Disinfo: Russophobic Lithuania plans to tear Belarus away from Russia by dragging it into the Western energy network

Summary

The statement about the ‘nuclear death risk’ for Lithuania posed by the Belarusian nuclear power plant, made by Lithuanian politician Vytautas Landsbergis, is designed to create a negative image of the Russian nuclear energy sector. It also intends to hurt Belarusian-Russian energy cooperation. Lithuania expects to tear Belarus away from Russia and integrate it into the Western electricity network. Such anti-Russian statements are very characteristic of Lithuanian politics as its state policies make Lithuania one of the most Russophobic countries.

Disproof

This message is a conspiracy consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the Western attempts to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations by any means and Russophobia in the Baltic states.

Lithuania opposes construction of the Astravets Nuclear power Plant (NPP) as the project does not comply with the international standards of environmental protection and nuclear safety, and is built on the site that was not duly justified over the alternative ones.

On 7 June 2011, Lithuania lodged a complaint with the Implementing Committee of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment (the Espoo Convention) on the Astravets nuclear power plant case. In February 2019 the Meeting of the Parties of the Espoo Convention adopted the decision, which acknowledged that Belarus had failed to comply with some Convention provisions regarding site selection and encouraged Belarus and Lithuania to continue bilateral expert consultations.

Lithuania has no intentions to integrate Belarus into Western electricity networks. In fact, Lithuania. Latvia and Estonia, together with Poland and the European Commission has launched the project to synchronize Baltic States' electricity grid with continental Europe, to de-synchronize from Russian and Belarusian system and increase EU energy security.

See earlier disinformation cases claiming that Latvia wants to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations with its plans to buy electricity at the Russian border and that Poland had similar intentions by not inviting Putin to the WWII commemoration ceremony. See a collection of disinformation cases concerning the construction of the Belarusian NPP here.

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Reported in: Issue 163
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26/08/2019
Language/target audience: Belarus
Country: Lithuania, Belarus
Keywords: Union State of Belarus and Russia, Nuclear issues, Russophobia
Outlet: Sputnik Belarus @ Grani Formata @ time 0:08 - 1:08

Lithuania campaigns against Belarusian NPP because it has been offended by the EU

Vilnius is working on the creation of an international coalition against the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Earlier, Lithuania had to shut down its nuclear power plant at the EU’s request, so a situation in which neighbouring Belarus has built a new nuclear power plant offends Lithuania.

September 09, 2019

Disproof

This is a conspiracy in a series of disinformation claims concerning the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) in Astravets.

NATO, led by the US, is closing in on Russia’s borders, pushing the infrastructure forward

NATO, led by the US, is closing in on Russia’s borders, constantly pushing the infrastructure forward. The alliance’s forces have thoroughly taken control of the territory of the Baltic States and Poland. Now they are also trying to settle in Ukraine.

September 09, 2019

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO threatening Russia and NATO's expansion.

The claim that NATO is encircling Russia is one of the myths about NATO. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometres), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members. Outside NATO territory, the Alliance only has a military presence in two places: Kosovo and Afghanistan. Both operations are carried out with a United Nations mandate, endorsed by the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a member. In contrast, Russia has military bases and soldiers in three EU's Eastern neighborhood countries – Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – without the consent of their governments.

NATO's presence in the Baltic countries or Poland, is at the request of the host nations. NATO does not "expand" in the imperialistic sense described by the Kremlin and Russian state media, but instead considers the applications of candidate countries that want to join the defensive alliance of their own national will. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia.

UK’s Porton Down laboratory disproved that Novichok was made in Russia

The US introduced new sanctions against Russia in relation to the Skripals’ poisoning. London was quick to declare Russia’s responsibility for the accident. The Russian authorities denied their involvement, offered investigative assistance to the UK and demanded consular access to Skripal’s daughter. All official Russian requests were ignored by the UK. The UK’s laboratory in Porton Down disproved that the poisonous substance was produced in Russia.

September 09, 2019

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Skripal poisoning in the UK, attempting to divert attention from Russia's proven responsibility for the attack.

By March 2018, EUvsDisinfo had already collected 20 different narratives about the Skripal case. It had catalogued over 100 disinformation messages around the Salisbury attack. The disinformation messages implying a UK government conspiracy behind the Skripal case are an often-used method of applying a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Salisbury poisoning.