DISINFO: West needs a hotspot on Russian border; NATO instructors are involved in Donbas war
SUMMARY
The West is interested in a hotspot on Russia’s border. Participation of Western instructors in the Donbas conflict will mean the crossing of the red lines and a direct clash between the Russian people and the NATO military.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine.
There are no NATO (or Western) troops fighting the Russia-backed armed formations in Eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has been cooperating with the alliance since the early 1990s, which has developed into one of the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships.
Since 2014, in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cooperation has been intensified in critical areas. Ukraine takes part in military exercises together with its member states, but NATO-Ukraine cooperation is not aimed against Russia. It is solely aimed at enhancing the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
NATO is a defensive alliance, whose primary aims are to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of the Allies. During the Warsaw summit in July 2016, NATO has made it clear that "The Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia". This was also reaffirmed in the Brussels Summit Communiqué of 14 June 2021.
Read more disinformation narratives about NATO’s alleged attempts to destabilise the situation in Donbas.
See our article examining seven myths about Russia's role in Ukraine.