DISINFO: The expansion of NATO to the East is military aggression

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about aggressive NATO and encircled Russia. NATO enlargement means that NATO's door remains open to any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Central and Eastern European countries began seeking NATO membership in the early 1990s. NATO actively sought to create a cooperative environment that was conducive to enlargement while simultaneously building special relations with Russia. Furthermore, NATO does not "expand" in the aggressive sense as described by pro-Kremlin media. Rather, it considers the applications of candidate countries who want to join the alliance based on their own national will. As such, NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. NATO's "Open Door Policy" is based on Article 10 of the Alliance's founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty (1949). Every sovereign nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements. This is a fundamental principle of European security and one to which Russia has also subscribed. Sea Breeze is constantly becoming the topic of disinformation narratives. Sea Breeze is an annually recurring multinational exercise, it does not aim, nor threaten, to invade any territory or to exert any pressure. Sea Breeze seeks to build combined capability and capacity to ensure maritime regional security and foster cooperative relationships among partnering nations. Read similar cases claiming that Sea Breeze exercises intend to create military-political pressure on Moscow, that "NATO's "Sea Breeze 2019" was a total failure thanks to Russia", and that "The United States is preparing Ukraine for a new provocation against Russia".