Disinfo: Russia is not a party to the war in esatern Ukraine

Summary

The question of the conflict within Ukraine cannot be discussed [with Russia] since Russia is not a party to the conflict. Nothing has changed in this sense.

Disproof

The claim above is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine, attempting to portray the situation in Eastern Ukraine as a civil war and as a response to the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv. It is also often painted as a coup d'état portraying Ukraine as an aggressor on its own territory. The ultimate aim of the narrative is to distract the Kremlin's violations Ukrainian sovereignty since the 2014 events.

Ukraine is not at war with millions of people in the Donbas region as pro-Kremlin disinformation often likes to present it. The aim of these messages is to present the situation in Eastern Ukraine as an internal conflict, ignoring irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in the region since February 2014.

The involvement of Russian personnel and equipment has been well-documented already for years. The destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea have been condemned by the Council of the European Union and led to restrictive measures since 2014.

The EU is among the strongest advocates of Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The European Union has repeatedly expressed support for Ukraine in this regard.

Pro-Kremlin media outlets have been focusing heavily on misrepresenting the Donbas War and its parties. Read similar stories in our database, claiming that a civil war began in Ukraine after the clique seized power in the country, or that the Russian Army is not involved in the war in Ukraine, or that the Crimean people chose to be with Russia through the democratic procedure, that Crimea never belonged to Ukraine, that Crimea’s reunification with Russia was legal and that Crimea is a Russian sovereign region.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 258
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14/09/2021
  • Article language(s) Hungarian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Donbas, Eastern Ukraine
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Disinfo: Ukrainian authorities constantly oppress and infringe Russian-speaking people

The wild desire to become European among Ukrainian officials took the form of paranoia. It is obvious that Ukrainian citizens will not voluntarily switch to the Latin alphabet. The idea of switching to the Latin alphabet is directed primarily against the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine, whom the country's authorities constantly oppress and infringe upon.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives alleging that Ukraine discriminates against Russians living on its territory, that it is a Russophobic, anti-Russian country.

There is no discrimination against Russian language or Russian culture in Ukraine.

Disinfo: Crimea became Russian after the 2014 coup

The events of March 2014 resulted in the entry of Ukrainian Crimea under Russian sovereignty based on the results of a popular referendum held there after the coup that overthrew the rule of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv painted as a coup d'état while claiming that the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula came as a response to those protests.

There was no 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 Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.

Disinfo: Glorification of Nazism in Ukraine is taken to the next level

Glorification of Nazism in all its forms has long been a "normal" trend in Ukrainian national politics. This logically follows from the main ideological doctrine of the Ukrainian state which regards the Russian Federation as absolute evil and therefore a sworn enemy.

The logic of political "Ukrainity" fits into a dubious formula, both morally and logically, of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". More concretely it means: "The Hitler Nazis were enemies of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and the successor of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation is an enemy of Ukraine. Therefore, the Hitler Nazis are friends of Ukraine. "

Disproof

A recurring narrative about Nazi Ukraine. The idea is that Ukraine became Nazi because it is against Russia.

The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has become a cornerstone in the pro-Kremlin disinformation and appeared during the Euromaidan protests in late 2013 - early 2014, when the then-president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled and later fled to Russia. The Kremlin has been using this myth actively since then to discredit Kyiv’s shift towards Euro-Atlantic policy.