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fake-news-detector-euvsdisinfo

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07.02.2023

US offered land of Ukraine for peace with Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-offered-land-of-ukraine-for-peace-with-russia

oroszhirek.hu

US, Ukraine, Russia

Hungarian

The head of the CIA, William Burns, offered Kyiv to hand over about 20 percent of Ukraine to Russia in exchange for a peace treaty. In mid-January, US President Joe Biden ordered the CIA chief to make this proposal to Moscow and Kyiv. Only after Burns' mission failed did Biden decide to supply Ukraine with Abrams tanks.

A new pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about peace negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine.There is no evidence that this happened. The White House has refuted this claim. The wider narrative that Ukraine is refusing peace negotiations is also false. In December 2022, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a 10-point peace plan but Russia rejected it. The plan called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and the cessation of hostilities, restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, global food security, radiation safety, etc. Ukrainians overwhelmingly support the decisions of the Ukrainian government. Most Ukrainians believe that Ukraine must restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also support NATO and EU integration. More than 95% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will achieve victory. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Ukraine has become a private military company of NATO, that Ukraine is forced to fight on behalf of NATO, that the West is using Ukrainians to fight against Russia, or that Europe doesn’t support peace negotiations in Ukraine because of US pressure.

Invasion of Ukraine, US presence in Europe

07.02.2023

Kyiv's Western masters aware of it's destroyed economy

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyivs-western-masters-aware-of-its-destroyed-economy

oroszhirek.hu

Ukraine, EU, Russia

Hungarian

The regime in Kyiv, with the support of its Western masters, is fighting Russia until victory, and the economy of this unfortunate area is fast becoming a rotting waste. Even in countries that promise the Ukrainian regime restoration and eternal European love, this is being openly spoken about.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about with claims that Ukraine is externally controlled and it’s economy is in ruins.Ukraine is a sovereign state, one of the founding members of the United Nations. Neither US nor the EU countries control Ukraine. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the free world but were violated by Russia in 2014.Ukraine’s economy shrank by more than 30% in 2022 after Russia’s brutal invasion destroyed infrastructure, hurt businesses and disrupted daily life, according to the country’s economy ministry.“During 2022, Ukraine’s economy suffered the largest losses and damage in the history of its independence,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Thursday.The projected 30.4% contraction in gross domestic product is much better than experts feared shortly after Russia’s invasion in February 2022. At the time, many projected that Ukraine’s economic output would plunge by between 40% and 50%. The cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine was put at roughly $349 billion in a September assessment from the World Bank, the European Commission and Ukraine’s government. Ongoing fighting will have raised the price tag since then.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Since the start of Russia's war of aggression, the EU and its Member States and the European financial institutions, in a Team Europe approach, are making available up to €49 billion in financial, humanitarian, emergency, budget and military support: €37.3 billion to support its overall economic, social and financial resilience. This includes an unprecedented financial support package of up to €18 billion for 2023. An additional up to €11.5 billion in military assistance has also been made available under the European Peace Facility and by Member States directly.Additionally in 2022, the US Congress approved more than $113 billion of aid and military assistance to support the Ukrainian government and allied nations. Of the $113 billion approved in 2022, about three-fifths ($67 billion) has been allocated toward defense needs and the remaining two-fifths ($46 billion) to nondefense concerns such as general Ukrainian government aid, economic support, and aid for refugee resettlement.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Ukraine has become a private military company of NATO, that Ukraine is forced to fight on behalf of NATO, that the West is using Ukrainians to fight against Russia,

Invasion of Ukraine, Europe, Puppets

07.02.2023

Earthquake in Turkey was the result of US use of seismic or tectonic weapons

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/earthquake-in-turkey-was-the-result-of-us-use-of-seismic-or-tectonic-weapons

livenews.am,livenews.am

Turkey, US

Armenian

There are reasons to believe that the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Iran a few days ago are of artificial origin, more specifically, they are the result of the use of geophysical weapons by the US, in particular, seismic or tectonic weapons. Recently, Washington has had serious problems with Turkey. The relations between Ankara and Washington have become very tense almost turning into hostility, which could have been the reason for the use of seismic weapons by the US.

Conspiracy theory. There is no evidence of the existence of seismic weapons.Conspiracy theories have been a staple of the Russian information warfare arsenal for years. Conspiracy theories about biological, ethnic and nuclear weapons are part of the wider pro-Kremlin disinformation policy.After devastating earthquakes, conspiracy theories emerge, usually associated with the military forces of the US or the former USSR, the main position of which is the artificial nature of the earthquake associated with the use of tectonic weapons. Similar reports, for example, appeared in connection with the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, and with the Spitak earthquake in 1988. though no evidence is advanced.A tectonic weapon is a fantasy hypothetical device or system which could trigger earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or other seismic events in specified locations by interfering with the Earth's natural geological processes.The 1978 Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques is an international treaty ratified by 75 states, and signed by a further 17, that prohibits the use of environmental modification techniques to cause earthquakes and tsunamis, amongst other phenomena.

Conspiracy theory

07.02.2023

Ukrainian troops used chemical weapons in Kypuche and Soledar

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainian-troops-used-chemical-weapons-in-kypuche-and-soledar

sputnik-abkhazia.ru,sputnik-georgia.com,sputnik-ossetia.ru,sputnik-georgia.ru

Ukraine

Russian, Georgian

Trying to change the balance of power on the line of contact, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to use prohibited methods of warfare. The representative of the leadership of the DNR announced the use of chemical weapons by the Ukrainian troops in the Kypuche and Soledar directions.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukraine, which is not backed by any evidence. Such claims are a part of a broader pro-Kremlin information manipulation campaign supporting the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and trying to place the blame for the war’s atrocities on Ukraine, as our recent analysis explains.There is no evidence to back the claim that Ukraine may have used chemical weapons during the war, which was started by Russia. In fact, this is an attempt to deflect responsibility away from Russia's own actions, with many Western leaders having real concerns that Russia could use chemical weapons.Both sides use drones to drop grenades and small-scale bombs. Ukrainian munitions are not fitted with toxins or other types of chemical weapons.Moscow has a history of falsely accusing its opponents of staging "provocations" which either never happened at all, or were subsequently carried out by themselves or their allies.Read similar disinformation cases, such as claims that Ukraine used chemical weapons near Soledar and Bakhmut, that Kyiv passed from rejecting nuclear weapons to preparing a dirty bomb, that Americans inject Ukrainian soldiers with drugs and viruses for biological research, that Ukraine turns nuclear power plants into military facilities, that US contractors help prepare chemical provocations in Ukraine, or that Ukraine aims to use Turkish Bayraktars for chemical attacks.

Chemical weapons/attack, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, DNR, Donbas

07.02.2023

In Stalingrad collective West attacked Russia, all Europe was with nazis

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/in-stalingrad-collective-west-attacked-russia-all-europe-was-with-nazis

Rossiya 1

Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Europe

Russian

The ideology of Nazism, already in its modern guise, its modern form, again creates direct threats to the security of our country. We are again forced to repulse the aggression of the collective West. Unbelievable, but true: we are again being threatened by German Leopard tanks with crosses on board. And again they are going to fight with Russia on the land of Ukraine with the hands of the followers of Hitler - with the hands of Bandera's supporters.Then, 80 years ago in Stalingrad, we fought off the onslaught of the collective West on our country. Many followed the Germans, approaching the Volga. All of Europe was on the side of Nazi Germany.

False interpretation of well know historical facts, mixed with the recurrent disinformation trend "always blamed the West" amid Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the followed support of Ukraine with military equipment from the EU countries. World war II was started in Europe by nazi Germany invading Poland on 1st September of 1939. England and France then declared the war to Germany to hep Poland. USSR invaded Poland too on 17 September 1939, following German-Soviet non agression pact and secret protocols to it, which allowed USSR to invade Baltic countries, Finland and Bessarabia (then part of Romania).In 1941 Nazi Germany "suddenly" invaded USSR. The surprise effect was possible due to the fact that Germany had a common border with USSR, since Poland was partitioned between two countries. By 1942, when the battle of Stalingrad started (it lasted until 1943), the anti Hitler coalition totalled 26 States: Great Britain, USA, China, the British Dominions (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa) and the dependent state of India, the countries of Central and Latin America, the Caribbean, as well as the governments in exile of the occupied European countries, including France, and USSR. During the war, the US Lend-Lease programme assisted USSR with massive amount of critical war fighting material and supplies without which the USSR would not have been able to sustain its war efforts - a fact recognised by Stalin, Khrushchev and Marshal Zhukov and repeated after the war. War on Germany and its allies at the final stage of the confrontation was also declared by Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Finland, which were previously part of the pro-Germany axis (Romania and Finland suffering annexation of its territories by USSR).Interestingly enough, ethnic Ukrainian but Polish citizen by 1939 (annexation of Western Ukraine - then part of Poland by USSR) was put by nazis in Sachsenhousen in 1942 - 1944.Bandera was assasinated by Soviet KGB. The pro-Kremlin media often confuse Ukrainian culture, language and symblos, as "ukro nazis" symbols.

Invasion of Ukraine, Nazi/Fascist

07.02.2023

NATO populated by raging madmen and stopped being a defensive organisation

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-populated-by-raging-madmen-and-stopped-being-a-defensive-organisation

podcasts.google.com,Ukraina.ru,podcasts.apple.com,castbox.fm,fr.sputniknews.africa

US, Russia, France

Russian, English, French

Rob Bauer, one of the heads of NATO's military committee, said the alliance is ready for a direct confrontation with Russia. Unfortunately, such statements can be trusted, because NATO is populated by raging madmen. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg regularly makes such declarations, he spends his life making very warlike and provocative speeches. NATO was advertised as a purely defensive structure. This kind of talk would not exist if it was a defensive structure. NATO should have disappeared with the fall of the USSR, in fact with the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, when the Warsaw Pact disappeared, NATO did not want to because it is an instrument in the hands of the Americans. So today it needs to justify its existence. It must constantly seek enemies, wars, reasons to exist, all of which is extremely dangerous.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative accusing NATO of provoking wars and being dominated by the US.Admiral Robert Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, when answering a question on whether NATO was ready to confront Russia directly, stated that the Alliance is ready for confrontation if Russia invades the territory of a NATO member. This does not question the defensive nature of the alliance. On the contrary, it is the raison d’être of NATO, to defend its member states from external military aggression.Robert Bauer's full quote from the interview with RTP, a Portuguese public broadcasting organisation is far from the account given by pro-Kremlin media:We are ready for a direct confrontation with Russia?-We are. What we have done after the war started, was the battlegroups along the eastern flank, [....] I think it is an important message for the Russians, that our posture has changed, to show them that we are ready if they have an idea to come to NATO. And that is the red line if there is any red line, it is the Russians crossing the line of our territories in NATO”.NATO is not a “US territorial expansion mechanism” nor has it “left Europe without political independence”, but it is a collective defence alliance whose membership is voluntary, and where decisions are adopted through consultation and consensus. NATO member countries don’t follow US orders as proven by multiple episodes of disagreements inside the alliance, such as the refusal of Germany, France and other countries to let it take part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 against US wishes or, more recently, Hungary and Turkey’s obstruction for Sweden and Finland to join the block.Read also related cases on NATO: NATO instigated a war in Ukraine to weaken Russia , NATO is Washington’s territorial expansion mechanism , US and NATO fighting proxy war against Russia in Ukraine , The madmen of EU and NATO are planning a world war , The EU has transformed from an economic and political organisation into the economic arm of NATO , Military conflict in Ukraine caused by the US and NATO.

NATO, Warmongering, security threat, EU/NATO enlargement, Invasion of Ukraine

07.02.2023

Under Minsk Agreements Donetsk & Luhansk could return to Ukraine in exchange for refusing to join NATO

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/under-minsk-agreements-donetsk-luhansk-could-return-to-ukraine-in-exchange-for-refusing-to-join-nato

Alt-Info

Ukraine, Russia

Georgian

The Minsk agreement was that Russia would return these territories [Luhansk and Donetsk] to Ukraine, and Ukraine would simply not join NATO. That is, these territories, which would be returned to Ukraine, would have the right of veto.

A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Minsk agreements. This claim emerged in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Contrary to the claim, none of the Minsk agreements included a condition of Ukraine's refusal to join NATO, or the granting of veto rights over the country's foreign policy under conditions of increased self-government for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Before the invasion, Russia was a party to the Minsk agreements, and these are the most recent formal documents in which Russia has affirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia has however not delivered on its side of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. The main impediment to a peace settlement in Donbas was, in fact, Russia’s and its proxies’ deliberate unwillingness to implement the Minsk agreements. These documents, signed by representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Ukraine, Russia and leaders of the illegal separatist entities (DNR and LNR), provide, among other things, for a comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign troops from Ukraine. Kyiv announced a truce in July 2020, but the Moscow-backed separatists have violated it virtually every day before the invasion.Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.

Minsk agreements, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Donetsk, DNR, LNR, NATO, EU/NATO enlargement

07.02.2023

Ukraine uses weapons prohibited by international conventions

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-uses-weapons-prohibited-by-international-conventions

sputnik-ossetia.ru

Ukraine

Russian

Ukraine uses almost the entire arsenal of weapons prohibited by international conventions: from phosphorus munitions to chemical weapons.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukraine, which is not backed by any evidence. Such claims are a part of a broader pro-Kremlin information manipulation campaign supporting the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and trying to place the blame for the war’s atrocities on Ukraine, as our recent analysis explains.There is no evidence to back the claim that Ukraine may have used chemical weapons during the war, which was started by Russia. In fact, this is an attempt to deflect responsibility away from Russia's own actions, with many Western leaders having real concerns that Russia could use chemical weapons.Both sides use drones to drop grenades and small-scale bombs. Ukrainian munitions are not fitted with toxins or other types of chemical weapons.Moscow has a history of falsely accusing its opponents of staging "provocations" which either never happened at all, or were subsequently carried out by themselves or their allies.Read similar disinformation cases, such as claims that Ukraine used chemical weapons near Soledar and Bakhmut, that Kyiv passed from rejecting nuclear weapons to preparing a dirty bomb, that Americans inject Ukrainian soldiers with drugs and viruses for biological research, that Ukraine turns nuclear power plants into military facilities, that US contractors help prepare chemical provocations in Ukraine, or that Ukraine aims to use Turkish Bayraktars for chemical attacks.

Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Chemical weapons/attack

06.02.2023

The West wants a coup d'état in Belarus

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-wants-a-coup-detat-in-belarus

news.am

Belarus

Armenian

The West will finance the Belarusian opposition abroad for radical events, a coup d'état, including the overthrow and assassination of the President. Now they are sitting idle. The West will finance only specific events, preferably a radical plan, and not even the level of 2020: the overthrow, or assassination of the president, and officials. The opposition abroad is demonstrating its determination to carry out provocations in Belarus up to acts of terrorism.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about aggressive Western attempts to organise a colour revolution in Belarus.Pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in Georgia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.The disinformation article also targets the Belarusian opposition, alleging that foreign sponsors will use them to set up “terrorist” activities against Belarus, including eliminating the president. The European Union is interested in a free and democratic Belarus, but it also underlines that any power transfer should be peaceful, and any violent action is out of the question.Lukashenka launched a massive repression campaign against the opposition after the presidential elections of August 2020 which are widely believed to have been rigged. Many Belarusians have since fled abroad, see our dedicated section on Belarus.Read more disinformation narratives about the West’s alleged attempts to stage a coup in Belarus and remove Lukashenka by force.

Coup, Colour revolutions, West, Alexander Lukashenko, Terrorism

06.02.2023

Russian Embassy in Mexico calls out Ukrainian Nazi slogan in the press

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russian-embassy-in-mexico-calls-out-ukrainian-nazi-slogan-in-the-press

sputniknews.lat

Ukraine, Mexico, Russia

Spanish

The Embassy of Russia in Mexico questioned the use of Ukrainian Nazi slogan in an op-ed published by the Mexican newspaper ‘Milenio’, titled ‘Slava Ukraini!’. The Embassy recalled that this slogan has been used in many crimes committed by ultranationalist Ukrainians.

This disinformation story is an attempt to promote a long-term pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about ‘Nazi Ukraine’, part of a wider campaign aiming to justify Russia’s unprovoked aggression against its peaceful neighbour. Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, ‘Slava Ukraini!’ is not a “Nazi slogan” but a Ukrainian national salute created more than one century ago. It only means ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ and is frequently used by Ukrainian leaders and citizens in public events and demonstrations.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia fights against Ukrainian neo-Nazis guilty of ethnic cleansing, that the special military operation aims to end the Nazi regime in Kyiv, that Zelenskyy uses the same Nazi symbols as Hitler, or that the West supported neo-Nazis in Ukraine, using them to weaken Russia.

