Disinfo: Russia does not threaten Ukraine or any other country

Summary

Russia does not constitute a threat to Ukraine or to any other country but at the same time, it will take all the necessary measures to protect itself.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about peaceful Russia that contains disinformation about the war in Ukraine.

Since 1991, Russia was involved in several international conflicts, including interventions in neighbouring states, such as Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Many international organizations condemned the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, see e.g. the OSCE statements here and here and the European Parliament's declaration.

It was also Russia that provoked 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". Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted military presence of Russia in Ukraine in 2015. In 2014 Russia also annexed a part of Ukrainian territory - Crimean peninsula. The so-called referendum on the peninsula was organised in a matter of weeks by a self-proclaimed Crimean leadership lacking democratic legitimacy and installed by armed Russian military personnel following the seizure of public buildings. The EU does not recognise it.

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 68/262, adopted on 27 March 2014 and supported by 100 states, clearly says that Russia's actions in Crimea, as well as the referendum held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, violate international law.

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sputniknews.gr (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 240
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 05/04/2021
  • Article language(s) Greek
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Ukraine, US, Georgia
  • Keywords: War in Ukraine, Russian expansionism, Crimea, Russo-Georgian War
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Disinfo: Baltic states' membership in NATO resulted in degradation of national security

If in 2004 Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were secure, today they are almost on the front line. The result of membership of the Baltic states in NATO is a visible degradation of their security.

Today all efforts of the Baltic states are focused on preparation for war [against Russia]. Russia is not a threat [for the Baltic states], but Moscow is adequately answering to the provocative growth of NATO’s activities near Russia’s border.

The Baltic states are territory for exercises of foreign armies, comfort bridgehead for blitzkrieg to East, small coin in the big geopolitical game.

Apr 04, 2021
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, portraying NATO as an aggressor and presenting the Baltic states as the puppets of the Alliance. The claim also repeats another recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO encircling Russia.

NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia. The Alliance underlined this position in the Brussels Summit Declaration in 2018. This declaration concludes that “Russia’s aggressive actions, including the threat and use of force to attain political goals and challenge the Alliance and undermining Euro-Atlantic security and the rules-based international order”.

Disinfo: An attack of a Ukrainian drone took the life on one child and injured one woman

An attack of a Ukrainian drone took the life on one child and injured one woman in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. The soldiers of the 59th brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces, while obeying a criminal command, used an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a home-made explosive device.

Apr 04, 2021
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the Donbas conflict.

The claim is unverified. The village of Oleksandrivske (Aleksandrovskoye in Russian media) is located 15 kilometers away from the front line. The Russian Investigative Committee announced a probe into the death of a child there reported by pro-Kremlin media. The OSCE's special monitoring mission to Ukraine did not report about any drone strike in this area.

Disinfo: Russia has never been a threat to Ukraine

Russia does not pose a threat to any country, including Ukraine, making the US assurances of support to Ukraine meaningless. Instead, these guarantees of support are doing a disservice to Ukraine by increasing tensions and eliciting a response from Russia.

Apr 03, 2021
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative obfuscating Russian responsibility for the illegal annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine.

Since 2014 Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by the acts of aggression of Russian armed forces. The EU has imposed series of restrictive measures against Russian individuals and entities undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.