Disinfo: Ukraine has no sustainable statehood

Summary

No sustainable statehood has ever been established in Ukraine. Modern Ukraine was created by communist Russia and the state can be named Ukraine after Vladimir Lenin.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives designed to denigrate the history of Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood and its independence, claiming that Ukraine is a failed state.

The claim from President Putin that Ukraine is an artificial or even failed state is unsubstantiated. See this debunk. Pro-Kremlin media outlets often cast doubts on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine either does not exist as a state or is going to tumble down very soon. In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. It has elected six presidents since then and changed parties in government several times which illustrates political diversity and democratic dynamics even during economic hardship in the wake of Russian aggression in 2014. Ukraine's Western partners have been providing it with financial and technical assistance.

Moreover, the history of Ukraine dates back to the era of the Kyivan Rus’ in the 9th-13th centuries. A fully independent Ukraine only emerged in the 20th century, after long periods of successive domination by Poland-Lithuania, Russia, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Under Lenin's leadership at the beginning of the 20th century, Ukraine was occupied by the Bolsheviks and for decades was under communist control. When the Soviet Union began to unravel in 1990–91, the legislature of the Ukrainian S.S.R. declared sovereignty (July 16, 1990) and then outright independence (August 24, 1991).

On 21 February 2022, in violation of international law, President Putin recognised the independence of two Russia-backed breakaway regions of Ukraine and ordered Russian forces to perform so-called 'peacekeeping' functions.

Several countries, including the EU, are expected to introduce sanctions against Russia in response to the move.

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publication/media

oroszhirek.hu (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 272
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 21/02/2022
  • Article language(s) Hungarian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: USSR, Ukrainian statehood, Ukraine
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Disinfo: Throughout its history, Russia has never attacked anyone

What is the point of Russia attacking anyone? We must remember that throughout its history, Russia has never attacked anyone. Russia, which has known so many wars, is the last country in Europe to even want to speak, to utter a single word of war.

Feb 20, 2022
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin historical revisionism. According to this claim, the Soviet Union and Russia were always defending themselves and were never the aggressors nor involved in the start of global conflicts.

Russian media The insider provides a few examples where Russia acted as an aggressor. The examples go back to the 18th century, but one of the recent ones include a secret agreement with Nazi Germany, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which the USSR signed in September 1939. The pact stipulated a coordinated Nazi-Soviet attack on Poland and the carving up of Eastern Europe between the USSR and The Third Reich.

Disinfo: Kindergarten in East Ukraine was purposefully destroyed by a Ukrainian tank to underpin the Ukrainian negotiation position

The news that "separatists" had shelled a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska, a locality under the control of Ukrainian forces spread like a houise fire through Western social and mass media.

The pictures show a wide "breach" in a massive four-brick-thick wall of the building. The bricks have collapsed inside the building, crushing children's toys. The picture is meant to evoke an emotional reaction.

But I would rather believe that they drove a Ukrainian tank into direct firing range and fired an armour-piercing missile without any explosives, at the kindergarten in order to get a picture of destruction.

The Kyiv regime is used to underpinning its negotiating position with an escalation on the line of contact in the conflict area, just in time for important summits and other international meetings.

Feb 20, 2022
Disproof

Anoter "false flag" promoted by Russian state media.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation combined with a conspiracy theory presented without any factual evidence. According to the RT-German article, a shelling of a kindergarten is supposed to be a false-flag action by the Ukrainian government to strengthen its negotiating position in the current Russian-Ukrainian war. The Ukrainian army is a regular subject of pro-Kremlin disinformation efforts, especially when it comes to the shelling of civilian facilities, with responsibility regularly placed on the Ukrainian armed forces.

Disinfo: NATO floods Ukraine with modern weapons to push Kyiv for a military solution in Donbas

NATO countries flood Ukraine with modern weapons and ammunition to push Kyiv for a military solution in Donbas. At the root of this escalation in Donbas are provocations of the Ukrainian security forces.

Feb 20, 2022
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that NATO is pushing Ukraine towards a military solution in Donbas.

This message appeared in the context of renewed Russian military buildup along the Ukrainian border. Speaking about "flooding with weapons" then the proper adress is that it is the Kremlin "flooding weapons" near Ukraine's borders and on occupied Crimea.