Nazi/Fascist, Ukraine

06.02.2023

The West and US not interested in supporting Ukraine but weakening Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-and-us-not-interested-in-supporting-ukraine-but-weakening-russia

arabic.rt.com,rtarab.com,rtarabic.com

US, Ukraine, Russia

Arabic

The West hindered negotiations to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. The United States is not interested in supporting Ukraine per se, but rather in weakening Russia at any cost.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the West of anti-Russian policies, Russophobia and an allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda to contain, weaken and ruin Russia, aiming to portray Russia as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s illicit actions; invasion of Ukraine. This claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.Before Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Kyiv and Western nations had been trying to conduct a dialogue with Russia on all disputed issues, including security guarantees. Russia cut short all attempts at achieving a compromise over security guarantees by attacking Ukraine.The current deterioration in relations between the West and Moscow is the consequence of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Judging by statements from some Russian politicians, confirmed by Putin's long speech of 30 September 2022 announcing Russian annexation of four more regions of Ukraine, it is Moscow who has hostile intentions against the West and makes no secret about it, while the West is compelled to deter such Russian actions. It is Russia who is waging a hybrid war, fusing soft and hard power to achieve Russia’s ends with both political and military means.See similar stories that the West aims at disintegrating Russia; the West wants to weaken and ruin Russia; the US needs war between Russia and Ukraine to weaken Russia; West is using Ukrainians to fight Russia in Ukraine.

West, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Russophobia, Anti-Russian

06.02.2023

Polish PM proposed to Zelenskyy to transfer part of Western Ukraine to Poland

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-pm-proposed-to-zelenskyy-to-transfer-part-of-western-ukraine-to-poland

tvzvezda.ru,life.ru,kapital-rus.ru,Crimean News Portal Informer,Ukraina.ru

Ukraine, Poland, Russia

Russian

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki formally proposed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that part of western Ukraine be handed over to Poland to protect it from Russia.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions, all with the aim of deflecting attention away from Russia's attack against Ukraine. This disinformation message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants either to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or annex these territories or that it is President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”.Polish PM Morawiecki has never proposed to the Ukrainian President to temporarily transfer Western Ukraine to Poland. This false claim originates from a satirical story which was originally distributed in a Telegram channel. Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.The Polish government did not call to violate Ukraine's territorial integrity. On 6 February, Polish PM Morawiecki told that "Poland had been pressing its Western partners to support Kyiv from the very start of the war in Ukraine, advocating for both military and humanitarian assistance". He also stated that it is necessary to help Ukraine win the war against Russia and to build a new security architecture in the political, geopolitical, economic and energy dimensions.Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.See also an analysis of the roots of the claim that Poland wants to divide Ukraine.

Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Imperialism/colonialism, Ukrainian statehood

06.02.2023

Anglo-Saxons are fighting with Russia until the last Ukrainian and Pole

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/anglo-saxons-are-fighting-with-russia-until-the-last-ukrainian-and-pole

АТН: новости Беларуси и мира

Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

As the old Anglo-Saxon tradition goes, the war against Russia is waged by others and money is made. Germany plays the role of the money cow. Greedy western political hawks are escalating the war conflict and the situation is going in the direction of WWIII. The anti-Russian coalition is ready to make money on the hot conflict in the centre of Europe until the last Ukrainian and even the last Pole.

Conspiracy theory and a mix of disinformation narratives accusing the West of anti-Russian policies and an allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda. The report also aims to portray Germany, Ukraine and Poland as puppets of the Anglo-Saxons and Russia as a victim to deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s illicit actions.Neither the US nor European countries have pushed Ukraine to war with Russia or want to escalate the war in Ukraine. The US, the EU and NATO condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is entirely unjustified and unprovoked. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.The term “Anglo-Saxons” in such cases normally stands for the US and UK and often means “evil”, “belligerent” and “morally corrupt” Westerners, as explained in our earlier analysis. As a negative catch-all term, the “Anglo-Saxons” term is a useful building block for pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories. You can find plenty of examples in our database.See other examples of disinformation accusing Anglo-Saxons acting against Russia: Anglo-Saxons want to involve Ukraine in a war against Slavs; United Europe is a vassal of the Anglo-Saxons and they team up against Russia; Events in Kazakhstan are an attempt of Anglo-Saxons to encircle Russia; Anglo-Saxons invade the sphere of Russia’s national interests in Ukraine and the Balkans; Anglo-Saxons are on the edge of an anti-Russian attack.

06.02.2023

The US and NATO did everything possible to escalate the situation in Eastern Europe

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-and-nato-did-everything-possible-to-escalate-the-situation-in-eastern-europe

baltnews.com

US, Russia, Poland, Baltic states, Ukraine

Russian

Russia many times offers measures to improve the security situation in Eastern Europe, but the US and NATO refused to accept them and did everything possible to escalate the situation.Washington is using the possibility of deploying soldiers on the Eastern flank of NATO, in the critically important points near the border with Russia (in Poland and the Baltic states) and not so far from the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine. It means that the US could be directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.

Recurring disinformation about the war in Ukraine, portraying the US and NATO as alleged aggressors. The narrative aims to deflect responsibility away from Russia for its full-scale invasion. NATO made a decision to deploy Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) forces in the Baltic states and Poland during the NATO summit in Warsaw in 2016. The purpose of the deployment was “demonstrating the strength of the transatlantic bond, and making clear that an attack on one Ally would be considered an attack on the whole Alliance”. The decision was following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.The Ukrainian state is under attack by Russia, while the US and Western countries are providing support to Ukraine. There are no US or NATO forces on the frontline. Some NATO member states support Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.See other similar examples of disinformation accusing the US and NATO of escalation: Ukrainians want peace with Russia, but the “war party” controlled by NATO is against it; Western statements on more arms to Ukraine lead to escalation; NATO instigated a war in Ukraine to weaken Russia.

NATO, War in Ukraine, Provocation, Eastern Europe

06.02.2023

Tanks to be delivered to Ukraine under Washington’s pressure

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/tanks-to-be-delivered-to-ukraine-under-washingtons-pressure

actualidad-rt.com

Ukraine, US, EU, UK

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, US, EU, UK

UK media, as if following the same manual, present the delivery of tanks to Ukraine, made under pressure from Washington, as a unanimous impulse of the whole world.

This disinformation story aims to portray widespread Western support for Ukraine against Russia’s unjustified aggression as the result of US ploys, aiming to create breaches in the US-Europe cooperation in containing this aggression and promoting a long term pro-Kremlin narrative about Europe’s alleged lack of sovereignty and European and NATO countries as US vassals. Several countries announced their intention to supply tanks to Ukraine on their own weeks before the US did, such as Poland or the United Kingdom. Although Germany was initially reluctant to send Leopard tanks, the strongest pressure to change its stance didn’t come from the US but from France and Canada, who then joined the so-called “tank coalition” after Berlin and Washington finally coordinated to send their advanced tank models. Other countries who have agreed to join this effort are Norway, Finland, Spain and The Netherlands.By hinting that UK media seem to “follow the same manual”, this disinformation story also implies that those outlets are part of some sort of wider Western information war around the invasion of Ukraine, a disinformation narrative previously expressed by pro-Kremlin outlets.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the EU and its member states are US vassals, that Joe Biden will us US allies as tools or useful idiots, that France is a puppet of the US, or that Europe is a colony of the United States.

06.02.2023

Ukraine used chemical weapons near Soledar and Bakhmut

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-used-chemical-weapons-near-soledar-and-bakhmut

oroszhirek.hu

Ukraine, Russia

Hungarian

Ukrainian forces have used chemical weapons several times over the past three weeks in the areas of Soledar and Artemivsk (Bahmut). Chemical bombs are dropped from drones on Russian army positions. Victims of the attack experience nausea, vomiting, severe dizziness and pain.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukraine. Such claims are a part of a broader pro-Kremlin information manipulation campaign supporting the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and trying to place the blame for the war’s atrocities on Ukraine, as our recent analysis explains.There is no evidence to back the claim that Ukraine may have used chemical weapons during the war, which was started by Russia. In fact, this is an attempt to deflect responsibility away from Russia's own actions, with many Western leaders having real concerns that Russia could use chemical weapons.Both sides use drones to drop grenades and small-scale bombs. Ukrainian munitions are not fitted with toxins or other types of chemical weapons.Moscow has a history of falsely accusing its opponents of staging "provocations" which either never happened at all, or were subsequently carried out by themselves or their allies.Read similar disinformation cases on the topic: US contractors help prepare chemical provocations in Ukraine; Ukraine aims to use Turkish Bayraktars for chemical attacks; Ukraine is preparing a false flag chemical attack to damage the image of Russia; Kyiv will detonate a “dirty bomb” to accuse Russia.

Chemical weapons/attack, Donbas, Invasion of Ukraine, war crimes

06.02.2023

German tank deliveries to Ukraine are Berlin's neo-Nazi "14/88" salute

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/german-tank-deliveries-to-ukraine-are-berlins-neo-nazi-14-88-salute

de.rt.com

Germany, Ukraine

German

German tank deliveries to Ukraine are Berlin's neo-Nazi "14/88" salute. 14 German tanks will be followed by 88 in a second tranche. "14/88" is a cipher known worldwide among neo-Nazis that replaces the Hitler salute. Is the German government using it to greet like-minded people in Ukraine? The grandchildren of the German elites are driven by a thirst for revenge for the defeat of their grandfathers.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin media narrative on Nazi rule in Ukraine aimed at justifying the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.On 25 January 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will continue to increase military support for Ukraine by providing the Ukrainian armed forces with Leopard 2 main battle tanks. As a first step, Germany will provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. Germany is coordinating its deliveries with other EU countries, such as Poland, France and others. The armaments group Rheinmetall could deliver a total of 139 Type 1 and Type 2 Leopard tanks, RND reports. Its spokesman told RND: "We have 22 vehicles of Leopard 2A4 that we could prepare for use and delivery to Ukraine. [...] The repair of these vehicles would take almost a year. Delivery would be possible at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. There are also 29 Leopard 2A4s that we have in the works for the ring swap projects and that we will have ready by April/May 2023. [...] From the Leopard 1, we could make 88 vehicles available". On 2nd February 2023, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Berlin had approved German arms-maker Rheinmetall’s plans to sell 88 of the older Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine.Quoting this figure among others, as proof of coded Nazi communications between Germany and Ukraine is a conspiracy.As a reminder, the European Jewish Congress demands an apology from Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov who compared US policies on Russia with Hitler’s Holocaust. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre also chastised Lavrov for his comments: "Lavrov's equation of Hitler's murderous campaign to annihilate the Jewish people known as the 'Final Solution’ with current Ukrainian moves to counter the Russian invasion is an utter distortion of the history and an affront to the actual victims of Nazism.”

Invasion of Ukraine, Nazi/Fascist

06.02.2023

NATO supports Ukraine because of its titanium reserves, according to Newsweek magazine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-supports-ukraine-because-of-its-titanium-reserves-according-to-newsweek-magazine

actualidad-rt.com

Ukraine, US, EU, Canada, UK

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, US, EU, Canada, UK

The US and its NATO partners give assistance to Ukraine due to its huge titanium reserves, which is crucial for the development of its military technologies, Newsweek report quoting several sources.

This disinformation story is a deliberate distortion of the original article in Newsweek. Although the article reports on the wide titanium reserves of Ukraine as attractive for Western countries who had previously been highly dependent on Russian deposits, and on efforts to “identify, develop and utilize Ukraine’s vast resources of [this] key metal”, it never states that this is the reason of Western support for this country. By attributing spurious reasons to the Western governments backing Ukraine against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, this disinformation story aims to undermine popular support for this aid. In reality, the US and the West support Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia’s unjustified invasion.Distorting articles in Western media to make them appear as supporting pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives is a frequent technique of pro-Kremlin outlets.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US is prolonging war in Ukraine to benefit from weapons sales, that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering, or that international support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption.

05.02.2023

EU member states military were sent to Ukraine long before 2022

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-member-states-military-were-sent-to-ukraine-long-before-2022

auroranews.am,news.am,ru.armeniasputnik.am

Ukraine, EU

Armenian, Russian

Military personnel of EU member states were sent to Ukraine much earlier. Both in the form of instructors, special services, and mercenaries. The deployment of military personnel began much earlier than in 2022.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that the West and specifically the EU is directly involved in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, alongside another recurring narrative claiming that foreigners fighting for Ukraine are mercenaries.This statement was made after the head of European diplomacy, HRVP Josep Borrell, said that EU countries have never prepared and are not going to send their troops to Ukraine.Pro-Kremlin media has made similar claims in the past, in attempts to substantiate a disinformation narrative that Russia was fighting NATO in Ukraine.The claims of "Western mercenaries" are a conspiracy that aims to justify the Russian war in Ukraine. Ukraine called officially on experienced foreign nationals to join legion foreign legion, whose members are regular soldiers of the Ukrainian army and not mercenaries. Russian nationals formed the "Freedom of Russia" legion fighting for Ukraine. As pointed out by experts, the nationality of the soldier is not an issue.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Some NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance, but they are not involved in direct fighting. Western instructors train Ukrainian soldiers how to use modern weaponry and NATO officials have frequent political contacts with Ukrainian counterparts.The EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and to deter and respond to possible future military offensives by Russia and other potential aggressors.See other similar cases in our database: Russia is at war not so much with Ukraine, but with the collective West and its mercenaries; US mercenaries are preparing a provocation by using chemical weapons in Ukraine; Foreigners, who join the Ukrainian army are criminals.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, mercenaries, Intelligence services, NATO, Military, Maria Zakharova

05.02.2023

Kyiv is planning a false flag explosion in Kramatorsk to blame Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-is-planning-a-false-flag-explosion-in-kramatorsk-to-blame-russia

RIA,ru.armeniasputnik.am,ru.sputnik.kg,uz.sputniknews.ru,Sputnik Azerbaijan - Russian,ont.by,Sputnik Armenia

Ukraine

Russian

According to independently confirmed information, the Ukrainian special services intend to carry out a large-scale provocation to accuse Russia of allegedly committing "war crimes". The Kyiv regime planned a controlled explosion of the buildings of Kramatorsk, including hospitals, to accuse Russia of allegedly "deliberate hitting civilian targets.The Ukrainian Security Service brought Western journalists to Kramatorsk, where a provocation is planned. The staff of medical institutions is currently evacuated. The planned provocation is designed to speed up the supply of long-range Western weapons to Kyiv.

No evidence is provided. Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about false flag operations. Such claims are part of a broader pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign accompanying the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, trying to place the blame for the war's atrocities on Ukraine.Moscow has a history of falsely accusing its opponents of staging "provocations" which either never happened at all or were subsequently carried out by themselves or their allies. In the weeks leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Moscow repeatedly falsely claimed that Ukraine, assisted by US or Western forces, prepared a chemical attack or attacks on industry sites storing chemical agents, or is going to use the dirty bomb.Contrary to what this disinformation story alleges, there is massive evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians and other crimes throughout the invasion of Ukraine, including footage, drone and satellite images, incriminatory radio conversations, testimonies of witnesses and survivors, and forensic proof.Further, these atrocities and war crimes follow a similar patter in most territories previously occupied by Russian troops, as in Bucha, Borodyanka, Chernihiv, Hostomel, Lyman, Kherson, Izyum or other areas of the Kharkiv region. This evidence has been documented by personnel of the Ukrainian prosecutor office backed by international advisors, as well as by UN investigators, International Criminal Court experts and reputed human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, and international reporters.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Kyiv will detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ to blame Russia, that Ukraine is preparing a false flag chemical attack to damage the image of Russia, that Kyiv forces are about to launch a chemical attack against Russian soldiers, that Ukraine aims to use Turkish Bayraktars for chemical attacks.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, false flag, war crimes, Provocation, War crimes

05.02.2023

Anti-Ukrainian billboards appeared in Poland

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/anti-ukrainian-billboards-appeared-in-poland

Pravda.ru ,russian.rt.com,iz.ru,rg.ru,ren.tv,lenta.ru,kp.ru,gazeta.ru,life.ru,rueconomics.ru,news.ruShow more

Poland, Ukraine

Russian

Anti-Ukrainian advertising billboards have appeared in the Polish city of Czestochowa which read "This is not our war".

