Disinfo: Russia has never been a threat to Ukraine

Summary

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.

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.

Russia has illegally annexed Crimea following a sham referendum on the peninsula in 2014. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.

See related disinformation claims alleging that there is a civil war in Ukraine, that Russia never participated in the Ukrainian conflict, that NATO is preparing to attack Russia, and that the “Russian threat” is an invention of the West.

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bgr.news-front.info (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 242
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03/04/2021
  • Article language(s) Bulgarian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: War in Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine, Military, NATO, security threat
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Disinfo: The US is considering the possibility of using special forces against Transnistria

Now officially: the United States openly declares that it is considering the possibility of using its special forces in the Moldovan-Transnistrian region!

Apr 02, 2021
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about a possible attack on Transnistria planned by pro-Western forces in Chisinau.

The statement refers to the international exercise "JCET-2021" (Joint Combined Exchange Training), which started on March 23, 2021, and was held in the training centres of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova. According to a press release of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Moldova, the exercise was attended by soldiers from the Special Forces of Moldovan, Romanian and American Army.

Disinfo: Russia has no interest in a conflict with Ukraine, let alone a military one

News about a possible conflict between Russia and Ukraine are just more untrue claims made by Kyiv. Russia has no interest in a conflict with Ukraine, let alone a military one. Ukrainian officials are trying to divert attention from internal problems, including the decreasing popularity of its governing party. Russia hopes Ukraine will refrain from actions which would provoke a conflict.

Apr 02, 2021
Disproof

This is a recurring narrative in pro-Kremlin websites about the war in Ukraine.

Since there already is a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, these claims are untrue. The conflict started in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Although the Russian side maintains this was a result of a referendum, the so-called referendum was illegal in terms of both Ukrainian and international law.

Disinfo: Western elites are afraid of beating coronavirus

Western elites fear victory over the Coronavirus [...] because in "advanced democracies", the authorities uses lockdowns not only for the sake of citizens' health, but also to tighten control […] The "new reality" is characterised by an increase in social stratification, as there is inequality in the availability of the vaccine compared to the “chosen group” that has priority in vaccination. [...] European elites believe that removing barriers and prohibitions is a serious challenge to them. Even with restrictions in places, protests against them continue on a large scale, and a tremendous amount of police violence has been recorded.

Apr 02, 2021
Disproof

A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the coronavirus global pandemic, and the demise of human rights and democracy in the West at the hands of a global/secret elite. Claims were neither challenged nor counterbalanced in the article.

It is not true that there is favoritism in European countries' vaccination strategies as all member states have a strictly implemented plan with objective criteria of starting with the highest risk groups (older people, people with underlying conditions, medical staff, etc.). There is also no evidence that Western elites are trying to slowdown the vaccination race against Covid-19.