DISINFO: Ukraine and NATO to rehearse the takeover of Crimea during Sea Breeze 2021
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian-American military exercise Sea Breeze - 2021, which started today in the Black Sea, is nothing more than a rehearsal for the quick takeover of Crimea.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation alleging that military cooperation between Ukraine and NATO is directed against Russia.
Sea Breeze is a multinational military exercise that has been held in Ukraine since 1997 in line with the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in Defense and Military Relations between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The exercises are co-organised by Ukraine and the United States.
This year’s Sea Breeze exercises are taking place from June 28 to July 10 2021 in the Black Sea region. They have the largest number of participating nations in the exercises’ history with 32 countries from six continents providing 5,000 troops, 32 ships, 40 aircraft, and 18 special operations and dive teams. This year the focus is on "multiple warfare areas including amphibious warfare, land manoeuvre warfare, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defence, special operations integration, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations." Moreover, the goal is "to gain experience in joint actions during multinational peacekeeping and security operations."
NATO is not preparing a war against Russia (or any other country). NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. The primary aim of the alliance is to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security, and territorial integrity of its members. NATO follows strict procedures and emphasises transparency during military training exercises, which are announced months in advance and are subject to international scrutiny. All NATO members and partners participate voluntarily and training exercises are conducted with the approval of the host countries.
The Brussel Summit Communique, presented after the meeting of NATO heads in Belgium on 14 June 2021, reaffirmed, that "NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. Decisions we have taken are fully consistent with our international commitments, and therefore cannot be regarded by anyone as contradicting the NATO-Russia Founding Act."
See similar disinformation cases in our database: Sea Breeze exercise is a provocative NATO attack on Russia in the Black Sea region; NATO uses Sea Breeze exercise to secretly send arms to Donbas; NATO to deliver arms to Kyiv under the guise of Sea Breeze war games; Sea Breeze exercises are directed against Russia.