup in Ukraine in 2014, and NATO justifies it with the alleged Russian meddling in that conflict. Moscow has denied these accusation several times, asserting that NATO forces deployment near Russian borders is a provocation.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narratives that NATO is provoking Russia at its borders. In this article this narrative is strengthened by the Euromaidan being a coup d’état narrative, and the returning storyline that the annexation of Crimea was an expression of Crimean citizens' desire to re-join Russia through a legal referendum. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. In order to justify the illegal annexation of Crimea and the reunification with Russia, Moscow regularly claims that Euromaidan was a coup d’état. See comparable debunks of this sort of disinformation on Ukraine's "coup d'etat" here and on "NATO provocations" here.

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  • Reported in: Issue 171
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26/10/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Serbian, Bosnian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Ukraine, Provocation, NATO
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Disinfo: It is absurd to say that Russia is part of the conflict in Donbas

In every way possible Ukraine is trying to expose Russia as a party to the conflict. This is absurd. Everyone understands this.

Oct 25, 2019
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine. See a similar case denying Russia’s involvement in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine here, here and here. The EU condemns the clear violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014.

Disinfo: Ukraine is blocking the implementation of Steinmeier formula

The Ukrainian side still blocking it (Steinmeier formula). There are no prerequisites for Ukraine tomorrow, in a week, a month or later, to implement the formula in Ukrainian legislation. Zelensky repeats Poroshenko at its worst. He came to power with peaceful slogans. He declared that he was the president of the peace. And the first thing he would do to achieve a peace. More than six months have passed, but there is no order for a ceasefire. Not a single paragraph, even the most basic on breeding and ceasefire by Ukraine, has been implemented.

Oct 25, 2019
Disproof

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Kyiv government sabotaging peace in the Donbas region. See previous cases about the Minsk agreements and the war in Ukraine. Steinmeier's formula calls for elections to be held in the separatist-held territories under Ukrainian legislation and the supervision of the OSCE. The withdrawal of forces is the other step that should be done before the planned elections. "By signing on, Ukraine agreed to hold local elections in the Donbas -- but only under Ukrainian law, and only after Russian forces are withdrawn and Ukraine regains control of the state border. There won't be any elections under the barrel of a gun," said the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the moment, neither Ukraine nor the so-called "DPR" and "LNR" withdrew its troops. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares that all issues regarding the format of the deployment of forces in the Donbas are clearly stated in the Minsk agreements, so Ukraine should not discuss it again and cannot provide a withdrawal when the shelling continues.

According to the daily report by the SMM OSCE, the Mission recorded ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but those violations were fixed from both sides. The same situation is with the withdrawal of forces.The SMM OSCE saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. As stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Vadim Pristayko, only after 7 days of peace in the territory can the withdrawal of forces and assets in Zolote and Petrivske begin.

Disinfo: White Helmets have close links to Al-Qaeda and falsify chemical attacks evidence

The White Helmets have helped to justify in the media Western interference in the Syrian crisis, but they have also repeatedly contributed to ridicule those media. These media rescuers with close ties to al-Qaeda, have indeed received a financial boost of 4.5 million dollars (4 million euros) from US. The White Helmets were repeatedly caught spreading misinformation. In April 2018, images of an alleged chemical attack on a hospital flood social networks. Washington, London, followed by Paris, lead strikes against three sites of “the clandestine chemical arsenal of the Syrian regime” […]. Three sites that were, in fact, under regular surveillance by the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), which found nothing to complain about. While jihadists are globally defeated in Syria, why are the United States continuing their financial support to the White Helmets?

Oct 25, 2019
Disproof

Recurrent disinformation narrative. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it found reasonable grounds to believe that chlorine was used as a weapon in the Douma district of Eastern Ghouta, Syria in April 2018. The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission also confirmed use of chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017. The "White Helmets" movement originated in Syria in 2012. Volunteers save people from the rubble after bombings, despite the danger of dying themselves as a result of repeated air strikes. Activists have documented the use of chemical weapons in Syria, later confirmed by OPCW. Because of this, they have become the target of an extensive Russian disinformation campaign. Disinformation media routinely accuse White Helmets of “working for terrorists” and giving a biased information to Western media. No evidence is given to support those claims. See more disinformation cases on the White Helmets here.