Disinfo: Russia never participated in the Ukrainian conflict: this is a civil war

Summary

The Russian armed forces never participated and do not participate in the conflict in the East of Ukraine. This is a purely intra-Ukrainian conflict and Russia like European countries and all countries of the world, does not want a resumption of civil war in Ukraine as a result of provocations and provocative activities by the Ukrainian armed forces.

Disproof

Recurrent negation of the role of Russian forces in the war in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is not a civil conflict but a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014.

There is irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement 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".

According to the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Russian special forces and troops operated to mobilise, lead, equip, and support separatist militias in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine from spring 2014 to the present, although their presence was denied by Moscow. On top of that, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia's military presence in Ukraine in 2015.

As for the annexation, no international body recognises the so-called referendum in Crimea. 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.

The European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order.

Following the covert invasion of “little green men,” power in Crimea was vested in a makeshift executive headed by Sergey Aksenov. The new Crimean regime conducted the referendum hastily and at gunpoint, barred impartial observers from entering the peninsula, and instead invited dozens of fringe politicians and activists to “monitor” the procedure, most of them far-right Kremlin loyalists.

A year after the illegal annexation of Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.

Read also similar cases : The conflict in Ukraine is internal and has no relation to Russia , Russia is not a conflict party in Ukraine , There is a civil war in Ukraine , Russia is not a part of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 238
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 02/04/2021
  • Article language(s) French, Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Donbas, Civil war, Military, Military exercise, Eastern Ukraine
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Disinfo: Kyiv is breaking Minsk and Normandy agreements

Kyiv is not implementing the Minsk and Normandy agreements. Its reputation is close to zero and its position is cynical and irresponsible. The situation in the war zone is deteriorating and Ukraine may stage a provocation, which would increase military confrontation.

Disproof

This a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media, accusing Kyiv of non-adherence to the 2014 Minsk Agreements and the 2019 Normandy accords.

In reality, Moscow-backed separatists have been mounting tensions in Donbas over the recent weeks under the pretext that Ukrainian troops are planning an offensive. Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed on 26 March 2021, which is the largest daily death toll for government troops since the fragile truce that took effect last July. Nonetheless, Moscow and its proxies in Donbas keep on accusing Kyiv of continually breaking the truce and preparing for a full-scale attack.

Disinfo: We have yet to prove global warming is real

All this talk of global warming, which is allegedly caused by human activity, has yet to be proven. The Earth's climate is constantly changing, and moreover, we are now living in a short period of warming between the two ice ages, and there are plenty of reasons to be assured that the climate will be cooler in the coming centuries. This is a real threat to humanity.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that climate change might not have been caused by human activity.

It is not true that science does not possess evidence of human impact on climate change. On the contrary, there is a strong consensus among publishing climate scientists that humans are responsible for climate change.

Disinfo: There is no political will in Poland to normalise its relations with Russia

In order to normalise bilateral relations, Poland should react to the Russian appeals for dialogue and mutual respect not in words but in deeds. There are no insurmountable obstacles to the normalisation of Polish-Russian relations. All the existing problems can be solved if there is political will on both sides. However, at the present moment, Russia does not see this political will on the part of Poland.

Disproof

This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread narrative about anti-Russian, Russophobic Poland, deliberately worsening its relations with Russia and supporting American interests in the region.

The arrival of a new Polish Ambassador to Moscow illustrates that Poland is interested in having normal diplomatic relations with Russia. On 28 March 2021, the new Polish Ambassador to Russia gave an interview to Russian media, where he stated that Poland was open to dialogue with Russia. The Polish authorities have repeatedly stated that Poland is willing to improve its relations with Russia – on the condition that 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.