Pro-Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine, part of a wider campaign aiming to erode public support for Western military and financial aid to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s aggression, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51.No such billboards have appeared in the Polish city of Częstochowa. The photo of the billboard, disseminated by pro-Kremlin outlets, is, in fact, made with a free billboard advertising template available on the website mediamodifier.com since 2016. According to the information indicated on the website, the original picture was taken in the capital of Estonia. Additionally, the representatives of Częstochowa City Hall confirmed that there are no such billboards erected in the city. Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.Poland fully supports and respects the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.Poland is supporting Ukrainian refugees coming to Poland; it is allowing millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war access to the labour market and to health and social benefits. Moreover Poland is also actively supporting Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.Read more disinformation cases on Ukraine here.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

04.02.2023

Washington could turn Moldova into another Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/washington-could-turn-moldova-into-another-ukraine

nabd.com,arabic.rt.com,sahafaty.com

Moldova, US, Ukraine

Arabic

The West is looking forward to seeing Moldova becoming the next Ukraine. The West was able to use specific methods to install Maia Sandu at the head of Moldova. [...] Real problems will not appear in Chisinau unless Washington gives the order to invade into Transnistria and Gagauzia. Only then will Moldova turn into another hotspot on the map of Europe.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative questioning Moldova's integrity and sovereignty without any evidence to document it. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.Moldova is a sovereign and independent state since 1992 when it proclaimed its independence from the former USSR. As a sovereign state, Moldova is free to decide its own foreign policy and alliance orientation. Moldova is a military neutral state, as stipulated by its Constitution (Article 11).The country's president, Maia Sandu, declared (min. 34-38) in July 2022 that Moldova remains a neutral country, but will strengthen its defence. She said: "the Republic of Moldova is and will remain a peaceful country. (…) Even if our defence system is in a very bad situation, if it wasn't for this Russian aggression against Ukraine, we probably wouldn't have discussed much about the need to equip the army. […] We don't want anyone to involve us in the war, but it is a reality for which we must prepare".Additionally, turning Moldova into a "second Ukraine" implies that the West is responsible for the war in Ukraine. The claim that the West allegedly provoked the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the key messages of Putin’s propaganda. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII.See similar cases that the US arms Moldova for war with Transnistria; the West wants to make a second Ukraine out of Moldova; Moldova is preparing for war; Moldova is preparing for a new war against Transnistria.

Transnistria, Sovereignty, War in Ukraine

04.02.2023

Brussels aims to change the security system of the Caucasus

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/brussels-aims-to-change-the-security-system-of-the-caucasus

news.am,ru-armeniasputnik-am,tlgrm.ru

Russia, Armenia, EU

Armenian, Russian

Moscow is confident that Brussels is pursuing the goal of changing the security system in the Caucasus, and hopes that Yerevan understands and takes this into account.Brussels aims to change the security system that has developed in the region. Its cornerstone is the presence of Russian military and border guards, as well as Armenia's membership of the CSTO.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia as the ultimate target of international events, accusing the ever-aggressive West of having an anti-Russian agenda in the Caucasus. The article advances the claim that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance and attempts to discredit the recently announced EU mission - EUMA. The claim attempts to preempt Russia's weakening position in the region.Contrary to the claim, the EU has a strong interest in a politically stable and economically prosperous Southern Caucasus, but the regional context is not easy. To cautiously create a base for confidence-building and dialogue in the fresh post-war environment the EU has come up with a number of programmes (EU4Peace, EU4Dialogue, EU4Culture).The EU (European Council) agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The objective of the Mission is to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence on the ground, and ensure an environment conducive to normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.In response to Armenia’s request, the EUMA will conduct routine patrolling and report on the situation, which will strengthen the EU’s understanding of the situation on the ground. The Mission will also contribute to the mediation efforts in the framework of the process led by President of the European Council Charles Michel.See similar disinfo cases in our database: Brussels wants to squeeze Russia out of the Caucasus; The EU and the OSCE are in the Caucasus to further drive a wedge in relations between the CSTO members; the West aims to oust Russia of Transcaucasia.

Nagorno-Karabakh, Caucasus, Anti-Russian, security threat, Maria Zakharova, Territorial dispute

04.02.2023

Anti-Russian sanctions broke EU economy

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/anti-russian-sanctions-broke-eu-economy

russtrat.ru

Russia, EU

Russian

The West admitted that the anti-Russian sanctions did not hit the Russians, but those who imposed them. As a result, the EU economy was broken. The Europeans are demanding that their authorities revise their domestic and foreign policies, and foreigners coming to Russia are posting videos shot in our supermarkets on social networks. They are amazed by the abundance and choice of products on store shelves. The measured and prosperous lifestyle of Russians contrasts strongly with the queues at gas stations in the US, as well as with the crowds of Europeans at the points of distribution of free soup.

Recurring disinformation about sanctions on Russia, and on EU disintegration.The EU adopted so far nine sanction packages against Russia due to its illegal aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories. The EU is preparing a 10th package of sanctions, which will focus on technology that may be used by Russia’s military and reducing sanctions circumvention.Europe is facing an energetic crisis that is directly linked not to the sanctions, but to Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine and its use of gas supplies as a weapon of war. The EU took steps “to secure the EU’s energy supplies, such as a gas storage regulation, a gas demand reduction regulation, the creation of an EU energy platform and outreach initiatives for the diversification of supply sources.” Russia is no longer a stable and reliable supplier and while Europe is indeed facing an energy crisis with diversification to other sources, it is still set to grow this year according to the European Commission's summer 2022 forecast, while Russia's economy is expected to contract by 6% in 2022.It is estimated that in 2022, the Russian GPD reduced by up to perhaps 4.5%.In addition, a recent study from Yale University takes a detailed look into the effects sanctions are having on the Russian economy, concluding that “business retreats and sanctions are catastrophically crippling the Russian economy.”Despite benefiting from high energy prices, the IMF still expects Russia’s economy will contract by over 3 percent this year. Lost investment, export controls, and constraints on Russia’s real economy will create a drag on Russia’s growth prospects for years to come. Significantly, U.S. sanctions and export controls have severed Russia’s access to key technologies and industrial inputs that erode its military capability.See also the assessment of EU HRVP Josep Borrell: sanction policy is working and strongly impacts the Russian economy.The Autumn 2022 Eurobarometer survey shows that three-quarters of EU citizens approve of the EU’s overall support of Ukraine as well as the specific measures including sanctions against Russia. Democracy, human rights, and free speech are paramount to EU citizens as they call on the European Parliament to defend these values on which the EU is founded. Read here about the EU and the US sanctions explained.See other similar examples of disinformation: US is destroying industry in Europe by forcing Brussels to sanction Russia; Western sanctions on Russian energy jeopardize the global economy; Sanctions that were supposed to destroy Russia may disintegrate the EU.

Russophobia, Anti-Russian, West, Sanctions, Economic difficulties, economy, US presence in Europe

04.02.2023

Kyiv massively recruits ethnic Hungarians to the army and exterminates the Hungarian language

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-massively-recruits-ethnic-hungarians-to-the-army-and-exterminates-the-hungarian-language

АТН: новости Беларуси и мира

Hungary, Ukraine

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Hungary, Ukraine

Hungarian media write en masse about the conscription of the Hungarian ethnic minority to the Ukrainian army. Budapest calls this genocide and ethnic cleansing. 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia region are literally hunted. The Hungarian language is exterminated in Ukraine. Instead of Hungarian, Ukrainian and Polish are enforced. One hundred Hungarian schools in western Ukraine were closed down.

A mix of disinformation claims aimed at bringing discord in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations, aiming to confound the reality of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.No factual evidence supports the claim that ethnic Hungarians are disproportionately drafted more often into the Ukrainian army. The Hungarian authorities have not made references to a genocide or ethnic cleansing in this regard. The claim about the forceful introduction of Ukrainian and Polish languages and extermination of the Hungarian language in the Zakarpattya region is likewise false.A favourite tactic of pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets is to deflect blame by accusing Western countries and Ukraine of the wrongdoings Russia itself commits in Ukraine. Notably, pro-Kremlin outlets also heavily published about imagined aggressive Polish plans towards western Ukraine that can be interpreted as an attempt to sow mistrust between Ukraine and Poland and other Western backers of Kyiv. See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Hungarian politicians are on the Ukrainian secret services’ death list, that Ukraine is a Western colony belonging to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia, and that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.

02.02.2023

Russia wants talks while West holds Zelenskyy back

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-wants-talks-while-west-holds-zelenskyy-back

RIA

Ukraine, Russia, EU

Russian

Western reports alleging Russia does not want talks are fake. The problem is that Zelenskyy is not an independent politician. He is manipulated and acting according to orders from outside [West].

Recurring disinformation narratives from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing the West of whipping up tension and disrupting Moscow’s alleged peace efforts to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine as well as about Ukraine’s alleged lack of sovereignty, aiming to undermine its statehood.In reality, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put forward a peace plan in January 2023, which was supported by the EU. In its turn, Russia dismisses any attempts at a peaceful solution by putting forward unacceptable conditions on Ukraine such as renunciation of part of its territory and surrender to a campaign of russification and deadly suppression. Ukraine cannot comply with these demands because its aim is to liberate all of its occupied territories. See our account of the Russian socalled "peace proposals" here.Western leaders say that it is for Ukraine to decide when and on what conditions the war will end. They neither prod Ukraine into talks with Russia nor hold it back. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Read more disinformation cases about Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine including: Zelenskyy sends his soldiers to be slaughtered for Western money.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood

02.02.2023

The West is fighting Russia with the help of the Kyiv regime

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-fighting-russia-with-the-help-of-the-kyiv-regime

RIA

Ukraine, Russia, US

Russian

The Americans’ alleged exclusiveness and confidence in their infallibility is the main reason why Russia is opposing countries that are waging a hybrid war against it with the help of the Kyiv regime.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine was triggered by the West.In reality, the West is not waging a proxy war against Moscow. The US and the West support Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia’s unjustified invasion. Russia itself started an unprovoked war against Ukraine under several false pretexts including the need to protect the self-proclaimed separatist entities in certain parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions from alleged genocide. It is these two separatist regions which have been waging a proxy war against Ukraine since Russia instigated an anti-government revolt in Donbas in 2014.The US, the EU and NATO condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is entirely unjustified and unprovoked.See similar cases that claiming that Russia is at war with NATO and the Pentagon and only the soldiers are Ukrainians; that NATO is at war with Russia with the hands of Ukrainians; that NATO was turning Ukraine into an enemy of Russia; that NATO has no interest in peace in Ukraine; and that the West is using Ukrainians to fight Russia in Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, NATO

02.02.2023

Poland is recruiting soldiers to be sent to Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poland-is-recruiting-soldiers-to-be-sent-to-ukraine

Moskovskij Komsomolets

Ukraine, Poland

Russian

The Polish authorities are trying to recruit local residents as crew for German Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine. Campaign material is placed in public places in Polish cities. "Defend native Polish lands. Become a tankman. Protect Poland in Ukraine," reads the call on posters hung in the Polish subway.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative presenting Poland as a state with alleged imperial ambitions and trying to undermine the Western support for Ukraine.The false narrative is based on a fabricated image, which uses the style of the real campaign Zostań Żołnierzem Rzeczypospolitej (“Become a soldier of the Polish republic”), which started in 2018. The advertisement for the Polish army is real but has nothing to do with the recruitment of volunteers as alleged. There is no such poster featuring a tank with an appeal to “defend native Polish lands” in Ukraine. These captions were added by editing the picture taken at a metro station in Warsaw, as explained by The Insider. The article also contains the recurring narratives that Poland will invade Ukraine as well as Ukraine does not exist, it is part of Russia. See more disinformation narratives on the Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Invasion of Ukraine

02.02.2023

Polish elites promote expansionist plans with the Three Seas Initiative

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-elites-promote-expansionist-plans-with-the-three-seas-initiative

Sputnik Poland

Poland, Ukraine, Russia

Polish

Poland has a painful history and equally painful ambitions, which show that a certain part of the Polish elites promotes expansionist plans, such as the Three Seas Initiative, with allusions to present-day Western Ukraine and Russophobia.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an alleged aggressive, imperialist and Russophobic Poland. In particular, this narrative presents organisations such as the Eastern Partnership and the Three Seas Initiative as anti-Russian “expansionist” projects. Disinformation claims about an imperialist Poland have adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants to create a puppet proxy state in Western Ukraine or annex these territories or that it is President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”. Poland, as well as the EU and the US, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity.The Three Seas Initiative is a forum of 12 countries from Central and Eastern Europe launched in 2015. Its main goal is to promote better connectivity among the Member States, with a particular focus on infrastructure and energy. The main projects discussed at the forums of the Three Seas Initiative are the Via Carpathia, Baltic-Adriatic Corridor, Via Baltica, Rail Baltica, and the LNG infrastructure in Poland and Croatia.Read the recent declaration of the Sixth Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, which took place in July 2021 in Sofia. More information about the Three Seas Initiative can be consulted here.See similar messages such as the Three Seas Initiative is a geopolitical concept designed to promote American interests, the aim of the Eastern Partnership is to separate Russia’s neighbours from it, and the Three Seas Initiative is a tool of American hegemony in post-Soviet areas surrounding Russia.

Sergei Lavrov, Russophobia, Anti-Russian, Encircling Russia, Ukrainian statehood, Ukrainian disintegration, Imperialism/colonialism

02.02.2023

Most Germans opposed the transfer of tanks to Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/most-germans-opposed-the-transfer-of-tanks-to-ukraine

Alt-Info

Germany, Ukraine

Georgian

According to a survey conducted in Germany, 94% of respondents were against the transfer of tanks to Ukraine, but due to pressure, Scholz was forced to take this step.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative intended to undermine support to Western weapons supplies to Ukraine, portraying widespread Western support as the result of US ploys, aiming to create breaches in the US-Europe cooperation in containing this Russian aggression, and promoting a long term pro-Kremlin narrative about Europe’s alleged lack of sovereignty and European and NATO countries as US vassals.According to polls conducted in January, the number of supporters slightly exceeded those against (46% and 43% respectively). Notably, the number of people in favour of the transfer of tanks has even increased after the decision was made, and amounted to 52% in favour of supplying Ukraine with Leopard tanks. Read the full debunk here.Several countries announced their intention to supply tanks to Ukraine on their own weeks before the US did, such as Poland or the United Kingdom. Although Germany was initially reluctant to send Leopard tanks, the strongest pressure to change its stance came from France and Poland. France, along with Canada, then joined the so-called “tank coalition” after Berlin and Washington finally coordinated to send their advanced tank models. Other countries who have agreed to join this effort are Norway, Finland, Spain and The Netherlands.Read similar disinformation claims alleging that Sending tanks to Ukraine faces strong criticism in the German government, that Tanks to be delivered to Ukraine under Washington’s pressure, that Insistence on Leopard tanks for Ukraine aims to prevent an independent German policy, that The USA weakens the EU’s military-industrial complex by passing Leopards to Ukraine, that The USA and NATO push the EU to war by supplying tanks to Ukraine, or that German tank deliveries to Ukraine are Berlin's neo-Nazi "14/88" salute.

Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, West, US presence in Europe, Sovereignty

02.02.2023

Kyiv oppresses Russian culture at West’s command

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-oppresses-russian-culture-at-wests-command

RIA

Ukraine, Russia, EU

Russian

With the encouragement of the West, the Ukrainian junta has long been oppressing those in Ukraine who want to be part of Russian culture.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media, claiming that Ukraine is a Russophobic country and that the alleged Nazi junta ruling there persecutes ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians. This claim was made to justify Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.In reality, Ukraine is not Russophobic and does not oppress or suppress those of its citizens who belong to Russian culture. Ethnic Russians, who comprise approximately 17 per cent of its overall population, enjoy the same rights as other Ukrainian citizens regardless of their ethnic origin. Articles 10 and 11 of the Constitution guarantee the free development of the languages and cultures of Ukraine’s ethnic minorities. Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations make it closer to European democratic values, which means that the West does not encourage any Russophobic sentiments in Ukraine. European values suppose respect for the rights of all citizens. Ukrainian law does not forbid the use of Russian nor any other languages in private communication and religious ceremonies, as well as in book publishing, the press, including radio and television, education and the service sector. Furthermore, Ukraine is a signatory to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which guarantees that people in Ukraine have the right: "to use freely and without interference his or her minority language, in private and in public, orally and in writing."Read more disinformation narratives about Ukraine allegedly perpetrating genocide against Russians and claiming that the West is fostering Russophobia.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Russophobia, Anti-Russian

01.02.2023

EU observers in Armenia are employees of Western intelligence services

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-observers-in-armenia-are-employees-of-western-intelligence-services

telegra.ph,tgstat.com

EU, Armenia, UK, US

Russian

EU observers sent to Armenia for two years are only called "observers". In reality, they are employees of Western intelligence services, whose "mission" is not to resolve the situation in the region, but to oust the Russian military from the country. EU monitors will actually serve the interests of the US and the UK, and their goal is to combat the Russian military presence in Armenia.The US is not interested in the future of the Karabakh Armenians or Armenia. As for Moscow's position in the ongoing Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Russia is clear that it is necessary to compromise.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the ever-aggressive West of having an anti-Russian agenda in the Caucasus without giving any evidence. The article advances the claim that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance and attempts to discredit the recently announced EU mission - EUMA.The claim attempts to preempt Russia's weakening position in the region.Contrary to the claim, the EU has a strong interest in a politically stable and economically prosperous Southern Caucasus, but the regional context is not easy. The EU continues to support efforts towards peace in the South Caucasus, including through the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. To cautiously create a base for confidence-building and dialogue in the fresh post-war environment, the EU has come up with a number of programmes (EU4Peace, EU4Dialogue, EU4Culture).The EU (European Council) agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The objective of the Mission is to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, building confidence on the ground, and ensure an environment conducive to normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.In response to Armenia’s request, EUMA will conduct routine patrolling and report on the situation, which will strengthen the EU’s understanding of the situation on the ground. The Mission will also contribute to the mediation efforts in the framework of the process led by President of the European Council Charles Michel. EUMA has a mandate for two years and will have a staff of 100. It has nothing to do with the US or UK special services.See similar disinfo cases in our database: Brussels wants to squeeze Russia out of the Caucasus; The EU and the OSCE are in the Caucasus to further drive a wedge in relations between the CSTO members; the West aims to oust Russia of Transcaucasia.

