Disinfo: The US and EU organized a coup in Ukraine to overthrow legally elected government

Summary

Washington and Brussels directly violated the Helsinki Accords by organizing a coup in Kyiv and the overthrow of the legally elected government in Ukraine in 2013-2014.

Disproof

There was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; this is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan protests, depicting the 2013-14 revolution as a coup d'état and laying responsibility for the ensuing Russian aggression on the US and EU.

The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was not provoked from outside, rather, it was a reaction from several segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013, after pressure from Russia.

The West did not interfere in Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine is a sovereign state. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by almost the whole world, including the EU. The EU and the US work closely with Ukraine and support the democratic development of Ukraine in accordance with the UN Charter’s principles of non-interference into internal affairs and respect towards territorial integrity and political independence.

See similar disinformation claims in our database that there was a coup by nationalist extremists and fascists in Ukraine sponsored by US; that in 2014, the US and EU-backed Maidan Putsch took place in Ukraine; that EU supported anti-constitutional and anti-Russian coup d’etat in Ukraine; that the Ukrainian revolution was well-planned from abroad and that Euromaidan was an illegal armed coup.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 235
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 13/03/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia, EU, US
  • Keywords: Coup, Euromaidan
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Disinfo: West preparing large-scale smear campaign against Russian vaccine, including fake footage of mass patient deaths

The US and its allies are preparing a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The campaign is a coordinated effort involving USAID, George Soros's Open Society Foundations, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the BBC, and the Reuters agency, and seeks to belittle Russia's achievements in the global fight against COVID-19. Among other things, the provocation will involve fake video footage of mass fatalities allegedly caused by Sputnik V.

Disproof

The report advances recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative of being 'encircled', 'under attack' casting Western actors as inherently biased against Russia; Western media as subservient to their respective governments; and Russia as a constant target of foreign "provocations."

Made without evidence, the assertion can be dismissed.

Disinfo: The US provokes Ukraine into war with Russia

US President Joe Biden has called on Ukraine to solve the Donbas conflict as soon as possible. Recent developments in Donbas have shown that Biden’s words are leading to the preparation of a wide-scale Ukrainian offensive. Statements by Ukrainian politicians about a forthcoming Russian provocation and Ukraine’s forced response make things worse. Kyiv could not behave in such an impudent manner without the support of its allies, who pledge military assistance to Ukraine in the case of war with Russia. US and European “hawks” certainly profit from such a conflict.

Disproof

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media outlets claiming that the West is interested in all-out war between Ukraine and Russia. In reality it is Russia who incites the Moscow-backed separatists in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas to violate the truce. By doing so, Russia impress upon Ukraine an endless conflict which drags resources and attention. Short tactic gains may also play in like trying to snatch as many concessions from Ukraine as possible ahead of the forthcoming online meeting of the Normandy format.

Ukraine is not preparing military provocations in Donbas. Kyiv has repeatedly stated that it is not interested in escalation and that it prefers a peaceful solution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Minsk agreements are the only option to end the war in Donbas. At the same time, the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe registers almost daily violations of the truce in Donbas.

Disinfo: The West declared Russia as its strategic enemy

The West declared Russia and the Russian leadership as its strategic enemy a long time ago. And in order to defeat this enemy of yours, you need certain tools, including instruments of pressure. They act on the principle of claws, clamping on both sides at the same time: from the inside and from the outside, especially economically.

Internal pressure could have been observed on the example of the events in support of Navalny. And these events will continue until the elections to the State Duma, which are seen as a “window of destabilisation” of the situation in Russia.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the West waging war on Russia. The article also claims that Navalny is used for the political destabilisation of Russia. Both messages are disinformation.

The EU, its member states and most of the world community demand that Russia fulfils its obligations as a member of the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other international organisations, as well as Russia's own legislation. These demands cannot be dismissed as 'intentions to destabilise Russia' as it is claimed in the disinformation message.