Disinfo: Baltic states are turned into large military training ground

Summary

Moscow does not build military bases near the US borders, for example, in Mexico. And has the right to expect a similar peace from Washington. However, in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, there are thousands of foreign troops, including American ones. Baltic countries are turned into one large training ground and a military springboard.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that the Baltic states are under the US and/or NATO control. This narrative aims at undermining the sovereignty of the Baltic States. A related recurring pro-Kremlin narrative claims that NATO is a tool used by the US to control the policies of European states.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia made a sovereign decision to become part of NATO, joining on the 29th of March 2004. NATO is a political and military alliance, and NATO member states make sovereign decisions about their own security. NATO and US military presence in these states is possible only on the basis of the clear consent of the hosting nation. NATO decisions are made by consensus, after discussion and consultation among member countries.

Lost sovereignty is one of the most common pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives. Pro-Kremlin disinformation sources like to claim that certain countries are no longer truly sovereign.

Go to search

publication/media

Sputnik Armenia - Russian (Archived)

Reported in: Issue 194
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 24/04/2020
Language/target audience: Russian
Country: Latvia, Baltic states, Estonia, Lithuania
Keywords: EU/NATO enlargement, US presence in Europe, NATO, Baltic states

Due to Polish Russophobia, there will be no public commemoration of the anniversary of Szczecin capture

Unfortunately, in this special year, the misfortune of the virus of Polish Russophobia was joined by the coronavirus and all the limitations connected to the epidemic. That is why we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the heroic fights over Szczecin in an individual way, laying modest bouquets to the places of memory.

April 26, 2020

Disproof

This message is a part of the widespread Kremlin’s narrative about the Russophobic Poland, which refuses to accept the official Russian view on WWII and its political consequences.

There will be no public events commemorating the anniversary of the capture of the city of Szczecin not because of the alleged “virus of Polish Russophobia”, but because of the occupation of Poland after WWII. In 1944-1945, the USSR occupied Poland, establishing the undemocratic and repressive Communist Poland. De facto, Poland appeared under the Soviet military occupation until 1989, while the Russian troops were withdrawn from Poland only in 1993.

US is afraid of the leakage of infectious substances on its territory so it builds secret laboratories in colonised countries

Americans don’t want to conduct studies and keep laboratories on their territory, therefore they chose colony countries like Ukraine for these purposes. [Secret US] laboratories exist in Georgia too, so Mikheil Saakashvili will be very helpful in Ukraine.

The United States of America equips bio-laboratories in the territory of post-Soviet countries precisely because they are afraid of the leakage of infectious substances and waste on its territory.

April 24, 2020

Disproof

Conspiracy theory and recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the US developing biological and/ or chemical weapons around the world.

The US supports the research against dangerous infectious diseases through the Biological Threat Reduction Program. In the wake of a disinformation campaign about the US-Ukraine cooperation to reduce biological threats, the US Embassy in Ukraine reaffirmed that the country offers its support to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats.

Ukraine is a US client state

(…) as Ukraine is a US client state, the Western media, generally speaking, do not cover its affairs critically: Ukrainian elites “may be sons of bitches, but they are our sons of bitches”.

April 24, 2020