European Union, Anti-Russian, Caucasus, Intelligence services, Conspiracy theory

01.02.2023

US created components for biological weapons in labs in Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-created-components-for-biological-weapons-in-labs-in-ukraine

cz.sputniknews.com

Russia, US, Ukraine

Czech

There is a discrepancy in the US government claims about labs in Ukraine. Russian troops discovered more than 20 000 documents confirming the Pentagon’s focus on creating components for biological weapons and testing them on residents of Ukraine and other countries along the Russian border.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US producing biological weapons, this time in Ukraine. Shifting attention away from Russia's responsibility for its war on Ukraine. This narrative is promoted not only via media channels, but also in the context of Russia's membership of international organisations. Russia repeatedly claimed that the United States have a biological weapons programme in Ukrainian labs, the country even demanded the UN Security Council to investigate them. At a meeting on this topic in March 2022, Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, informed the Security Council saying that “the UN is not aware of any biological weapons programme being conducted in Ukraine”. Both the US and Ukraine have denied that any such programme would be operated.Ukraine does have a network of biological labs, even such financially supported from the US. But they are owned and operated by Ukraine and are part of an initiative called the Biological Threat Reduction Program. The Program aims to reduce the threat of outbreaks not just in Ukraine, but also in Eastern Europe and in the Caucuses. Its focus is not the development of biological weapons. The research was done in collaboration with neighbouring countries, as well as the World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health. Even Russian scientists visited these facilities prior to the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Similar assistance from the US was provided to Russia, also prior to the invasion of Crimea. Independent Russian scientists, who had access to the alleged “documents”, also said they do not provide any evidence of development of biological weapons.

Biological weapons, laboratory

01.02.2023

Americans inject Ukrainian soldiers with drugs and viruses for biological research

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/americans-inject-ukrainian-soldiers-with-drugs-and-viruses-for-biological-research

menkuwait.com,arabic.rt.com,kachaf.com

US, Ukraine

Arabic

The Americans give Ukrainian soldiers drugs until they became addicted, and then, under threat of imprisonment, sent them for biological research. In biological laboratories, they infect them with viruses, then watch how their bodies fight infection and produce antibodies.

The article provides no evidence for its claims and promotes a recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about biological weapons being secretly developed by the US in countries bordering Russia with the new twist of experiments being conducted on Ukrainian soldiers. This narrative is a leitmotif in a years-old disinformation campaign conducted by the Kremlin and is currently deployed in an attempt to justify Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.Some of the most bizarre and yet enduring Kremlin disinformation narratives have been those accusing the West of running clandestine biological research programmes to wreak havoc around the world. In reality, all laboratories located in Ukraine are controlled by the Ukrainian government. In August 2005, the US and Ukrainian governments made an agreement to prevent the spread of dangerous pathogens and relevant expertise and to diminish potential biological risks. Partially, this agreement was aimed at modernising state laboratories in Odesa, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and other regions, consisting of upgrading lab equipment and repairs of premises.The US Embassy in Ukraine previously addressed the claims about supposed bio-military labs in Ukraine, stating that this is a fabricated accusation in pro-Kremlin propaganda that aims to hinder the ongoing U.S.-Ukrainian partnership to reduce biological threats. The accusations are part of the Kremlin’s broader, long-lasting disinformation campaign to discredit the US in the eyes of Putin’s pro-Western neighbors such as Georgia and Ukraine.More cases concerning bio-military labs in Ukraine include: the US used Ukrainian solders in biological weapons experiments; the Pentagon aims to test biological weapons on people in Ukraine; new evidence of US military-biological activity in Ukraine; the US has biological military activity in dozens of countries; the US created COVID-19 and biological weapons in Ukraine.

Biological weapons, laboratory, Virus / bacteria threat, Drugs, War in Ukraine, Conspiracy theory, Invasion of Ukraine

01.02.2023

The war in Ukraine is a part of the US imperial World war

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-war-in-ukraine-is-a-part-of-the-us-imperial-world-war

Laivaslaikrastis.lt

US, Russia, Ukraine

Lithuanian

The war in Ukraine is a part of the World war where the US empire is trying to maintain global influence. NATO will lose this war because its strategy is failing.

The claim is aimed to represent the US as a perpetrator of the war in Ukraine and undermines NATO as a puppet of Washington.It is Russia that started an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. Despite this, Russian officials have accused NATO of threats and hostile actions without evidence. NATO is a defensive alliance with the primary aims of maintaining peace and safeguarding its members' independence, security and territorial integrity. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.NATO member countries don’t follow US orders but have their own agency, as proven by multiple episodes of disagreements inside the alliance, such as the refusal of Germany, France and other countries to let it take part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 against US wishes or, more recently, Hungary and Turkey’s obstruction for Sweden and Finland to join the block.See other similar examples of disinformation: The madmen of EU and NATO are planning a World war; Ukraine is forced to fight on behalf of NATO; NATO is Washington’s territorial expansion mechanism.

NATO, Puppets, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, WWIII, Imperialism/colonialism

31.01.2023

The US used Ukrainian solders in biological weapons experiments

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-used-ukrainian-solders-in-biological-weapons-experiments

oroszhirek.hu

Ukraine, US, Russia

Hungarian

Ukrainian soldiers have also been targeted by US experiments with HIV infection in Ukraine. The Pentagon's aim was to create biological weapon components and test them on the populations of Ukraine and other states neighbouring Russia. The target groups include not only convicted prisoners or drug addicts, but also the members of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US and biological weapons. Consistent with the Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign against biological laboratories in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia and other countries.The disinformation about US controlled or funded bio labs aiming to encircle Moscow and spread infectious diseases is a part of a years-long disinformation campaign led by the Kremlin. The article does not present any evidence that supports the claim that the US is developing biological weapons in laboratories around Ukraine, and the narrative is distorting reality.In fact, biological laboratories are involved in preventing the risks of complex diseases and, together with other similar projects, counteracting bioterrorism. So it is true that a cooperation agreement was signed in 2005 between the US Department of Defense and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, but the aim was to deal with pathogens left over from biological warfare research under the Soviet regime. These laboratories are staffed by Ukrainian researchers working under Ukrainian authority, but with US support, among others. In any case, the labs are not secret, their researchers publish regularly and are open to the international scientific community and their operation and funding is in accordance with international law. There is no proof that these labs are using human experiments.This narrative is part of a larger-scale disinformation campaign. See more similar cases: NATO’s biological experiments in US-controlled labs are a danger for Russia; The US is developing biological weapons in bio laboratories near the Russian border; Pentagon develops ethnic biological weapons in the US biolabs in post-soviet republics, US biolabs have been developing new biological weapons in Ukraine; US bio labs in Ukraine and Georgia conduct dangerous and non-transparent research; Russia suspects the US of developing biological weapons in secret laboratories around the World.

Biological weapons, Invasion of Ukraine, Military

31.01.2023

Ukraine was sold off to foreign investors

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-was-sold-off-to-foreign-investors

oroszhirek.hu

Ukraine

Hungarian

Ukraine has already been sold off to foreign investors who are extending the rule of a select financial elite that has already succeeded in colonising almost the entire world. Today, the transformation of the world, the dictatorship of a select financial circle, has become a bloody reality.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine and Ukrainian statehood, which is often claimed to be under external control from the US, NATO, the EU, or the IMF. This narrative is a part of wider conspiracy theory about economic elites secretly ruling the world "from behind the curtains”. It adheres to frequent propagandistic pro-Kremlin narratives about lost sovereignty and some kind of superior government led by powerful financial elites who control the world's political agenda.There is no basis for this accusation. Ukraine is a sovereign state, one of the founding members of the United Nations. Neither the US nor the EU countries control Ukraine. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the free world but were violated by Russia in 2014.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.

Ukrainian statehood, Conspiracy theory, Imperialism/colonialism, Dictatorship

31.01.2023

Washington's mission is to limit the growth of its European and Asian partners

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/washingtons-mission-is-to-limit-the-growth-of-its-european-and-asian-partners

nabd.com,arabic.rt.com

US, Europe

Arabic

Washington's mission is to limit the economic growth of its partners and force them to submit to its control. The United States intends to eliminate the strategic independence of the European Union and of its partners and allies in Asia.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US presence in Europe, portraying Europe as a vassal of the USA and trying to undermine the sovereignty of European countries.This claim perpetuates the pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US.The European Union is a sovereign entity, created by the voluntary initiative of European nations, and it has its own, independent foreign policy. Its citizens are directly represented in the European Parliament and Member States are represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU. The United States of America is not part of these institutions. The US had no role in the creation of the EU and has no say in its decisions.In fact, the EU Member States are sovereign countries and make sovereign decisions about their own security and policies. The US is an important ally to the EU but EU policy is not determined by the US.Similar disinformation narratives claim that NATO is a new type of US colonialism, that European élites obey Washington, that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, and that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions.

US presence in Europe, Sovereignty, Europe, European Union

31.01.2023

US behind resignations of senior Ukrainian officials

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-behind-resignations-of-senior-ukrainian-officials

bgr.news-front.info

Ukraine

Bulgarian

The resignation of senior government officials in Ukraine is only an attempt by Zelenskyy to show the West that he is fighting corruption. The dismissal of such personnel is at the behest of the US, thus strengthening its influence in Ukraine even more. The dismissals were made at the request of the Western partners themselves - they would not want the newly arrived battle tanks to be sold off like other types of weapons previously supplied by the West.

Recurrent combination of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives personally targeting the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy by implying that military aid goes to corrupt officials, instead of funding defense efforts, and may cease soon in any case. Furthermore, the article asserts that Ukraine is a US "tool" against Russia. These claims aim to deflect any Russian responsibility for Russia’s unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Concerns about potential corruption among Ukrainian officials in the reception of international military aid are legitimate and have been expressed by leading politicians, including EU officials. However, no high-profile cases of corruption involving donated military equipment have been brought up and there is no evidence to suggest that weapons are ending up on the black market. The insinuation that military equipment is sold by Kyiv’s officials for personal profit is unsubstantiated and aims to undermine international support for Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.CIA director William Burns traveled to Kyiv to hold a meeting with Zelenskyy in mid-January 2023. He also met with Ukrainian officials to discuss deeper US support and intelligence sharing. Burns acknowledged that “at some point, assistance would be harder to come by” due to US internal politics, not due to a lack of trust from the West towards Ukraine. US officials stated that the visit "reinforced US continued cooperation with Kyiv", and indeed, within days, the US announced a fresh package of 2.5 billion dollars in security aid for Ukraine.The international community recognizes Ukraine as a sovereign state, with a democratically-elected president and parliament, exercising the Ukrainian nation’s right to self-determination within its existing boundaries. The claim that Ukraine is just a tool utilized by the West to wage a proxy war against Russia is unsubstantiated. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty recently have only been violated due to systematic acts of aggression by the Kremlin’s military since 2014, peaking with a full-blown military invasion of Ukraine initiated on 24 February 2022.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Germany does not provide Leopard tanks to oppose American colonisation of Europe, The conflict in Ukraine is a Western proxy war against Russia and International support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption.

Corruption, Invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine

31.01.2023

Westerns tank given to Ukraine could deliver nuclear warheads

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/westerns-tank-given-to-ukraine-could-deliver-nuclear-warheads

oroszhirek.hu

Ukraine, Germany

Hungarian

Leopard tanks are capable of transporting and delivering guns containing dirty bombs and nuclear warheads. The "second Cuban Missile Crisis" is maturing.

New pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, capitalising on fear of nuclear material and trying to accuse the West of providing weapons to Ukraine with the capability of nuclear strike. The Russian disinformation campaign aims to discredit the German and American tanks about to be transferred to Ukraine.German-made Leopard 2 tanks are neither using depleted uranium shells or armor. Even in case these rounds would be used in Ukraine, these are not nuclear weapons or dirty bombs as the article claims, and the health effects would be minimal, as these are armor-piercing rounds, using a more dense material designed to better penetrate main battle tanks by higher kinetic impact. The radioactivity of depleted uranium is negligible. Under international agreements, munitions containing this isotope are considered neither nuclear nor chemical weapons. See here for further debunking by The Insider (in Russian).The claim made by Russia about Ukraine’s plans to acquire or detonate a nuclear artifact have been made multiple times, but it had not been backed by any evidence, and some of them have been positively proven as false. Under the Budapest memorandum in 1994, Ukraine promised to remove all Soviet-era nuclear weapons from its territory, send them to disarmament facilities in Russia, and sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Ukraine kept these promises. In return, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States promised that none of them would ever threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine. They specifically pledged they would refrain from making each other's territory the object of military occupation or engage in other uses of force in violation of international law.Previously Western leaders have rejected Russia's 'dirty bomb' claim, and EU High Representative Josep Borrell dismissed the allegations as false. In addition, diplomats from France, Britain and the United States called Russia’s allegation a pretext that Moscow has developed for escalating the war. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine is going to use a dirty bomb to accuse Russia of using tactical nuclear weapons, that Ukraine asked NATO for preemptive nuclear strikes against Russia, that Ukraine wanted to acquire nuclear weapons because of American pressure, or that Zelenskyy is pushing the world towards a nuclear war.

Nuclear issues, West, Invasion of Ukraine

31.01.2023

The West knows that Ukraine will inevitably lose the war

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-knows-that-ukraine-will-inevitably-lose-the-war

bgr.news-front.info

Ukraine, US

Bulgarian

No NATO member believes that Ukraine can win the conflict. Western countries have deliberately decided to extend the supply of NATO equipment to Ukraine in order to mimic real support for the authorities in Kyiv. NATO and their allies are extremely divided and there are countries that directly say they are not intervening in the conflict. Some countries only pretend to be involved, providing equipment that will not work. Deliveries will be made in stages according to a set schedule. Thus, the promised weapons will never be delivered in full and the Ukrainian military will not receive proper training for their deployment.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative aiming to misrepresent and fuel resentment against Western support to Ukraine and force a capitulation to Russian military aggression. Designed to diminish the fighting spirit of Ukraine’s armed forces, the article promotes the false claim that high-ranking officials in western capitals consider Ukraine’s defeat in the ongoing war inevitable. In fact, by the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had liberated about 40% of the territory that Russia occupied following the February 2022 full-scale invasion.The claim that Western countries are deliberately supplying equipment piecemeal and only for political clout is baseless. According to US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, the US’ commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity “is ironclad.” The Biden Administration has committed more than $27 billion in security assistance since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24, 2022.Most NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to help Ukraine in its self-defense efforts, as enshrined in the UN Charter Article 51. In order to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression, Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Additionally, the EU made the decision to provide 18 billion euros to Ukraine in 2023 to help run the country while it defends itself against Russia. The money will be used to support the economy of Ukraine.In the latest developments, a coalition was formed in January 2023 to provide Kyiv with German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks, and on 20 January Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed Ukrainian troops would get the necessary tank training in Poland. This will happen at a training center equipped with simulators where 14 crews of four personnel each can undergo instruction simultaneously.Training on the vaunted modern battlefield tank used by many NATO member countries in Europe has previously taken about 10 weeks. However, according to Major Maciej Banaszynski, Poland's Leopard training center commander, an entire crew could be trained in five weeks, if the number of instructors and exercise time are maximized.Read also: Ukraine’s defeat is coming and is widely acknowledged in the West and Kyiv alike, Ukraine has no chance of survival if it tries to fight Russia and Westerns tank given to Ukraine could deliver nuclear warheads.

Invasion of Ukraine, NATO

31.01.2023

Before 23 February 2022 there were no Russian troop on Ukrainian territory

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/before-23-february-2022-there-were-no-russian-troop-on-ukrainian-territory

Sputnik on Twitter,fr.sputniknews.africa,sputniknews.lat,RIA,RIA,Ukraina.ru

Russia, Ukraine

French, Spanish, Russian

Before the start of the special operation, Russia did not offer military assistance to the Donbass. But Moscow noticed the militarisation of Ukraine and the mood for a forceful solution to the conflict.

Recurrent Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russian military actions in Ukraine.Since 2014 Russian military personnel is illegally present on the Ukrainian territory although their presence is frequently denied. A word even appeared in popular Russian language: Ikhtamnet meaning ” the ones that (officially) are not there”.The armed separatists in the Donbas were assisted, trained and supplied by regular Russian army units since 2014. The size of the units in Donbas and their military activities was of such magnitude that constant supply with fuel, ammunition, repair and maintenance could only supplied via the Russian army. Russian officers de facto ran the units even if they were called Donbas-units. It is just the same way as Russia and Putin initially denied in February -March 2014 having invaded the Crimea peninsula only later to acknowledge, boasting, about their actions. President Putin himself admitted to the presence of Russian “people there, who deal with certain matters, including in the military area” [i.e. soldiers] in December 2015 , and again in October 2016. He even awarded Russian soldiers who fought in Donbas and Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoygu awarded a Russian soldier for fighting near Debaltseve .Read also related claims : There is no evidence of Russian involvement in the war in Donbas, There were no and are no Russian troops in Donbas, There are no Russian troops in Ukraine, There are no Russian troops in Donbass; but if there..., There are no Russian troops in Ukraine and they have..., There are no Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine,..., There are no Russian troops in Ukraine, There are no Russian troops in Ukraine.

