DISINFO: US is preparing Ukraine for war in Donbas, sending to it weapons every day
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
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War in Ukraine Ukrainian statehood Donbas Eastern Ukraine Minsk agreements

DISINFO: US is preparing Ukraine for war in Donbas, sending to it weapons every day

SUMMARY

The United States is preparing Ukraine for war in Donbas by providing it with weapons every day.

The US airlift to Ukraine operates around the clock now. So, if something happens, the volume of supplies can grow exponentially. The White House is simply pushing the Ukrainians into this war.

RESPONSE

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media outlets, claiming that the West is pushing Ukraine into a war in its eastern region of Donbas. In reality, Ukraine is taking precautionary measures against Russian military build-up near the Ukrainian border, and its troops will open fire only if there is a threat to them on the ground or if they are attacked, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

Ukraine’s top military commander, General Ruslan Khmomchak, has said Russia had amassed 28 battalions near the borders. Сontrary to Russian propagandist media reports, Kyiv is only bracing itself for possible provocations from the Moscow-backed separatists or direct Russian invasion. Reports issued daily by the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe are indicating a surge in hostilities over the past several days.

The West has supported Ukraine, demanding that Russia put an end to its military build-up close to the Ukrainian borders. In a telephone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 2 April, his US counterpart Joe Biden “affirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea." This does not mean that Washington is preparing Kyiv for war or ordering it to launch an offensive.

The fact that Ukraine is receiving military aid from the US is not a violation of the 2014 Minsk Agreements. The US does not conceal the fact that it supplies Ukraine with defensive military equipment because it is all done openly and in accordance with bilateral agreements. Russia, in its turn, refutes accusations that it sends armaments to its proxies in Donbas. However, there is plenty of evidence of it and of Russia’s direct involvement in the war on the side of the anti-Ukrainian separatists (read here and here).

Read more disinformation stories about Ukraine’s alleged preparations for an offensive in Donbas.

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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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