DISINFO: Russia does not interfere in other countries sovereign affairs
SUMMARY
Russia has never been a colonial country. Also, Russia has never known what is called looting of foreign countries. Our foreign policy is based on respect for international law and does not accept attempts to dominate, dictate the will of others over independent countries, nor interfere in the affairs of their sovereignty.
RESPONSE
Recurrent narrative praising peaceful Russia and its superiority over other countries.
Russia has a long track-record in interfering with other countries' sovereign affairs.
Crimea is a part of Ukraine and was illegally annexed by Russia. In 2014, Russian troops obliged the parliament of Crimea to organise a referendum, which was violation of international law, and then formally annexed the peninsula and brought it under Russian territorial control, with no international body recognising it.
A year after the illegal “return”, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.
In December 2019, the Office of the Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Court published a report on crimes committed by Russia against Crimeans. Among them, torture, abduction, murder, arrests and other egregious cases of violation of human rights by Russian invaders were recorded (paragraphs 272, 273 of the report).
Further reading available on debate around Russia's relationship to colonialism.
See other examples of this disinformation narrative about Russia as a victim, such as claims about alleged plans to encircle Russia or to wage war against it; the supposed anti-Russian bias of international institutions - be it the OPCW, the World Anti-Doping Agency or the United Nations - which always falsely accuse Russia; the alleged Russophobia of the EU; or denials that Russia had any role in the poisoning of Sergey Skripal or the downing of MH17, that it interfered in other countries’ elections or that it is waging a disinformation campaign on COVID-19.