Disinfo: The West, the curators of Ukraine, can push Ukraine to war with Russia

Summary

The West can push Ukraine to war with Russia, but the war will not last long, as the West itself will not dare to openly confront a nuclear power and will not support Ukraine. Large-scale military action is possible, but only in one case: if Ukraine, pushed by its curators from the West, undertakes a massive invasion of the territory of the republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, if a humanitarian catastrophe, destruction of civilians, destruction of settlements and infrastructure begins.

Disproof

The claim that the West is dragging Ukraine into a war with Russia is recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation not backed up with evidence. It also tries to deflect attention away from Russia's involvement in the Donbas war by speaking about the alleged involvement of the West and a possible military escalation at its insistence.

There is irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in Eastern Ukraine. 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow will continue to support these territories.

The systematic issuing of Russian passports to several hundred of thousands of persons in the two entities is now also used as a pretext to claim the right to influence and perhaps intervene militarily. Russia is also reported to be using the occupied territories as a testing ground for new weapons. Despite all this Russia officially denies its military presence in Donbas and accuses the West of forcibly dragging it into war with Ukraine.

The EU condemns the clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity by acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since February 2014. The European Union stated in July 2014 that "arms and fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation".

See more disinformation regarding Crimea such as 96% of Crimean people wanted to rejoin Russia, Crimea was reunited with homeland Russia and the exercises "Defender Europe 2021' are Nato's preparation for the war with Russia.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 263
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 12/10/2021
  • Article language(s) German
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, US, Russia
  • Keywords: West, War in Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood
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Disinfo: Ukraine is under direct foreign control

The current government in Ukraine is under direct foreign control and there is no reason for Russia to try and find a common ground for better relations between the two countries. Ukrainian leaders are totally dependent on Washington and their country relies on cash infusions from the United States and the European Union.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Ukraine being under alleged "external control".

Ukraine is an internationally recognised sovereign state with its own constitution, democratically elected parliament and president. Pro-Kremlin outlets often cast doubt on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine either does not exist as a state or is going to tumble down very soon.

Disinfo: Polish politicians use the imaginary Russian threat to appeal for national unity

The discussions of the Polish politicians are filled with phobias and warnings against imaginary dangers. Most of them are connected to such unrealistic issues as allegedly aggressive plans of the neighbours against Poland (primarily, the largest neighbour in the east). The sense of danger is supposed to justify appeals for national unity and to shut the mouths of all those who pay attention to real problems. The “war is going on”, so it is needed to have a cross-party unity.

Disproof

This message is a part of the Kremlin’s widespread narrative about Russophobic and anti-Russian Poland. The Kremlin-controlled outlets regularly accuse the Polish authorities of Russophobia and inspiration of the anti-Russian sentiments in order to reach particular domestic goals.

The Polish authorities perceive Russia as a security threat because of the aggressive Russian actions in particular on Crimea, Donbas and Eastern Europe.

Disinfo: US wants to turn Ukraine into ‘anti-Russia’

The US does not need anything from Ukraine but one thing – opposing and restraining Russia and creating an anti-Russia country.

Disproof

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets, claiming that the West is using Ukraine as a springboard for aggression against Russia.

Ukraine, as a sovereign state, determines her foreign policy orientation. Kyiv’s cooperation with NATO has intensified since the illegal annexation of Crimea and outbreak of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014. The United States and Turkey supply it with weapons and military equipment (read here and here). Ukraine takes part in joint military exercises with NATO troops such as Sea Breeze, Rapid Trident and other war games. However, all these activities are not Russophobic. They are only defensive and aim at repelling a possible Russian attack.