Disinfo: The Crimean people chose to be with Russia through democratic procedure

Summary

Democracy implies that people themselves determine the form of their existence. The Crimean people have chosen to be with Russia through democratic procedures, and this is not taken into account.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Russia's annexation of Crimea, claiming that people living in Crime chose to rejoin Russia through a legal and democratic referendum. No international body has recognised the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February 2014, and held on 16 March 2014, which was organised by self-proclaimed Crimean leadership lacking democratic legitimacy and installed by armed Russian military personnel following the seizure of public buildings. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated 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." On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it stated 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 EU's policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol includes a set of restrictive measures against entities and individuals responsible for actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity. In March 2019, on the fifth anniversary of Crimea's annexation, the EU reiterated its position of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. For similar cases, see here.

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livenews.am (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 176
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 06/12/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Armenian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Democracy, Crimea, Referendum
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Disinfo: NATO is a tool of the global capital based in the ideology of white supremacism

NATO is a very important tool used by ruling elites to promote their capitalist and white supremacist goals, and its summit in London should be seen as a threat for global humankind.

Dec 05, 2019
Disproof

Conspiracy theory, without any evidence provided to support the claims. NATO is a mutual defence alliance of democratic states aiming to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. It doesn’t receive orders from global elites, and decisions are taken by consensus among member states. White supremacism doesn’t play any role in the Atlantic Alliance. All its interventions, such as Kosovo, Afghanistan or Libya, were related to international security challenges, not economic interests. This is part of a recurrent Russian narrative to portray NATO as an aggressive organisation, a US puppet and a tool of Washington’s imperial ambitions with no real substance nor justification to exist. You can see other examples of disinformation against the Atlantic Alliance, such as its obsolescence and its cannibalistic character, its unjustified anti-Russian stance as the only unifying force among its members, its fascistic tendencies or the massive casualties of its bombing campaign against Serbia.

Disinfo: NATO’s existence causes threats on the international stage

NATO is a relic from the old times. Currently, it is an obstacle for the establishment of a new global security system. By the very fact of its existence and its outdated formula to create an enemy, NATO causes threats on the international stage and hampers global peace. Such countries as Russia and China – especially Russia – have become NATO’s chosen enemies.

Dec 05, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, portraying NATO as a threat to global peace because it has an aggressive agenda. NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. Its exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia or any other country. The claim that NATO is encircling or threatening Russia is one of the myths about this organization. NATO is regularly updating the military requirements for civilian infrastructure, at a time when there are increased challenges to security. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and amid emerging security challenges in the Middle East and North Africa in 2014, NATO leaders at the Wales Summit adopted the Readiness Action Plan, a comprehensive package of enhanced collective defense and deterrent measures designed to ensure the transatlantic alliance could respond swiftly and firmly to changes in its security environment. See several other anti-NATO narratives such as NATO provoking Russia; NATO is fully subordinated to the USA; Eastern European countries as NATO “hostages” (Baltic states, Moldova, Poland).

Disinfo: The foreign policy of Poland is the reflection of the US policy

The words of President Duda about Russia show that Polish policy is the reflection of the US policy, a temporary adjustment to the current position of President Trump.

Dec 05, 2019
Disproof

A common pro-Kremlin narrative on “lost sovereignty” - in the case of Poland, this country is often presented as a “puppet-state” of the United States, which fully controls the domestic and foreign policy of this country.

Poland is a sovereign state, which shapes its own foreign and domestic policies. See other examples of this message claiming that Polish policy towards Ukraine is shaped by the Americans, the US keeps Poland on a short anti-Russian leash, and Poland is a Trojan Horse of the United States.