DISINFO: NATO, led by the US, is closing in on Russia's borders, pushing the infrastructure forward
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: ru.armeniasputnik.am (archived)*
  • Date of publication: September 06, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 163
  • Countries / regions discussed: Poland, Baltic states, Ukraine, Russia
Tags:
Encircling Russia EU/NATO enlargement

DISINFO: NATO, led by the US, is closing in on Russia's borders, pushing the infrastructure forward

SUMMARY

NATO, led by the US, is closing in on Russia’s borders, constantly pushing the infrastructure forward. The alliance’s forces have thoroughly taken control of the territory of the Baltic States and Poland. Now they are also trying to settle in Ukraine.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO threatening Russia and NATO's expansion. The claim that NATO is encircling Russia is one of the myths about NATO. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometres), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members.

Outside NATO territory, the Alliance only has a military presence in two places: Kosovo and Afghanistan. Both operations are carried out with a United Nations mandate, endorsed by the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a member. In contrast, Russia has military bases and soldiers in three EU's Eastern neighborhood countries – Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – without the consent of their governments. NATO's presence in the Baltic countries or Poland, is at the request of the host nations.

NATO does not "expand" in the imperialistic sense described by the Kremlin and Russian state media, but instead considers the applications of candidate countries that want to join the defensive alliance of their own national will. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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