Disinfo: Promises about non-expansion of NATO were thrown into a bin by the West

Summary

The promises made about non-expansion of NATO, about not building military infrastructure in the east, and no deployment of significant combat forces on the territory of new members, were simply rudely thrown into a bin by the West.

During the five waves of NATO expansion, the Alliance has come to the borders of Russia. Now it is actively developing these territories militarily, building up ground forces, aviation, increasing the scale of exercises in the Black Sea. All of these current actions of the West grossly violate the obligations previously assumed.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO and NATO enlargement.

This claim has been debunked numerous times. There is no evidence that any Western leader ever gave assurances to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev about NATO’s pledge not to admit new members. Gorbachev himself denied this claim in an interview in 2014. NATO members have never made any political or legally binding commitments not to extend the Alliance beyond the borders of a reunified Germany. Read more about the myths and realities of NATO enlargement.

Also, NATO does not "expand" in the imperialistic sense as described by pro-Kremlin media. Rather, it considers the applications of candidate countries who exercise their free choice of alliance affiliation and want to join the Alliance. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia.

With its destabilising actions and policies including the ongoing illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, Russia has violated the NATO-Russia Founding Act and its international commitments. As a response, the Alliance enhanced its forward presence in its eastern part, with four multinational battalion-size battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on a rotational basis.

Read more similar claiming that NATO forgot promises not to enlarge to the East, The West promised that NATO will not move eastward, or The US and Russia had an agreement that NATO wouldn't be enlarged.

For more debunks of pro-Kremlin myths about Ukraine see here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 270
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14/01/2022
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: EU, Russia
  • Keywords: NATO, EU/NATO enlargement, West, Sergei Lavrov, Anti-Russian, Encircling Russia, Military exercise
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Disinfo: Kazakhstan protests necessary for the US and allies to pressure Russia ahead of Geneva talks

The protesters in Kazakhstan were very well prepared and organised, assuming a large amount of money from abroad was invested into the protest. Also, it could be assumed, that the US or their allies are behind the protests and “second Maidan” near the border of Russia. This was done to exert more pressure on Russia before the security talk in Geneva.

Disproof

This claim advances an emerging pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that the January 2022 anti-government protests in Kazakhstan are part of a foreign inspired and directed plot. The message includes the conspiracy theory that the US and their allies needed these events as a tool to make pressure on Russia before the security talk in Geneva.

The pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in GeorgiaUkrainethe Czech RepublicBulgariaBelarusVenezuelaSlovakiaHong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors supported by foreign powers who constantly prepare new coups.

Disinfo: Protests in Kazakhstan were funded from abroad; the US might be behind this

The radicals were accused of being funded and trained from abroad. The suspicion that the US may have played a role in Kazakhstan clearly stems from the fact that its proven instruments for regime change, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), are active in Kazakhstan and typically fund anti-government movements.

Disproof

This claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that the January 2022 anti-government protests in Kazakhstan are orchestrated from abroad and are part of a US policy of staging “colour revolutions”.

The pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors supported by foreign powers who constantly prepare new coups.

Disinfo: After 2014 pro-American coup in Kyiv, NATO tripled Rapid Reaction Force on "eastern flank"

Washington has been recklessly pushing the North Atlantic Alliance for 30 years to expand to the east and to develop militarily the post-Soviet space, including Ukraine. After the pro-American coup d'état in Kyiv in 2014, NATO tripled the size of the Rapid Reaction Force on the "eastern flank".

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives painting the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv as a coup d'état, as well as presenting NATO as an aggressive alliance.

There was no 'pro-American' coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; this is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former president Viktor Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised (and negotiated for years) Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.