Donbas, Military, Invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine

30.01.2023

The UK plans to provoke mass protests in the EU and send troops to restore order

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-uk-plans-to-provoke-mass-protests-in-the-eu-and-send-troops-to-restore-order

sputnik.by

UK, EU

Russian

The eurozone will cease to exist because the UK eyes the creation of its own currency zone and to do so it needs to disintegrate the EU. The UK’s plan is the following: to involve the EU in assistance to Ukraine as much as possible, to burn EU’s military resources, to provoke mass protests in Europe, and send its troops to restore order.

Conspiracy theory which aims to sow discord in the UK-EU relations and discredit EU’s assistance to Ukraine. Such assistance is presented as contradicting the EU's interests and as a destabilising factor leading to an alleged UK military intervention. While pro-Kremlin outlets regularly speak about an upcoming EU collapse, the claim about the UK's vicious plan of military intervention is a rather unusual modification of the EU disintegration disinformation narrative.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.The UK and all 27 EU countries decisively condemned the unprovoked and brutal Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to Russia’s military aggression, the EU has massively expanded sanctions against Russia by adding a significant number of persons and entities to the sanctions list and by adopting unprecedented restrictive measures. The EU and the Member States have shown unity and strength and have provided Ukraine with humanitarian, political, financial and military support. Ukraine receives constant military and economic support under the motto, ‘As long as it takes’. Overall EU support now exceeds 67 billion euro. Ukraine received EU candidate status in June 2022. Read an overview of the main Ukraine-related promises, predictions and claims by the Russian leadership which went entirely wrong.See earlier disinformation cases in our database: many European states will likely cease to exist as a result of Covid-19 pandemic; the EU will split in half within five years; the EU to fall apart in 20-30 years, Poland and Hungary are likely to leave the EU, the Western democracy is in crisis.

Conspiracy theory, EU disintegration, War in Ukraine

30.01.2023

Ukrainians want peace with Russia, but the 'war party' controlled by NATO is against it

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainians-want-peace-with-russia-but-the-war-party-controlled-by-nato-is-against-it

tass.ru

Ukraine

Russian

Peace in Ukraine and a 'peace party' in Ukraine are virtually impossible. Those who talk about peace are subjected to repression, SBU arrests them and puts in the basements [for interrogation].The vast majority of Ukrainians are looking for changes. But until there is a military defeat of NATO in Ukraine, it is very difficult to say that it will be safe for people to express their position for peace in Ukraine.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Ukraine does not seek a peaceful solution mixed with claims that Ukraine is externally controlled. Neither the citizens of Ukraine nor the government of Ukraine wanted this war. Russia had been preparing for this war in 2021, moving its equipment and military personnel to the Ukrainian border. On February 24 2022, the Russian army crossed the borders of Ukraine violating its territorial integrity yet again in a full-scale invasion. It was Vladimir Putin's decision. The Kremlin has accompanied its military invasion by a PR-campaign where de facto demands for Ukraine's capitulation and surrender are branded as "peace proposals". See our article reviewing 2021-2022 developments here. In December 2022, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a 10-point peace plan but Russia rejected it. The plan called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and the cessation of hostilities, restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, global food security, radiation safety, etc. Ukrainians overwhelmingly support the decisions of the Ukrainian government. Most of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine must restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also support NATO and EU integration. More than 95% of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will achieve victory. Ukraine is not controlled by NATO. Ukraine is a sovereign state whose territorial integrity is violated by Russia. Some NATO member states provide Ukraine with military and financial assistance to help Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s attack. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Ukraine has become a private military company of NATO, that Ukraine is forced to fight on behalf of NATO, that the West is using Ukrainians to fight against Russia, or that Europe doesn’t support peace negotiations in Ukraine because of US pressure.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

30.01.2023

Ukraine provoking conflicts in the Middle East could start Word War 3

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-provoking-conflicts-in-the-middle-east-could-start-word-war-3

novorosinform.org

Ukraine, Middle East

Russian

Ukraine is provoking conflict in the Middle East. Ukraine is interested in a large-scale armed conflict in the Middle East, which would involve Iran, Israel, and possibly some other countries. It could spark World War 3 which would be in Ukraine's interests.

A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging warmongering by Ukraine. This claim is unfounded. Ukraine does not encourage wars either in the Middle East or elsewhere. Ukraine supports the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The country has never provoked or called for a war. On the contrary, Russia has a history of provoking war. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has attacked or at least engaged in military aggression against its neighbours. The most recent targets of their military activity were Syria in 2015, Ukraine in 2014, Georgia in 2008. It has been directly involved into a Syrian civil war since 2015. Further, Russia is engaged in several so-called frozen conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Armenia/Azerbaijan. Radio Free Europe has counted at least 7 post-soviet wars.Read more similar disinformation cases claiming that Russia has never attacked anyone, that Brussels is prolonging war and suffering, that the West is responsible for what happens after the Donbas referendums, or that Ukrainians want Russian blood.

War in Ukraine, Ukraine, Conspiracy theory, Syrian War

30.01.2023

Polish and Baltics' Russophobia may lead to breaking diplomatic relations with Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-and-baltics-russophobia-may-lead-to-breaking-diplomatic-relations-with-russia

Poland, Russia, Baltic states

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Russia, Baltic states

It cannot be ruled out that Poland and the Baltic states will decide to cut diplomatic relations with Russia because of their anti-Russian rhetoric - Moscow does not want to break off relations with these countries. For a long time, there has been a crazy Russophobic campaign taking place in Poland and the Baltic states – these countries want to be the executors of all anti-Russian ideas of the West. In recent years, bilateral relations with these countries have catastrophically degraded and the Russian cooperation with them reduced practically to zero. If these states, driven by an anti-Russian frenzy, decide to break off all contacts with Russia, the responsibility for this step and its consequences will fall entirely on the leaders of these countries.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobia in the Baltic states and Poland.The Baltic states and Poland have clear security concerns linked to Russia. The source of concern is Russia’s aggression toward neighbour countries and how it affected the security situation in the region in general. The position of Poland and the Baltic states on Russia is driven by the objective perception of aggressive Russian actions.The 2020 National Security Strategy of Poland states that the most serious security threat for this country is the neo-imperial policy of the authorities of the Russian Federation, pursued by means of military force (aggression against Georgia, illegal annexation of Crimea and military actions in eastern Ukraine).The National Security Strategy 2017 of Lithuania notes:“Capacity of the Russian Federation to use military and economic, energy, information and other non-military measures in combination against the neighbouring countries [...] is a challenge to the security of the Republic of Lithuania and the whole Euro-Atlantic community.”The National Security Concepts of Latvia and Estonia follow a similar line, with the latter stressing that European security is affected by Russia’s increased military activity and aggressive behaviour.Read our past analysis about Russophobia in the Baltic states and elsewhere The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelings and see similar examples of disinformation alleging that Poland and the US are promoting Russophobic hysteria or that Political establishment in the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine are driven by Russophobia.

30.01.2023

Insistence on Leopard tanks for Ukraine aims to prevent an independent German policy

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/insistence-on-leopard-tanks-for-ukraine-aims-to-prevent-an-independent-german-policy

sputniknews.lat

Ukraine, US, Germany

Spanish

Constantly feeding weapons to the Ukrainian side makes combats heavier, risks expanding tensions throughout the region, and prolongs the conflict. This prolongation causes growing discontent in Europe, which intensifies the fractures between the US and European countries. The policy of supplying weapons to Ukraine initially chased by the West, which thought could break Russia this way, hasn’t succeeded. There are French and British tanks, but the insistence in specifically supplying German tanks may be related to the wish to prevent Germany from following a more independent policy. Those regular deliveries obstruct the transition to a negotiation process, and in case Leopard tanks are sent to Ukraine, those perspectives will be even more remote.

This disinformation story is a direct reaction to the announcement that some Western countries, including Germany, will send tanks to Ukraine to help it to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its peaceful neighbour. By claiming that these deliveries “obstruct a negotiation process”, “prolong the conflict” and “didn’t succeed”, this disinformation narrative looks to portray this aid as useless and counterproductive, hoping to undermine support for Ukraine among Western populations. The allegation that “the insistence on Leopard tanks” wants to “prevent Germany from following a more independent policy” abounds on a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Europe’s lack of sovereignty, aiming to create breaches in the US-Europe cooperation in containing this aggression.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Europe doesn’t support peace negotiations in Ukraine because of US pressure, that Europe is happy with being cannon fodder for the US, that the US is prolonging war in Ukraine to benefit from weapons sales, or that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering.

US presence in Europe, Sovereignty, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Diplomacy with Russia

30.01.2023

Russia never spurned dialogue, while West ignored its interests

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-never-spurned-dialogue-while-west-ignored-its-interests

tass.ru

Russia, Ukraine, EU, Belarus

Russian

Moscow never refused equal dialogue with Europe. The European Union and the United States have lost the culture of diplomacy and negotiations in an attempt to impose (their will) and get unilateral benefits, regardless of the interests of the other side.

Recurring disinformation narrative accusing the West of aggravating bilateral relations with Russia. This claim was made in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.Moscow has done very little – if anything at all – to improve its deteriorating relations with the West since 2014, when Russia occupied the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and instigated a separatist revolt in some areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. In late 2021, Russia demanded security guarantees from NATO. Western nations were ready to work on addressing these concerns in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Even the European Union’s attitude towards Russia adopted in June 2021 – push back on Russia's claims, constrain, engage – was providing space for involving Russia in the political process. Instead, Russia put forth unacceptable demands such as withdrawal of NATO forces to positions they occupied in 1997 before accepting former Soviet republics and former socialist countries. Instead of conducting a meaningful dialogue, Russia chose to fully invade Ukraine.After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO was trying to find common ground and establish good relations with post-Communist Russia. The alliance and Russia signed the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation in 1997, in which the two sides pledged to establish relations of mutual respect. One of the provisions of the Founding Act read: “NATO and Russia do not consider each other as adversaries.” As Russia kept conducting its aggressive policy, violating international law and generally behaving in an improper way, the West had to resort to restrictive measures and NATO leaders adopted a new strategic blueprint labelling Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.”Read more disinformation narratives accusing NATO and the West deteriorating relations with Russia.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, NATO, Russian expansionism

30.01.2023

The Pentagon aims to test biological weapons on people in Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-pentagon-aims-to-test-biological-weapons-on-people-in-ukraine

Rubaltic.ru,tass.ru,Ritm Evrazii,Rubaltic.ru,Sputnik Armenia

Ukraine, Russia, US

Russian

During the special military operation, Russian servicemen received more than 20,000 documents and reference and analytical materials and interviewed eyewitnesses and participants in American military biological programmes.These materials confirm the Pentagon's focus on creating biological weapon components and testing them on the population of Ukraine and other states along the perimeter of (Russia's) borders.

The article promotes a recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about biological weapons being secretly developed by the US in countries bordering Russia. This narrative is a leitmotif in a years-old disinformation campaign conducted by the Kremlin and is currently deployed in an attempt to justify Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.Some of the most bizarre and yet enduring Kremlin disinformation narratives have been those accusing the West of running clandestine biological research programmes to wreak havoc around the world. In reality, all laboratories located in Ukraine are controlled by the Ukrainian government. In August 2005, the US and Ukrainian governments made an agreement to prevent the spread of dangerous pathogens and relevant expertise and to diminish potential biological risks. Partially, this agreement was aimed at modernising state laboratories in Odesa, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and other regions, consisting of upgrading lab equipment and repairs of premises.The US Embassy in Ukraine previously addressed the claims about supposed bio-military labs in Ukraine, stating that this is a fabricated accusation in pro-Kremlin propaganda that aims to hinder the ongoing U.S.-Ukrainian partnership to reduce biological threats. The accusations are part of the Kremlin’s broader, long-lasting disinformation campaign to discredit the US in the eyes of Putin’s pro-Western neighbors such as Georgia and Ukraine.More cases concerning bio-military labs in Ukraine include: new evidence of US military-biological activity in Ukraine; the US has biological military activity in dozens of countries; the US created COVID-19 and biological weapons in Ukraine.

Biological weapons, laboratory, Lugar Laboratory, Conspiracy theory

30.01.2023

NATO deliberately worsens the situation in Kosovo to blackmail Serbia, as it did with the Maidan in Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-deliberately-worsens-the-situation-in-kosovo-to-blackmail-serbia-as-it-did-with-the-maidan-in-ukraine

actualidad-rt.com

Kosovo, Serbia, US, EU, Ukraine, UK

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Kosovo, Serbia, US, EU, Ukraine, UK

NATO is deliberately worsening the situation in Kosovo to blackmail Serbia. The West, through NATO countries, is trying to exacerbate a conflict between Pristina and Belgrade to benefit from the situation, promoting chaos in the same way as before the Maidan Square coup. This alert could be artificially fabricated by NATO countries for Serbia to change its political line towards what the West expects.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO, Kosovo and the Maidan square protests in 2013 and 2014 as a coup. The claims are not backed up with evidence, baselessly blaming NATO, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse tensions. NATO didn’t play any role in increasing those tensions. In fact, both Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vuciv and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti requested some action from NATO to play some role to address the current crisis.On the other hand, Russian officials, media and Telegram channels have been trying for a long time to inflame tensions around Kosovo and the Western Balkans. On 15 November 2022, Russia launched its new online channel RT Balkan in Serbian language, which RT head Margarita Simonyan presented with the words: “Because Serbia is Kosovo”. According to a recent report by the European Council on Foreign Relations, "[the Russian media's] aim is mainly to attack the legitimacy of Kosovo’s statehood, but also to fuel ethnic tensions by portraying the Serb community in Kosovo as victims of an abusive central government.”Pro-Kremlin outlets frequently portray the 2014 Maidan square popular protests as a foreign-backed, a crucial part of its years-long disinformation campaign against Ukraine which culminated in its 2022 invasion of the country. Repeating previous baseless allegations as established facts while introducing minor variations, as in this case, is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that having NATO in Kosovo is a risk for the population as the West is expert in creating conflict, that the EU wants to expand its imperialism in the Balkans, that the West has promoted separatism in Yugoslavia, that Pristina is entirely responsible for the tension in Northern Kosovo, or that the West showed double standards with its treatment of Kosovo and Crimea.

30.01.2023

The US is supplying weapons to Haitian gangs

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-is-supplying-weapons-to-haitian-gangs

actualidad-rt.com

Haiti, US

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Haiti, US

Haiti may leave its crisis behind if the US ceases to supply weapons to local gangs. The US must stop the flow of weapons and ammunitions that go to the bandits. Haiti doesn’t make weapons or ammunition, and it is confirmed that they come essentially from the US.

This disinformation story deliberately distorts the context and even the words of the expert interviewed by RT Spanish, in order to imply that the US government is somehow willingly contributing to armed violence in Haiti. Although it is true that many of the weapons used by armed gangs in Haiti are manufactured in the United States, something that US officials themselves acknowledge, have warned about, and are combatting, those arms are smuggled through US-based Haitian criminal networks, a dynamic that has already been in place for some years. In contrast, the use in this disinformation story of the term “supply” -which the expert doesn’t utter- implies that US authorities are somehow involved in this illicit trafficking. This goes in line with another disinformation narrative previously expressed by pro-Kremlin outlets in Spanish language, in which the West would be promoting “controlled chaos” in Haiti to justify an international intervention.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US and Colombia “help” to investigate the murder of Haiti’s president only to hide their own involvement, that Victoria Nuland may be preparing a Ukrainian-style coup in Central America, that protests in Cuba are not genuine but provoked by the US, or that the US and the EU are carrying out a destabilisation campaign in Latin America.

