Russian policy relies on striking military power, long-standing diplomacy, and a long-term strategy that does not get tired or bored of continuous attempts to strengthen the role of the United Nations, and the permanent members of the Security Council to maintain global peace and security, and adhere to the principles of the world order that its foundations were laid 75 years after the end of World War II.
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In other words, no one in the Kremlin desires aggression or interference in the policies of any of the countries against any of the states, and Russia doesn’t move except within the framework of international laws and respect for the sovereignty of states and the will of the people.
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Russia has never initiated an expansion towards the West, as NATO did in its expansion towards the East.
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Russia’s policy is always characterised by clarity and transparency in resolving international and regional issues, which is proven in all international forums, United Nations resolutions and official statements issued by the Kremlin or the Russian Foreign Ministry, and they all depend, without exception, on respecting and observing international laws and concepts adopted by the UN.
A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia being respectful of international law, and never interfering in other country's affairs, whereas in fact, Russia has a long record of violating other states' sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Since 1991, Russia was involved in several international conflicts, including intervention in neighbouring states, such as Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Many international organisations condemned Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, see e.g. the CSCE statement here and the European Parliament's declaration.
It was also Russia that interfered in Ukraine. In 2014, Russia annexed a part of Ukrainian territory - the 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. No international body recognises the so-called referendum, announced on the 27th of February 2014, and held on 16th of March 2014. Read the EU's statement on the fifth anniversary of the illegal annexation of Crimea here.
The UN 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also admitted the military presence of Russia in Ukraine in 2015.
Moreover, numerous investigations have provided convincing evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum and in elections across Europe and in the US.
An additional pro-Kremlin tactic of distraction used within this case is “whataboutism”, accusing NATO of expanding towards the east, whereas in fact, NATO does not "expand" in the aggressive sense described here, but rather, it considers the applications of candidate countries who want to join based on their own national will. As such, NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. NATO's "Open Door Policy" is based on Article 10 of the Alliance's founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty (1949).
See similar cases claiming that Russia respects the sovereignty of all states and that Russia fully respects international law in Crimea and elsewhere; or other similar cases alleging that NATO is trying to encircle Russia, or that the expansion of NATO is military aggression, or that UN’s JIM on Syria was disbanded due to unprofessionalism ; or that Crimea’s reunification with Russia was in accordance with the UN charter.
We live in a country [Poland] where Russophobia has reached the level of official state policy. Work is being done to redefine the legal definition of espionage to include cooperation with media from the countries considered as hostile.
It is fascinating to see that Polish public discourse is dominated by the idea that Poland needs to have the worst possible relations with a neighbor, who is a nuclear superpower.
This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread narrative about Russophobic Poland. The Kremlin-controlled media regularly accuse the political elites of Poland of Russophobia and the implementation of anti-Russian policies.
The Polish authorities do not promote Russophobia or any type of “anti-Russian paranoia”. The Polish authorities have repeatedly stated that Poland is willing to improve its relations with Russia – these relations will automatically improve if Russia starts observing the regulations of international law. In a statement of 21 December 2019, the Polish authorities reiterated their openness to continue the historical dialogue with Russia, for example through restarting the work of the bilateral Group on Difficult Issues.
As the bane of foreign meddling in Russia’s sovereign affairs and boy-toy of MSM Alexey Navalny retired from the scene after he finally faced the widely-expected, but still pretty soft punishment for his multiple violations of the law. So now, the masters behind the attempt to destabilize Russia needs some another fake leader of its network of influence. Fortunately, for them, there is a candidate.
Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, which was proclaimed the ‘winner’ of the presidential election in Belarus by NATO member states, but fled the country and is now hiding in Lithuania, is already promoting Navalny’s wife, Yulia, as the ‘leader’ of the ‘Russian opposition’.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Alexei Navalny. The claim that Navalny is somehow used by the West and foreign special services for the political destabilisation of Russia is disinformation.
Anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has long been the most prominent face of Russian opposition to President Vladimir Putin. His candidacy in the 2018 presidential election was banned by authorities over his conviction by a Russian court for embezzlement, which bars him from running for office. He has been arrested and imprisoned several times during his political career.
Russia was forced to expel three diplomats from Poland, Sweden, and Germany due to their participation in illegal pro-opposition protests on 23 January.
The claim advances a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the ongoing protests in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
None of the three diplomats actually participated in the demonstrations. The foreign ministries of Poland, Sweden, and Germany have all confirmed that their presence at the protests was linked solely to the fulfillment of their diplomatic duties of monitoring protests. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, these duties include "[a]scertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in the receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State" (Article 3(d)).
