Disinfo: The US will start a war in Ukraine when NATO coalition against Russia is ready

Summary

The US could begin a big conflict in Ukraine when Washington creates a wide NATO coalition prepared for a war against Russia. Currently, the US supports slow conflict in Donbas and is strengthening its own positions near the Russian border.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about a war in Ukraine and the US presence in Europe.

The US is not interested in a war with Russia. As it is explained on the website of the Department of State, the US “supported Russia’s integration into European and global institutions and a deepened bilateral partnership in security cooperation to reinforce the foundations of stability and predictability” but could not continue this kind of policy because “Russia ultimately rejected this approach”. Washington also reacted to the aggressive behaviour of Moscow aiming to undermine core institutions of the West, "such as NATO and the EU, and to weaken faith in the democratic and free-market system."

Russia also is responsible for destabilisation and war in Ukraine, which is a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014. There is irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in Eastern Ukraine, in the Donbas. Russia is supporting its proxies with weapons, its active-duty soldiers serve there and its top military commanders visit the war zone to coordinate joint efforts with the separatists. Despite all this Russia officially denies its military presence in Donbas.

Russia, not the US, is possibly preparing for a big war with Ukraine. During the last period, Russia’s military build-up at the Ukrainian border has increased further and now includes preparations for military drills in Belarus, to be conducted just 18 km from the Ukrainian border. Moscow has also announced naval drills involving its fleets.

See additional information about the latest myths linked to the current Russian-Ukraine conflict.

See also similar examples of disinformation accusing the US of waging war in Ukraine and preparing for aggression against Russia: The US is threatening the security of Russia; The US annexed Eastern Europe to strangulate Russia; Kyiv is an anti-Russian puppet in the geopolitical game of the US and NATO.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 271
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 02/02/2022
  • Article language(s) Lithuanian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Ukraine, US
  • Keywords: NATO, War in Ukraine, Anti-Russian, Encircling Russia
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Disinfo: NATO and US push Ukraine to war with Donbas

The West is pushing Ukraine to war. Today, the country is being crammed with offensive weapons, many of which are already on the front line [in Donbas]. The United States and other countries do not stop there. They pay for mercenaries and specialists who train Ukrainian soldiers to fight against the civilian population of Donbas. All this suggests one thing: NATO, and, in particular, the US, demand that Kyiv repeat the 2014 scenario.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine, claiming that it is the West, not Russia, fomenting the war in Ukraine. This claim is a part of a wider disinformation campaign, as our article explains, aiming to deflect attention away from Russia’s military build-up on its border with Ukraine since late October 2021.

Neither the US nor NATO nor the West push Ukraine to the war in Donbas. The weapons that Ukraine received in recent weeks are of defensive nature. These weapons are intended to use against possible further Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Disinfo: During German occupation of Ukraine, the Nazi Bandera contributed to the genocide of his own people

During the German occupation of Ukraine, the Nazi Stepan Bandera contributed to the genocide of his own people.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative aimed at denying Ukraine’s identity and Ukrainian nationalism by equating them to Nazism.

Bandera headed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, a nationalist movement that emerged in 1929 and took root in the Ukrainian-inhabited lands of eastern Poland in the 1930s. Neither Bandera nor the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists was Nazi/fascist. Fascists run or aspire to run existing nations. Nationalists, in contrast, aspire to create nations. Fascists are always authoritarians and chauvinists; nationalists can be liberals, democrats, communists, authoritarians or fascists.

Disinfo: The West stole billions of Gaddafi's money

We all remember the West's looting of frozen Libyan assets after 2011. According to press reports, nearly $11 billion disappeared from Libyan accounts in Belgium alone.

Disproof

Disinformation about actions taken around Muammar Gaddafi. No money has disappeared from Libyan accounts in Belgium. The Belgian government has frozeen the assets of the so-called Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), that used to make investments across the world during the time of Gaddafi, including in Belgium. The amount frozen by Belgium is €14 billion.

The freezing of the LIA assets in Belgium is part of a UN sanctions regime, via UN Security Council resolution 1970, that was passed amid the revolution which unseated Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The 15 member states of the UN Security Council voted in favour of the resolution, including Russia. The restrictions remain in place on most of the assets the LIA holds outside Libya, including in Belgium. The money has not disappeared.