DISINFO: Russia did not start the war in Donbas
SUMMARY
It was not Russia that started the war in Donbas.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the war in Ukraine.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that "the information available suggests that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol amounts to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This international armed conflict began at the latest on 26 February (2014) when the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government."
The European Union stated in July 2014 that "arms and fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation".
At the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014, NATO leaders condemned in the strongest terms Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
In 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia's military presence in Ukraine and Russian involvement in the occupation of Crimea.