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Disinfo: Ukrainian ex-president Leonid Kravchuk is looking for new ways to deceive Donbas

Summary

Ukrainian ex-president Leonid Kravchuk is looking for new ways to deceive Donbas. One of the key issues of the Minsk agreements, which Ukraine has not fulfilled for years, is the consolidation of the special status of the self-proclaimed Republics in the constitution of Ukraine. Instead, Kravchuk is discussing the organisation of the free economic zone and ideas to involve civil society in the negotiations. There is even a will to personally go to the rebellious Donetsk and Luhansk and speak directly with the local authorities there. However, behind all these ideas, one can clearly see Zelenskyy himself, his opponents, the upcoming elections, a desire to speak a lot, but not to sign anything.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine and the Minsk Agreements.

Ukrainian ex-president Leonid Kravchuk, who is the new representative of Ukraine in the Tripartite Contact Group for the settlement of the situation in Donbas, is not trying to deceive Donbas. For example, he is proposing instead of the concept of "special status" of Donbas to use a new wording - "special regime of administrative management", which will comply with Ukrainian legislation.

Over the last 12 months, Ukraine has made serious steps to resolve the conflict in Donbas peacefully. Ukraine initiated a Normandy Four meeting that was held on 9 December 2019. Ukraine agreed that a full and comprehensive ceasefire is necessary. The parties of the Normandy Summit also agreed to release captives on the principle "all for all" by December 2019. Three prisoner exchanges have been conducted, with the last one taking place during the COVID-19 lockdown. The law on special order of local self-government in certain areas of Donbas was extended for another year. A disengagement of troops was achieved in Zolote, Petrivske, and Stanytsia Luhanska. Ukraine also rebuilt a bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska that was destroyed by the pro-Russian militants in March 2015.

Moreover, the negotiations in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) have not been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. The meetings were held in a video format.

See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Ukraine is trying to compromise and undermine the Minsk agreements, that Ukraine claims that the Minsk agreements are just a piece of paper, that Ukraine refuses to implement the Minsk agreements and continues the war in Donbas, and that Ukraine refuses to observe a truce in Donbas.

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publication/media

vz.ru (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 209
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 13/08/2020
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Keywords: Leonid Kravchuk, War in Ukraine, Donbas, Minsk agreements

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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USA is rehearsing Maidan in Russia with the Minsk riots

Now a rehearsal of a coup d’etat in Russia is taking place in Belarus.  In particular, members of the “Open Russia” organisation, which is funded by the US State Department, went to Minsk to get a real experience of the protests.

The most important thing for us is what we see in the model of Belarus, is what is prepared for Russia. It is no coincidence that representatives of an organisation called “Open Russia”, went to Belarus in a so-called exchange of experience, in order to transfer the practice of fighting with the forces of law and order and adapt them to the Russian realities.

August 13, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives about protests in Belarus and West encircling Russia. The pro-Kremlin media frequently use disinformation narratives about popular protests around the world, presenting them as West-funded colour revolutions.

There is no evidence to suggest any US involvement in the protests in Belarus. The protests erupted to contest the results of the presidential election in Belarus on the 9th of August, which are considered fraudulent by a large part of Belarusian society.

The US wants to discredit Belarus and the Minsk agreements

It is critically important for the Americans to show Minsk and Belarus as a territory that can no longer be trusted “as neutral”. Negotiations were conducted. And now you cannot set a foot there, after what happened [the detention of Russian citizens, Wagner mercenaries, and the accusations of preparing to disrupt the presidential elections in Belarus]. It was in the interests of the Americans “to torpedo” the Minsk agreements.

August 13, 2020
Disproof

The recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives about the Western influence on Belarus, and the Minsk agreements.

There is zero evidence to suggest any US involvement in the arrest of Wagner Group military contractors in Belarus. Also, there is no evidence that the US wants to disrupt the Minsk agreements.

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland prepare Lukashenko for the fate of Yanukovych

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland prepare Lukashenko for the fate of Yanukovych. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have prepared a plan for Belarus to get out of the crisis. “Something elusively familiar in these lines,” recalling a similar plan to get Ukraine out of the crisis during the Maidan in 2014. “I was thrown like a douche,” the ex-president of Ukraine lamented later.

August 12, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Belarus and the West. The title of the article is misleading. The article is comparing the agreement singed by Yanukovych in 2014 and the proposal of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia to help solve the crisis in Belarus.

The Agreement on the settlement of the political crisis in Ukraine is the document, signed on 21 February 2014 by the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and the leaders of the parliamentary opposition under the mediation of the European Union and the Russian Federation. The signing of the Agreement was intended to stop the mass bloodshed in Kyiv and to end the sharp political crisis, which began in November 2013 in connection with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to suspend the process of signing the Association Agreement with the European Union.