DISINFO: NATO provokes Russia in the Black Sea region
SUMMARY
NATO provokes Russia in the Black Sea region. However, if we analyse the events of recent months, we can see that tensions in the Black Sea region are provoked not by Russia, but by NATO. (…) The Russian Federation Council (Upper House of Parliament) then said that NATO was flexing its’ muscles and trying to demonstrate its presence in the western and southern border regions of Russia, while Georgia had become “part of the NATO mechanism for influencing Moscow”. The US has long had the idea of establishing a ‘sanitary blockade’ by states hostile to Russia – from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. (…) They will increase the pressure on Russia, and not just by their own efforts. Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Georgia should also participate. […] The Black Sea region was nothing more than a new source of tension for the Americans, where they could provoke Russia. The recent incidents in the Kerch Strait are clear proof of this.
RESPONSE
No evidence given. Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on NATO belligerence towards Russia and on Russophobia. NATO seeks no confrontation with Russia. NATO is a defensive alliance. Its purpose is to protect the member states. NATO's exercises and military deployments in the Black Sea are not directed against Russia – or any other country. NATO has reached out to Russia consistently, transparently and publicly over the past 29 years. Concerning Georgia, NATO agreed at the Wales Summit to offer Georgia a substantial package of assistance to strengthen Georgia's defence and interoperability capabilities with the Alliance. In August 2015, a NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Centre was inaugurated in Krtsanisi to contribute to the training and interoperability of Georgian and Alliance personnel. The Training Centre is not directed against Russia, but contributes to stability by making Georgia's armed forces more professional, and by reinforcing the democratic controls over them. Moreover, NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. Every sovereign nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements. This is a fundamental principle of European security, one that Russia has also subscribed to, and should respect. NATO enlargement has brought more stability and prosperity to Europe, including Russia. See how Russia has escalated the tensions in the Kerch Strait here.