29.01.2023

Ukraine turns nuclear power plants into military facilities

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-turns-nuclear-power-plants-into-military-facilities

yapolitic.ru

Ukraine, Russia

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia

Nuclear power plants in the government-controlled territories in Ukraine are being turned into military facilities where HIMARS, Olkha, Grad and other missile systems are stored. These are warehouses with ammunition and military equipment. Dozens of ammunition depots have been destroyed in the Zaporizhzhya Oblast, and Ukrainian authorities realised that military equipment could be safely hidden only at nuclear power plants. The Zelensky regime is engaged in nuclear terrorism, while the International Agency for Atomic Energy is keeping silent about it.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Kyiv of using nuclear power plants as a shield for launching attacks. This claim was made in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.In reality, it is Russia which deployed artillery systems, rocket launchers, tanks and personnel carriers at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, turning it into a military base. Russian troops did it purposefully to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack. Russia also rejected calls from the UN for a demilitarised zone around the plant. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has warned about the risk of Russia's militarisation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. A video shared by Russian opposition outlet The Insider has shown that Russian military vehicles move in and around the plant, some of them (including armoured vehicles) moved into the building containing the first of the plant’s six nuclear reactors.Russia also regularly shells the power station. It has been widely accused of using the power plant as a shield for launching attacks, which might cause a nuclear catastrophe affecting Ukraine and the whole of Europe. Such activities violate the Geneva Convention, which states that particular care must be taken if "installations containing dangerous forces" are located near the fighting.Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi said he was "extremely concerned" by reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is Europe's biggest. EU HRVP Josep Borrell condemned Russia’s military activities there and labelled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms.Read more disinformation cases accusing Ukraine of subversive activities at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

29.01.2023

Ukraine violates the laws of war, stores weapons in nuclear plants

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-violates-the-laws-of-war-stores-weapons-in-nuclear-plants

nabd.com,kachaf.com,arabic.rt.com

Ukraine, Russia

Arabic

Over the course of 11 months, the special military operation has demonstrated that Ukraine willfully ignores and violates the laws of war. From the first days, Ukrainian forces have been sheltering with the civilian population, deploying tanks and artillery in residential areas. In the Zaporizhzhia region, the Donetsk Republic and Luhansk, they are drawing in more lethal weapons [...] and they deliberately store them on the territory of nuclear power plants. [...] any accident at a nuclear power plant would give Kyiv a reason to accuse Russia of being the "nuclear threat to Europe". This is because the task of Ukraine is to drag NATO into a direct confrontation with Russia by means of such provocative actions.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine of war crimes, including of using civilians as human shields. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and tries to shift blame for civilian casualties to Ukrainian forces. This claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.Contrary to the claims, Ukrainian troops do not use civilians as human shields. It is Russia’s invading forces who install their positions in densely populated places. Russian troops are heavily shelling and bombing residential areas, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other civilian objects.As for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, this is part of a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about the nuclear plant, trying to lay the blame on Ukraine for the dangerous situation around this facility and thus deflect any Russian responsibility. In fact, Russia has adopted many reckless actions regarding this facility, including placing military equipment and troops inside its premises, using its surroundings as a base for rocket and missile attacks, and interrupting its power line. Besides, Russia rejected UN proposals to demilitarize the areas surrounding the plant, as it was deliberately waging a fear campaign about the risks of a nuclear disaster in order to advance its goals in Ukraine.See similar disinformation claims that: Ukrainian nationalists don't let civilians evacuate and use them as human shields; Ukraine plans to set up camps to use civilians as human shields; IAEA experts confirmed that Zaporizhzhia plant is under Ukrainian attacks; The US marks the targets for Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporizhzhia plant.

NATO, war crimes, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, International Law

28.01.2023

The USA weakens the EU’s military-industrial complex by passing Leopards to Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-usa-weakens-the-eus-military-industrial-complex-by-passing-leopards-to-ukraine

Germany, Ukraine, US, EU

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Germany, Ukraine, US, EU

Washington wants to weaken the German military-industrial complex by sending German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. The USA also want to prevent Europe from ensuring its own security without NATO. Washington assumes that the weakening of the EU military capabilities would remove the “temptation” of the European politicians to solve their own security problems.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the Europe, the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.On January 25, 2023 the German authorities announced their decision to pass 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Before, Berlin announced that it would not block the supply of these tanks to Ukraine by other NATO countries (such as Poland and others).The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.In terms of the alleged American “colonisation” or subordination of Europe, the European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations, and it has its own independent foreign policy. Its citizens are directly represented in the European Parliament and Member States are represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU. Although the United States is not part of these institutions and has no say in its decisions, the US is an important long-term ally to the EU.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions, that Europe is a colony of the United States, that When the US orders, the EU complies.

27.01.2023

Polish authorities are planning to attack Kaliningrad and Moscow

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-authorities-are-planning-to-attack-kaliningrad-and-moscow

sputnik.by

Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia

Russian

Poland is an example of the most ambitious revanchism case. Under some conditions, Poland will not limit itself to claims over western Ukraine but will also eye Belarusian territories. Duda, Morawiecki and Kaczynski are using the Polish population to implement their sacred project of a new Rzeczpospolita. An attack against “eastern frontiers” and Moscow is planned. Kaliningrad will be captured first. These plans are hidden in the so-called military drills that Poland has scheduled for March.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, presenting Poland as a state with aggressive plans towards its neighbours aiming to blur and deflect attention away from the reality of Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries.Amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, claims about Poland's military intentions are frequently bandied about by pro-Kremlin media. This message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants either to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or the annexation of these territories or that it is actually President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”. This time, the disinformation takes a new angle, with Poland allegedly having Kaliningrad and Moscow in its sights.Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belong to them, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine is a Western colony belonging to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia, that Poland will try to gain full military control in Ukrainian territories under the guise of protecting the Polish population from Russia, that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Imperialism/colonialism, Anti-Russian, Andrzej Duda, Military, Military exercise

27.01.2023

The world has forgotten about the Holocaust

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-world-has-forgotten-about-the-holocaust

Sputnik Poland

Ukraine, Baltic states, EU, US

Polish

Unfortunately, today, the world has forgotten the lessons of the Holocaust. In Ukraine, Nazi ideas are being propagated, while the Baltic states glorify the accomplices of Nazis and desecrate historical remembrance. There is a growing wave of anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States.

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative attempting to link the Baltic countries, Ukraine and the EU with Nazism, Fascism and anti-Semitism. To mobilise domestic Russian audiences, the pro-Kremlin media repeatedly inovokes WW2 imagery and attempts to portray the West as anti-Semitic and neo-fascist. See our recent article Anti-Semitism and pro-Kremlin disinformation. Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 took place on January 27th. Far from being forgotten, survivors and world leaders marked Holocaust Memorial Day with remembrance services and events as can be seen here.The disinformation claim that Ukraine is a Nazi state is a cornerstone of Kremlin propaganda since 2014, see here, and has already been broadly addressed by EUvsDisinfo.Learn more about the reasons behind Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".Read more “Nazi”-related disinformation cases here as well as similar cases such as Modern Lithuanian identity and history are based on anti-Semitism, anti-Sovietism and Russophobia; Poland, Baltic states and Ukraine are Russophobic and anti-Semitic;

Holocaust, WWII, Nazi/Fascist, Historical revisionism

27.01.2023

US behind 2014 Ukrainian Nazi coup d'état which led to a bloody civil war

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-behind-2014-ukrainian-nazi-coup-detat-which-led-to-a-bloody-civil-war

lantidiplomatico.it

Russia, Ukraine, US

Italian

The Ukrainian crisis began in 2014 when there was a coup d'état in Kyiv organised by the United States and the Ukrainian ultranationalist and Nazi far-right, which intended to bring the country into NATO and anti-Russian circles. Russian-inhabited regions in the south and east rebelled and were attacked by right-wing Ukrainian militias, starting a bloody civil war. At first the Russians were very cautious and sought an agreement that seemed to have been reached with the mediation of Chancellor Merkel in Minsk. These agreements, which provided for autonomy for the eastern regions although within the Ukrainian state, were never respected by the government in Kyiv.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv portrayed as a coup d'état led by US and Ukrainian Nazis, about the civil war in Ukraine claiming that Ukraine refused to implement the Minsk agreements and attacked the so-called republics.There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014, no US involvement in the events taking place. Pro-Kremlin outlets falsely portray as a coup d’état the Euromaidan revolution, the popular demonstrations that began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets to protest against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade pact with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. It has been widely addressed here. Russian propaganda has put tremendous effort to deceive the whole world by disguising its military aggression in eastern Ukraine. One of the borderline cynical and most frequently used myths is covering Russia’s invasion, occupation and war crimes as the civil war in Ukraine.The conflict in Donbas is not a civil war but an act of Russian aggression.Donetsk and Lugansk are internationally recognised parts of Ukraine, currently under partial Russian occupation.Contrary to the claims, the main impediment to a peace settlement in Donbas was, in fact, Russia’s and its proxies’ deliberate unwillingness to implement the Minsk agreements. These documents, signed by representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Ukraine, Russia and leaders of the illegal separatist entities (DNR and LNR), provide, among other things, for a comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign troops from Ukraine. Kyiv announced a truce in July 2020, but the Moscow-backed separatists have violated it virtually every day before the invasion.Read similar cases claiming that A violent coup d’état took place in Ukraine in 2014, that Kyiv refused to implement the Minsk agreements and conducted a genocide in Donbas and that the West supported neo-Nazis in Ukraine, using them to weaken Russia.

Civil war, Euromaidan, Nazi/Fascist, Coup, DNR, LNR, Minsk agreements, War in Ukraine, Donbas

27.01.2023

Russia does not attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-does-not-attack-civilian-infrastructure-in-ukraine

de.rt.com

Ukraine, Russia

German

Russia does not attack civilian infrastructure. There is ample evidence of that. All the damage to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine is related to the criminal actions of the Kyiv regime, which has been deliberately placing heavy weapons and air defence systems in residential areas for months.

A recurring disinformation narrative claiming that Russian troops do not target civilian objects during Moscow’s war of aggression in Ukraine with the aim of deflecting attention away from Russia's atrocities and attacks against civilian targets. There is rich evidence that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine, such as the shelling of hospitals, churches, shopping malls, killing civilians, raping, as well as using imprecise weapons.Human rights organisations and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, document that the invasion of Ukraine was carried out through indiscriminate attacks and strikes on civilian objects. The latest casualty figures as of 19 December 2022 from the UN mission are 17,595 civilian casualties in the country: 6,826 killed and 10,769 injured. There is plenty of evidence of attacks on civilian targets: attacks on cultural properties; attacks on hospitals and medical care facilities; Mariupol theatre airstrike; Mariupol hospital airstrike; mass shelling of residential areas; bombing of Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Vynnitsia, Kremenchuk etc. Russian troops killed and tortured hundreds of civilians in the town of Bucha and Izium. Similar atrocities have been discovered in many other cities where Russian forces were in control.The European Union is supporting the International Criminal Court in the ongoing investigations into war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.See other cases in our database: Accusations about Russian military war crimes are unacceptable: a lot of fakes on this topic; The Russian military does not strike civilian infrastructure; West has turned a blind eye to the genocide in Ukraine.Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine.

War in Ukraine

27.01.2023

Western Leopard tanks firing radioactive ammo will destroy health of Ukrainians

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/western-leopard-tanks-firing-radioactive-ammo-will-destroy-health-of-ukrainian

tsargrad.tv

Ukraine, Russia, Germany

Russian

The Western-supplied Leopard tanks fire shells containing depleted uranium. Once they hit their target, the surrounding area becomes radioactive, which poses a danger for the residents of that area. These tanks are essentially armed with dirty nuclear bombs.

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative regarding Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.German-made Leopard 2 tanks are neither using depleted uranium shells or armor. Even in case these rounds would be used in Ukraine, these are not nuclear weapons or dirty bombs as the article claims, and the health effects would be minimal, as these are armor-piercing rounds, use a dense material designed to better penetrate main battle tanks by higher kinetic impact. The radioactivity of depleted uranium is negligible. Under international agreements, munitions containing this isotope are considered neither nuclear nor chemical weapons. See here for further debunking by The Insider (in Russian).See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine is going to use a dirty bomb to accuse Russia of using tactical nuclear weapons, that Ukraine asked NATO for preemptive nuclear strikes against Russia, that Ukraine wanted to acquire nuclear weapons because of American pressure, or that Zelenskyy is pushing the world towards a nuclear war.

War in Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine, war crimes, Invasion of Ukraine, West, Military, Nuclear issues

27.01.2023

Russia fights against Ukrainian neo-Nazis guilty of ethnic cleansing

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-fights-against-ukrainian-neo-nazis-guilty-of-ethnic-cleansing

lantidiplomatico.it

Russia, Ukraine

Italian

Ukrainian Neo-Nazis commit crimes against the defenseless population, ethnic cleansing, carry out punitive actions. It is precisely against this Evil [Holocaust ed.] that Russian soldiers bravely fight.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine and about ethnic cleansing presented as justification for Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022.This is an excerpt from Putin's telegram to the organisers of and participants to the Holocaust commemoration in Auschwitz this year, 2023.The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets.This false myth of Nazi Ukraine is a clear propaganda narrative that became a cornerstone in pro-Kremlin disinformation. Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest" and "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities, much less the danger of annihilation on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, or cultural belonging. This has been confirmed by reports issued by the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE.For an overview of the Kremlin's deployment of the "genocide" narrative regarding Ukraine, see further debunking by EUvsDisinfo, Euromaidan Press, and POLYGRAPH.info.Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine.For further information, see also the Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War and The Chilling Background to the Kremlin's "No War" trope.Read a very similar case claiming that the special military operation aims to end the Nazi regime in Kyiv

War in Ukraine, Genocide, ethnic cleansing, WWII, Nazi/Fascist, Invasion of Ukraine

27.01.2023

The US may send Polish military to fight with Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-may-send-polish-military-to-fight-with-russia

lv.sputniknews.ru,sputnik.by,ru.sputnik.kg

Ukraine, US, Poland, Russia

Russian

Ukraine is facing increasing problems with the mobilisation of additional soldiers. The end of Ukrainian mobilisation resources might force the US to send the Polish military to fight. The US is going to fight with Russia until the last Ukrainian and is ready to sacrifice all European vassals to preserve American hegemony.

This article contains recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states, Poland in particular, and tries to obfuscate the actual reason of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The war is presented as a US initiative while responsibility for the unjustified full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, lies solely on Russia. The Russian war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.Neither the US nor European countries have pushed Ukraine to war with Russia or want to escalate the war in Ukraine. The US, the EU and NATO condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is entirely unjustified and unprovoked. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states of the US and NATO. The article absurdly alleges that the US may “send” the Polish troops to Ukraine if it wishes to. The EU and West does not wage a war against Russia but supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.Read also related cases: By supplying weapons, the United States is pushing the Ukrainians to war, Ukraine has no chance of survival if it tries to fight Russia, The crisis in Ukraine is the fault of the deep state in America.

War in Ukraine, Sovereignty, Invasion of Ukraine

27.01.2023

The EU is just a cover name disguising the true role of NATO

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-eu-is-just-a-cover-name-disguising-the-true-role-of-nato

news.am,tlgrm.ru,arminfo.info,rossaprimavera.ru

Europe

Armenian, Russian

It seems that by acting through the EU, the issue of whether the tasks are clearly formulated by the military bloc is removed. [...] treaties and agreements have been signed that completely link EU policy with NATO policy, the role of the EU itself is minimized. All this suggests that the EU has been supplanted as a political instrument.There is now no place in these Euro-Atlantic structures of politics as diplomacy, but only a place for politics as military-political efforts.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an allegedly aggressive NATO, and a weakened EU, deprived of its decision-making authority. The claim is also reflecting the Kremlin narrative of Lost Sovereignty. The statement was made in the context of the deployment of EU observers to Armenia. The EU mission to Armenia is a civilian mission and not related to NATO. A loss of sovereignty is a common narrative of pro-Kremlin media when writing about the European Union. EU Member States are sovereign countries and make sovereign decisions about their own internal, economic, foreign and security policies. The European Union is explicit on the subject of national sovereignty: “the Member States all remain sovereign and independent states, they have decided to pool some of their 'sovereignty' in areas where it makes sense to work together.”NATO and the European Union (EU) are essential partners who share common values, strategic interests and a majority of member nations. NATO and the EU hold regular political consultations on security issues in Europe and beyond.On 10 January 2023, the EU and NATO signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation – this Declaration underlined a NATO-EU strategic partnership, condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and presented NATO as a foundation of the European and American collective defence. The EU-NATO Cooperation Declaration is aimed at strengthening the mechanism of collective defence – this document does not assume any aggressive actions against Russia. The agreement is not about NATO’s attempt to rule over the EU either, since the members of these international organisations are mostly similar.Since Russia began its aggressive actions against Ukraine, Russian officials have accused NATO of a series of threats and hostile actions. NATO is a defensive alliance with the primary aims of maintaining peace and safeguarding the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Read five myths concerning NATO debunked here.See similar cases in our database: The EU has transformed from an economic and political organisation into the economic arm of NATO; The madmen of EU and NATO are planning a world war; NATO aims to destabilise Europe; Europe rapidly lost its independence; The EU lost its sovereignty and got weakened by the US.

