DISINFO: NATO’s eastward expansion is a serious security threat to Russia
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: oroszhirek.hu (archived)*
  • Date of publication: October 14, 2022
  • Article language(s): Hungarian
  • Reported in: Issue 313
  • Countries / regions discussed: Russia, Europe, Ukraine
Tags:
EU/NATO enlargement NATO security threat Invasion of Ukraine

DISINFO: NATO’s eastward expansion is a serious security threat to Russia

SUMMARY

Russia sees NATO's eastward expansion as a serious security threat. When Moscow launched a military offensive against Kyiv at the end of February, one of its main demands was that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral country that would never join any Western military alliance.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO, portraying it as a belligerent organisation.

The claim about NATO "expansion" misrepresents the process of NATO enlargement. NATO does not "expand" but considers the applications of candidate countries that want to join. NATO is a defensive alliance with primary aims to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's official policy is that "the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia."

Ukraine is a sovereign country with its own national interests. It is not controlled by any Western government or organisation. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by almost the whole world with Russia as the key exception. Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by continuous acts of aggression by Russian armed forces since 2014 and culminated in an aggressive attack on a neighbouring country on February 24, 2022.

See similar cases in our database: The role of NATO is to increase the confrontation with RussiaNATO aims to destabilise EuropeRussophobic Baltic NATO-States responsible for turning defensive NATO-alliance into a confrontation with RussiaNATO is leading humanity to WWIII.

Embed

Related disinfo cases

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.

    Your opinion matters!

    Data Protection Information *

      Subscribe to the Disinfo Review

      Your weekly update on pro-Kremlin disinformation

      Data Protection Information *

      The Disinformation Review is sent through Mailchimp.com. See Mailchimp’s privacy policy and find out more on how EEAS protects your personal data.