European Union, NATO, Sovereignty, Europe, Military, US presence in Europe

26.01.2023

Ukrainians and Russians are one and unique people, but different states

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainians-and-russians-are-one-and-unique-people-but-different-states

Ukraina.ru,iz.ru,sputniknews.com,francais.rt.com,swentr.site,RT English,fr.sputniknews.africa,sputniknews.lat

Ukraine, Russia, EU

Russian, English, French, Spanish

Psychologically, Ukrainians were turned against Russians.Since the ‘Orange Revolution’ in 2004, Kiev has been building an anti-Russian policy at the level of state ideology. [Following] the templates of the Cold War, […] the Ukrainians were turned against the Russians through support for certain politicians, changes in the educational programme, in culture and in the national broadcast media. And all of this came under the guise of democratic reforms and positive changes supported by all sorts of Western and international organisations.It is difficult to call it a democratic process. It was simply the dictate of pro-Western forces in politics, media, the economy and in civil society. Western primacy was established with totally undemocratic methods.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation about Ukraine: negation of the Ukrainian nation, denying the right of an independent state and its right to democracy. This narrative implies that Ukraine's political path since 2004 has been orchestrated by the West rather than the democratic will of the Ukrainian people. The Kremlin policy is imperialistic in its quest to control what is of Ukraine. The Ukrainian nation exists even if denied by pro-Kremlin voices. Democratic reforms in Ukraine were supported by Western countries though they were not in any way anti-Russian measures or anti-democratic.The EU supports the democratic process in Ukraine: following the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014, the European Parliament engaged in an unprecedented level of cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the field of democracy support.As stated by Harvard University Historian Serhii Plokhy in his book Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation, Putin's conception of Ukraine is pre-1917 as he considers countries like Belarus and Ukraine part of concept of Russia even though it is not part of the state of Russian Federation.See also EUvsDisinfo's article on the top narratives denying Ukraine's existence.Read also related cases like: Democratic development of Ukraine suspended after coup instigated by the West, Russia must purify Ukrainian language by eliminating totalitarian and terrorist influence, Ukraine ceased to be a democratic state after 2014, Ukraine was artificially created by the Bolsheviks, US and EU conspired to overthrow Viktor Yanukovych.

West, Ukraine, Democracy

26.01.2023

Ukrainian soldiers realise they die for US and NATO interests

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainian-soldiers-realise-they-die-for-us-and-nato-interests

nabd.com,Al Minasa Press,arabic.rt.com

US, Ukraine, Russia

Arabic

Ukrainian soldiers already understand that the Battle of Bakhmut is lost before it is fought. Therefore, they absolutely do not want to go to a certain death, especially after more than 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in Artemovsk, Solidar, and Seversk. No one wants to become mere fodder for the cannons of the Zelenskyy regime. Moreover, they understand that they are not defending the interests of Ukraine, but dying for the interests of the United States and NATO.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It also uses the Kremlin claim about lost sovereignty. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.Ukraine is not fighting on behalf of any foreign government or organisation. It is acting in self defence against the Russian invasion as enshrined in the UN Charter Article 51. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine's sovereignty has been violated only as a result of continuous acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces since 2014, culminating with a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine starting on 24 February 2022.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.NATO is a defensive political and military alliance. The primary aim of the alliance is to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO as an organisation is not involved in fighting in Ukraine. NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression and not because of their alleged animosity towards Russia.At the Madrid Summit, NATO Leaders stated that the Alliance will continue political and practical support to Ukraine "as it continues to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression. In the longer term, we will assist Ukraine, and support efforts on its path of post-war reconstruction and reforms."Since Russia began its aggressive and unprovoked actions against Ukraine, Russian officials have accused NATO of a series of threats and hostile actions. Read here about Russian Myths on NATO.See similar cases that Russia is at war with NATO and the Pentagon and only the soldiers are Ukrainians; that NATO is at war with Russia with the hands of Ukrainians; that NATO was turning Ukraine into an enemy of Russia; that NATO has no interest in peace in Ukraine; and that the West is using Ukrainians to fight Russia in Ukraine.

NATO, Volodymyr Zelensky, Sovereignty, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

26.01.2023

The EU attemps to gain a foothold in Armenia at any cost, drive Russia out of the mediation process

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-eu-attemps-to-gain-a-foothold-in-armenia-at-any-cost-drive-russia-out-of-the-mediation-process

news.am,factor.am,news.am,panorama.am,m.gazeta.ru

Armenia, Russia, Europe

Armenian, Bulgarian

The appearance of representatives of the European Union (who is pursuing a confrontational policy in the CIS space) in the border regions of Armenia, can only bring the geopolitical confrontation to the region and exacerbate existing contradictions. The declared civilian nature of the EU mission should not be misleading - it is formed within the framework of the Common EU Security and Defence Policy [...].Attempts by the European Union to gain a foothold in Armenia at any cost, to push back Russia's mediation efforts, are capable of harming the fundamental interests of Armenians and Azerbaijanis in their aspirations to return to the peaceful development of the region.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia as the ultimate target of international events, accusing the ever-aggressive West of having an anti-Russian agenda in the Caucasus and CIS countries. The article advances the claim that the Caucasus is exclusively within Russia's zone of geopolitical dominance and attempts to discredit the recently announced EU mission - EUMA.The claim attempts to preempt Russia's weakening position in the region.Contrary to the claim, the EU has a strong interest in a politically stable and economically prosperous Southern Caucasus, but the regional context is not easy. The EU continues to express its support to efforts towards a promotion of peace in South Caucasus, including through the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. To cautiously create a base for confidence-building and dialogue in the fresh post-war environment the EU has come up with a number of programmes (EU4Peace, EU4Dialogue, EU4Culture).The EU (European Council) agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The objective of the Mission is to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, building confidence on the ground, and ensure an environment conducive to normalisation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.In response to Armenia’s request, EUMA will conduct routine patrolling and report on the situation, which will strengthen the EU’s understanding of the situation on the ground. The Mission will also contribute to the mediation efforts in the framework of the process led by President of the European Council Charles Michel.See similar disinfo cases in our database: Brussels wants to squeeze Russia out of the Caucasus; The EU and the OSCE are in the Caucasus to further drive a wedge in relations between the CSTO members; the West aims to oust Russia of Transcaucasia.

Anti-Russian, European Union, Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, Sergei Lavrov

26.01.2023

Zelenskyy had a chance to prevent the war

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/zelenskyy-had-a-chance-to-prevent-the-war

cz.sputniknews.com

Czech

Zelenskyy had a chance to prevent the war and was supposed to do everything possible to avoid a conflict – but he did not. He should have implemented the Minsk Agreements. If Ukraine is ruled by neo-Nazism, talking about the country’s future is wrong.

This is part of the recurring narratives used by the Kremlin that Ukraine didn't comply with the Minsk Agreements and is ruled by Nazis. The advancement of the claim seeks to deflect responsibility for the war away from Moscow. Even though there are different opinions on the Minsk Accords, one thing is certain – Russia is the aggressor in this conflict. Before the invasion, Russia was a party to the Minsk agreements, and these are the most recent formal documents in which Russia has affirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia has however not delivered on its side of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. See similar cases here or here. Ukraine is not ruled by a neo-Nazi regime – this narrative has been also used for a long time by the Kremlin. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015. See other examples of disinformation about Ukraine being ruled by Nazis here or here.

26.01.2023

EU countries will extradite Ukrainian men subject to mobilisation

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-countries-will-extradite-ukrainian-men-subject-to-mobilisation

geworld.ge,eadaily.com,Ukraina.ru,Moskovskij Komsomolets,Belteleradiocompany

Ukraine, EU

Georgian, Russian

Kiev appealed to the EU to find and return to Ukraine citizens subject to military conscription. The European Union may start extraditing citizens subject to mobilisation in Ukraine.

A pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.Contrary to the claims, Ukraine has not asked EU countries to find and extradite Ukrainian citizens subject to military conscription. The documents distributed in pro-Kremlin media in the name of the ambassadors of Ukraine to Lithuania and Latvia, as well as, the statements of the mayors of Vilnius and the Latvian city of Liepaja, who allegedly promised to help the Ukrainian side, are fabricated.See more of the Kremlin's disinformation narratives on Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

25.01.2023

The number of tanks to be supplied to Ukraine by Germany and England a Nazi code

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-number-of-tanks-to-be-supplied-to-ukraine-by-germany-and-england-a-nazi-code

Rossiya 1

Ukraine, Russia, UK, Germany

Russian

The plans also include sending 88 (pay attention and remember this figure) - 88 old Leopards-1. When exactly, again, is still unknown. However, something else is important here. The number 88 around the world is a Nazi code for their favourite greeting, namely heil Hitler. Quite expectedly, once again, the Rheinmetall concern, as in the days of the Third Reich, began work to kill the Russian people. What is even more piquant is the fact that another 14 Challenger tanks will be sent to Kyiv by London. And 14 is the first half of the very Nazi cipher, thanks to which they recognise each other around the world. 14 is the number of words in a quote from one of the ideologists of the so-called Anglo-Saxon white supremacy, David Lane.

Conspiracy theory fitting recurrent pro-Kremlin media narrative on Nazi rule in Ukraine, Russia fighting Nazis in Ukraine (including the "Nazi" West helping Ukraine with military equipment), aimed at justifying the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.On 25 January 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will continue to increase military support for Ukraine. The federal government has decided to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with Leopard 2 main battle tanks. As a first step, Germany will provide a company with 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks. These 14 Bundeswehr's tanks are not linked to a "Nazi code" by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets, as the 14 British Challenger tanks are. Germany is coordinating its deliveries with other EU countries, such as Poland, France and others.Different figures are discussed. According to Handelsblatt, from the older Leopard 1 model, 20 main battle tanks could be re-equipped and sold this year and another 80 within 20 months.The armaments group Rheinmetall could deliver a total of 139 Type 1 and Type 2 Leopard tanks, RND reports. Its spokesman told RND:"We have 22 vehicles of Leopard 2A4 that we could prepare for use and deliver to Ukraine". “The repair of these vehicles would take almost a year. Delivery would be possible at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. There are also 29 Leopard 2A4s that we have in the works for the ring swap projects and that we will have ready by April/May 2023.” The spokesman added: “From the Leopard 1 we could make 88 vehicles available".Linking this hypothetical, once mentioned figure among others, as proof of coded Nazi communications between Germany, the UK and Ukraine is a conspiracy.As a reminder, the European Jewish Congress demands an apology from Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov who compared US policies on Russia with Hitler’s Holocaust. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre also chastised Lavrov for his comments: "Lavrov's equation of Hitler's murderous campaign to annihilate the Jewish people known as the 'Final Solution’ with current Ukrainian moves to counter the Russian invasion is an utter distortion of the history and an affront to the actual victims of Nazism”, ' said the Museum.

Invasion of Ukraine, Nazi/Fascist

25.01.2023

Ukrainians remove swastika tattoos to travel to Europe

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainians-remove-swastika-tattoos-to-travel-to-europe

TVC,tgstat.ru,uk.tgstat.com

Ukraine

Russian, Bulgarian

As for denazification, now, it appears, one of the most popular types of service in Ukraine is the removal of a swastika to travel to Europe, to participate in hostilities, and so on, because they understand that Nazism is becoming detrimental and bad for them. Therefore, the denazification process is going on. By the way, along with the disposal of those Nazi detachments that fought. Tattoo artist in Western Ukrainian Ivano-Frankivsk came up with an original marketing ploy in response to growing demand from clients. The European bourgeois are still ashamed to host Nazis outright. In addition, a removed tattoo opens up the option of surrendering to Russian captivity.

A pro-Kremlin TV channel report refers to a picture that went viral on Telegram featuring a supposed advertisement for "removal of swastikas" by a tattoo studio in Ukraine. The picture is fabricated. No such tattoo studio exists. The photo of the Ukrainian tattoo studio used as evidence of the false narrative, was changed in a photo editor, and the real picture was taken in Russia a few years ago as Provereno Media found out. "We did a simple reverse image search on Google and Yandex and found a similar photo of the same façade, but with a different banner. In the picture we found, all the words in Ukrainian are missing and there is no mention of the proposal to remove the swastika. At the same time, the logo of the studio is the same as in the viral photo, but the name is different: TattooIrograf instead of "Tattoo master". A tattoo studio with such a name, logo and address really exists, but is located not in Ukrainian Ivano-Frankivsk, but in Biysk in the Altai Territory of Russia. We found a photo of the facade posted on January 13, 2018, which later became the basis for a viral picture", -says Provereno.Media.The fabricated picture contains spelling mistakes in Ukrainian as highlighted by StopFake.Org and The Insider. Nazi symbols are forbidden by law in Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin media regularly use fabrications to accuse Ukraine of "Nazi rule". See for example the disinformation narrative "Ukraine's commander-in-chief wears a swastika bracelet"."Nazi rule in Ukraine" is used as one of the pretexts by the Kremlin to the full scale invasion of Ukraine which started on 24 February 2022.

Nazi/Fascist, Invasion of Ukraine

25.01.2023

German tanks again moving to Russia because war is on Russian soil

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/german-tanks-again-moving-to-russia-because-war-is-on-russian-soil

Moskovskij Komsomolets

Ukraine, Russia, Germany

Russian

German tanks have left for Ukraine and American ones will follow them. This is not quite the right phrase. German tanks are moving towards Russia because the line of contact is on Russian soil.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are expected to invade Russia with Western-supplied armoured vehicles. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Kyiv does not intend to invade Russia with armoured vehicles, including German Leopard tanks, which are expected to arrive in Ukraine in soon. Ukraine is using Western military aid with the sole aim of protecting its territory from unjustified Russian aggression, liberating all of its territories and restoring its territorial integrity in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter which states the following: “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.”The fact that Western nations, including NATO member states, provide Ukraine with military assistance does not mean that these countries or NATO as an organisation are involved in fighting on internationally recognised Ukrainian territory. Ukraine is fighting Russian ground troops on Ukrainian soil. The line of contact is running on Ukrainian territory because the temporarily occupied non-government-controlled territories are internationally recognised parts of Ukraine. These are certain areas of the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson. Ukrainian troops also hit some Russian military facilities in Crimea, which is also an internationally recognised part of Ukraine. Read more disinformation cases about the Russian unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, in particular about NATO’s allegedly negative role in the war.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Military

24.01.2023

The USA and NATO push the EU to war by supplying tanks to Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-usa-and-nato-push-the-eu-to-war-by-supplying-tanks-to-ukraine

Sputnik Poland

US, Ukraine, Germany, EU, Russia

Polish

NATO persistently pushes Europe toward open military conflict with Russia to please the United States. The US is ready to slaughter Ukraine, as well as the European Union to satisfy its economic and political ambitions. Supplying Ukraine with German tanks can be considered akin to declaring war. This would allow the Russian Army to use much more powerful weapons, hitherto unknown to Russian enemies.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.On January 25, the German authorities announced their decision to supply 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Before, Berlin announced that it would not block the supply of these tanks to Ukraine by other NATO countries (such as Poland).The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.Contrary to the claim, the European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations and it has its own, independent foreign policy, while the US has no say in its decisions. The EU is a unique and essential partner for NATO. The two organisations share a majority of members, have common values and face similar threats and challenges. More about EU and NATO relations read here.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions, that Europe is a colony of the United States, that When the US orders, the EU complies.

NATO, US presence in Europe, Anti-Russian, Military, security threat, War in Ukraine

24.01.2023

Germany is the vassal of Washington

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-is-the-vassal-of-washington

politikys.ru,eurasianews.md,Sputnik Armenia

Germany, US

Russian

Germany [….] is at the moment a frankly pitiful sight […]. No doubt, part of the answer is to be found in Germany's essentially occupied status. Washington managed to nurture and keep under control a part of the German ruling elites, who act as the conductors of their will - these are some political parties, key media, and part of the business. In addition, it seems that the Americans managed, if not to break, then to significantly suppress the German spirit. Hence, the extreme caution of Berlin in actions with a constant eye on the overseas overlord.[….] at a critical moment in world history, Germany geopolitically turned into a doormat on which all and sundry wipe their feet, and economically it is doomed to slaughter in the name of American interests. After all, the "fattest bull" among the vassals of Washington. Berlin simply no longer has the resources - Russian resources - to resist this scenario.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about German-American relations. Germany is not dependent on the United States of America in terms of foreign policymaking. Germany and the US have close partner relations of two sovereign and independent countries.The German decision regarding the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is not connected to the alleged American “colonisation” of Europe. Germany had a political discussion on supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The German authorities announced that they would not block the supply of these tanks to Ukraine by other NATO countries (such as Poland). Furthermore, on January 25th Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor announced plans to send 14 of his country’s stock of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions, that Europe is a colony of the United States, that When the US orders, the EU complies.

Puppets, Sovereignty, US presence in Europe, Occupation, War in Ukraine

24.01.2023

Poland considered the partition of Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poland-considered-the-partition-of-ukraine

oroszhirek.hu

Poland, Ukraine, Russia

Hungarian

The Warsaw government considered partitioning Ukraine in the first weeks of the military conflict between Kyiv and Moscow. In the first 10 days of the war, even the Polish government was unsure whether Ukraine will survive.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about the war in Ukraine and an alleged plan by Poland to occupy Western parts of Ukraine. This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about denying the statehood of and anticipating the disintegration of Ukraine. Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries.Amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, claims about Poland's military intentions are frequently bandied about by pro-Kremlin media. This message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants either to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or the annexation of these territories or that it is actually President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”. Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poles are stoking nationalist sentiment in Ukraine in order to annex Lviv, that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belong to them, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine will disintegrate and fall prey to territorial claims of EU member states.

Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian disintegration

24.01.2023

The US wanted to attack Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-wanted-to-attack-russia

oroszhirek.hu

US, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

Hungarian

The United States and its allies almost started World War III by preparing to attack Russia, which had no choice but to act against it. The ongoing special operation was a necessary and last resort to prepare for aggression by the US and its satellites.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about an aggressive US planning to attack Russia, aiming to portray the country as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The Russian war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.Russia was not forced to invade Ukraine. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII. Putin claims several reasons for launching aggression, including the necessity to save territories in Eastern Ukraine from a genocide, Ukraine’s alleged desire to obtain nuclear weapons and Kyiv’s possible membership of NATO, rid Ukraine of its 'nazi' leadership; the latter a favorite trope.Neither the United States nor its allies have planned to attack Russia. On the contrary, it is Russia that refused the diplomatic process and started an unprovoked war in Europe. During the Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border the West used diplomatic tools to ease tensions. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Western instructors are teaching Ukrainian soldiers how to use modern weaponry, but there are no NATO troops fighting on the front.See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.

Invasion of Ukraine, US presence in Europe, security threat, WWIII

24.01.2023

Poland recognised it has a the plan to divide Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poland-recognised-it-has-a-the-plan-to-divide-ukraine

LDiena.lt

Ukraine, Poland

Lithuanian

The former foreign minister of Poland Sikorski recognised that Poland has plans to divide Ukraine (a.k.a. Okraina). Poland deployed part of its own army near the border with Ukraine with the purpose to seize at least 4 districts of the neighbouring country.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative presenting Poland as having imperial ambitions and claims to Ukrainian territories. This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying the statehood of Ukraine, while also anticipating its imminent disintegration.  The claim of the text is enforced by a manipulated map pretending to show the western parts of Ukraine as part of the Polish republic. In addition, the claim also serves to distract attention away from Russia's invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine and drive a wedge between Ukraine and its supporters.In the original article, Ukraine is referred to as “Okraina” (“outskirts” in Russian). It correlates with the Kremlin-backed version claiming that the name of the state Ukraine originally means “outskirts of the state” (“outskirts of Russia”). Ukraine challenges this.The claim is based on the interpretation of words of former minister of foreign affairs of Poland Radislav Sikorski that “in the first 10 days of the war there was a moment of hesitation when we all did not know how it would go. Ukraine could fall”. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecky already reacted to the words of the former minister of foreign affairs and denied the existence of a plan to divide Ukraine.Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.See also an analysis of the roots of the claim that Poland wants to divide Ukraine.See other similar examples of disinformation: Polish authorities are preparing a “liberation marsh” to take over Ukraine; Poland is harbouring dreams of expanding into Western Ukraine; Poland started preparations for the incorporation of Western Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Imperialism/colonialism

24.01.2023

Western tanks to Ukraine part of "Drang nach Osten" project

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/western-tanks-to-ukraine-part-of-drang-nach-osten-project

tj.sputniknews.ru,sputnik.by,lv.sputniknews.ru

Germany, Russia, US, Ukraine

Russian

The supplies of the Leopard II German tanks to Kyiv is a new level of US-managed military escalation in Europe. This is a global project to revive American exceptionalism at the expense of allies and foes. Berlin is ready to push Europe to WWIII. The EU supports the war against Russia. Washington also does not rule out supplies of M1A2 Abrams tanks to foster the "Drang nach Osten" project. Nato is de facto fighting in Ukraine and European armies are being trained to invade Russia.

This article contains recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples), alleged Western aggressiveness towards Russia, and the US / western countries as Nazi. This is an attempt to deflect any Russian responsibility for the unjustified wide-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. The Russian war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states of the US and NATO and discredit the West through wrongful comparison with Nazi Germany. On 19 January 2023, the Diplomatic Service of the European Union issued a Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell on this matter, following manipulative comments by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accusing “the West” of seeing a “final solution” for Russia. The statement called them “entirely misplaced, disrespectful and trampl(ing) on the memory of the six million Jewish people, and other victims, who were systematically murdered in the Holocaust”.The EU and West does not wage a war against Russia but supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.NATO does not fight in Ukraine yet it condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and some NATO countries are supporting Ukraine with weapons to help it uphold its right for self-defence.See disinformation cases claiming that Germany does not provide Leopard tanks to oppose American colonisation of Europe, that NATO is leading humanity to WWIII, and earlier disinformation cases misusing the “Drang nach Osten” term.

Nazi/Fascist, War in Ukraine, Anti-Russian, WWIII, Military

24.01.2023

US army confessed it used Ukraine to trap Russia, preparing Taiwan trap for China

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-army-confessed-it-used-ukraine-to-trap-russia-preparing-taiwan-trap-for-china

podcasts.apple.com,Ukraina.ru,fr.sputniknews.africa,ivoox.com,Ukraina.ru,ivoox.com,fr.sputniknews.africa,Sputnik Afrique,Sputnik Afrique,Sputnik Afrique,Sputnik AfriqueShow more

China, Russia, US, Ukraine

English, Russian, French, Spanish

The top US navy general in Japan, James Bierman, said to the Financial Times said that the US and NATO have been planning war against Russia in Ukraine since 2015: “We have seriously set about preparing for the future conflict. Training Ukrainians, repositioning supply, identifying sites from which we could provide support, supporting operations. We call this preparing the ground. And we are preparing the ground in Japan, the Philippines, and other places.” In other words, the United States would be setting a trap for China by inciting it to military action against Taiwan, in the same way it has provoked Russia to launch its special operation in Ukraine after the Western-backed coup in 2014.[...] according to this high ranking officer, war between his country and China using Taiwan as bait is inevitable, only a matter of time.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative stating that the US initiated the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the Russian Federation is a victim.Lieutenant General, James Bierman did indeed give an interview to the Financial Times in which he drew a parallel between China and Russia and said that the armed forces were preparing to contain a foreign attack. He did not suggest in any way that a trap was made using Ukraine or Taiwan as bait. Quite the opposite, preparation to resist to aggression has a deterrent character.The US army is preparing to react to military aggressions, even the most improbable ones. The seriousness of the preparation is a key for deterrence and to prevent those aggression from happening in reality. This dissuasion is the basic principle of the Department of Defense.In 2021-2022 the US warned the Russian Federation against military aggression against Ukraine. It cannot be said in anyway that the US incited Russia to attack Ukraine. Providing defensive weapons like anti-Tanks missile Javelin is a deterrence not a bait that would incite Russian army to attack. British prime minister insisted that any invasion would amount to a massive miscalculation by Putin because Ukraine would fight and they will resist very strongly.There was no coup, nor a western orchestrated protest in Ukraine in 2013-2014. This claim has already been widely addressed on EUvsDisinfo. Read also related cases: In the Ukrainian conflict, Russia is the victim and NATO the aggressor , The West is the sole responsible for growing tensions between China and Taiwan, Ukraine crisis was provoked by the West , Hundreds of US troops are stationed in Ukraine , Western countries declared war on Russia back in 2014, after the coup d'état in Ukraine .

Conspiracy theory, Asia, WWIII, Coup, Invasion of Ukraine

24.01.2023

International support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/international-support-for-ukraine-starts-to-decrease-due-to-corruption

sputniknews.lat

Ukraine, US, EU, Europe

Spanish

The visit of the head of the CIA William Burns to Ukraine means that international support for Ukraine starts to decrease. Something that is not illogical, as Europe is starting to show cracks about putting money in a black hole with no bottom, and without knowing where many of these funds go, which become part of the personal fortunes of many officials of the Kyiv regime.

This disinformation story deliberately distorts the outcome and implications of the visit of CIA director William Burns to Kyiv in January 2023, where he met with Ukrainian officials to discuss cooperation and intelligence sharing. According to The Washington Post, Burns acknowledged that “at some point assistance would be harder to come by” due to US domestic politics. But this is very different from claiming that “international support for Ukraine starts to decrease”, as this disinformation story does. US officials stated that the visit "reinforced [US] continued support for Ukraine", and in fact, a few days later, the US announced a fresh package of 2,5 billion dollars in security aid for Ukraine.Concerns about potential corruption among Ukrainian officials in the reception of international aid are legitimate and have been expressed by some top politicians in allied countries, including EU officials. However, at the time this disinformation story appeared there had been no high-profile cases of corruption involving donated military equipment, budget funding, or humanitarian aid. The claim that these funds “become part of the fortunes of many officials of the Kyiv regime” is unsubstantiated.As this narrative implies that this aid is useless since it goes to corrupt officials instead of funding defence efforts, and may cease soon in any case, the ultimate goal of this disinformation story is to undermine international support for Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked aggression. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering, that by arming Ukraine, the US and the UK want to push Russia against Europe, that Western weapons are stolen long before they reach the Ukrainian soldiers, that Syrian and Libyan terrorists have been spotted in Ukraine trading Western weapons, or that Western weapons supplies to Ukraine are exacerbating the conflict.

Corruption, Invasion of Ukraine, CIA, Ukrainian statehood, Ukraine

24.01.2023

West wants a final solution to solve the Russian question

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/west-wants-a-final-solution-to-solve-the-russian-question

oroszhirek.hu

Europe, US, Russia, Ukraine

Hungarian

The West is waging a war through Ukraine to find a final solution to the Russian question. The West is using Ukraine to destroy the Atlantic security system, which involved resolving all issues through dialogue and compromise.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Western countries are fighting a proxy-war against Russia in Ukraine. This narrative aims to frame Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a confrontation with a Russophobic and belligerent NATO and 'the West'. With the use of the word 'Final Solution' the story also plays the classic Kremlin claim of "West being like Nazism" - which have been debunked many times; see here and here. Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, Russia launched an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, while the US and Western countries are providing support to Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Western nations did everything they could to prevent the war and have only been reacting to Russia’s full invasion. Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. In several Western countries instructors train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use modern weapons and NATO officials have frequent political contacts with Ukrainian counterparts, but there are no NATO troops fighting on the front.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the West is lying when it claims that Russia “invaded” and “attacked” Ukraine, that Russia’s special operation prevented Ukraine’s attack, that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is due to NATO’s persistent expansion, or that the US and the West are fighting a hybrid war against Russia in Ukraine.

Russophobia, Nazi/Fascist, Invasion of Ukraine, West

23.01.2023

Ukraine stores Western weapons in nuclear power plants

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-stores-western-weapons-in-nuclear-power-plants

geworld.ge

Ukraine, Russia

Georgian

Russia has reliable information that the Armed Forces of Ukraine store Western-supplied weapons and ammunition at nuclear power plants. This concerns the expensive and scarce HIMARS multiple launch missile systems and foreign air defense systems, as well as large-caliber artillery ammunition.Kyiv's calculation is simple - to blame Russia for a nuclear disaster, even if the American ammunition explodes by itself.

An unsubstantiated claim in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of using nuclear power plants, particularly the Zaporizhzhya NPP, as a shield for launching attacks and thus putting Europe on the verge of a nuclear catastrophe.Since Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in the first weeks of the invasion, Ukraine has been calling on the international community to make Russia withdraw from the site. In the meantime, Russia has been shelling the plant, causing a radioactive threat for Ukraine and the whole of Europe. Along with shelling this power plant, Russian forces also deployed artillery systems, rocket launchers, tanks and personnel carriers there, turning it into a military base. They did it purposefully to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack. Using the plant in this way violates the Geneva Convention, which states that particular care must be taken if "installations containing dangerous forces" are located near the fighting.Ukraine’s National Nuclear Energy Generating Company has said Russian troops had begun to openly blackmail the whole world, declaring that they had mined the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi has said he is "extremely concerned" by reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is Europe's biggest.EU HRVP Josep Borrell has condemned Russia’s military activities there and labelled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms.See more disinformation cases about the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

Nuclear issues, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, West

23.01.2023

Ukraine violates international humanitarian law while Russia respects it

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-violates-international-humanitarian-law-while-russia-respects-it

sputniknews.lat

Russia, Ukraine

Spanish

Kyiv violates international humanitarian law and these violations are well documented, while Moscow reaffirms its commitment to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention. Russia takes all precautions to protect civilians and infrastructure.

The claim is false, aiming to deflect attention away from Russian atrocities and portray Russia in a positive light while denigrating Ukraine as part of its aggressive war against this country. While international humanitarian observers have expressed concern about some isolated breaches of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian forces in the war, such as occasional mistreatment of Russian prisoners (which the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights described as “sporadic cases of torture and ill-treatment”) or suspicions of executing Russian soldiers who had surrendered, they didn’t find a systematic pattern of abuse. In addition, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly expressed their willingness to address, investigate and punish potential abuses and war crimes by its own forces.Contrary to what this disinformation story affirms, Russian forces have systematically violated international humanitarian law, including mass executions and torture, the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and the forceful abduction of children. There is massive evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians and other crimes throughout the invasion of Ukraine, including footage, drone and satellite images, incriminatory radio conversations, testimonies of witnesses and survivors, and forensic proof. Furthermore, these atrocities and war crimes follow a similar patter in most territories previously occupied by Russian troops, as in Bucha, Borodyanka, Chernihiv, Hostomel, Lyman, Kherson, Izyum or other areas of the Kharkiv region. This evidence has been documented by personnel of the Ukrainian prosecutor office backed by international advisors, as well as by UN investigators, International Criminal Court experts and reputed human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, and international reporters. Russian authorities not only do not acknowledge these abuses and war crimes, but they have rewarded some suspected perpetrators of atrocities.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that war crimes accusations are war propaganda against Russia, that Ukraine staged fakes about Bucha, Mariupol and Kramatorsk, that Ukraine is setting up to accuse Russia of war crimes, or that Russian troops respected unilateral Orthodox Christmas truce while Kyiv continued bombing.

Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Ukraine, Human rights, International Law, war crimes

23.01.2023

Polish politicians confirm their plan to partition Ukraine

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-politicians-confirm-their-plan-to-partition-ukraine

Sputnik Poland

Poland, Ukraine

Polish

Polish politicians officially confirm that at the beginning of the special military operation, they were considering the partition of Ukraine. Every day, Polish international law advocates present new amazing revelations.Earlier, Russian intelligence warned that Warsaw was developing plans to establish firm military-political control over “its historical territories” in Ukraine.

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions. Apart from smearing Poland, the aim is also to deflect attention away from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.This disinformation message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland wants either to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or annex these territories or that it is President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”.Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Poland, as well as the EU and the US respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No neighbouring state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poland thinks that Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and South-Western Lithuania belong to them, that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine and re-establish a Polish empire, that Ukraine is a Western colony belonging to Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Russia, that Poland will try to gain full military control in Ukrainian territories under the guise of protecting the Polish population from Russia, that Poland plans to establish control over its historical lands in Ukraine.

Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood, Ukrainian disintegration, Imperialism/colonialism, War in Ukraine, Radoslaw Sikorski

23.01.2023

Germany uses energy as a weapon against Russia, not vice versa

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-uses-energy-as-a-weapon-against-russia-not-vice-versa

Germany, Russia, US

Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Germany, Russia, US

It is now convenient for the German authorities to blame Russia for the gas shortage in their country – using traditional stereotypes claiming that Russia may use gas as a weapon. For a long time, Russian gas had been a relatively cheap energy source that ensured the competitiveness of German industry. After the construction of Nord Stream 2, the German and US authorities stated that this pipeline would be immediately stopped if Russia started using it as a tool of pressure. This decision made Russia dependent on Germany and the USA. Then, the [West] started speculating about the prospects of Russian gas supplies to Europe, causing a major impact on the behaviour of gas market participants. The gradual rejection of Russian oil, gas and coal became a core of Olaf Scholz's policies – used as a weapon against Russia.

This message is a part of a popular pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, claiming that the energy crisis in Europe is caused by an “irrational” European plan to eliminate dependency on Russian gas. This narrative promotes a traditional pro-Kremlin message that Russia is the only reliable gas source for Europe, while American LNG is too expensive. In this particular case, the narrative is spiked with a self-victimising idea that is was actually Russia, who was betrayed by its European clients.In reality, over recent decades, Russia has used its energy resources on multiple occasions as a weapon against other countries, attempting to coerce them into following a pro-Kremlin line.After the outbreak of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities completely destroyed European trust in Gazprom as a predictable and solid partner. Throughout 2022, Russia deliberately cut the gas supplies to the EU, further saying it could only be restored if EU sanctions on Russia was lifted. The diversification of energy supplies and decarbonisation have for many years been one of the cornerstones of the EU’s energy policy – it helps to strengthen European energy security, to prevent the monopolisation of the energy market and to introduce more competition to the energy market.See more disinformation cases on energy issues amid the invasion of Ukraine.

23.01.2023

The EU has become a Russophobic coalition lead by the US

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-eu-has-become-a-russophobic-coalition-lead-by-the-us

de.news-front.info

EU, Russia, Ukraine, US

German

Europe is a political hostage of the US State Department, suffering from problems with the economy, energy, inflation and refugees. Europe believes the US lies of the purity of Ukrainian intentions and the perfidy of the Russians. Because of that, the EU has become a kind of Russophobic coalition. Europe is supporting and arming the neo-Nazi regime from Kyiv, with Washington's help and at the expense of European solidarity. This is fascism in its purest form.

This claim is aimed at discrediting the EU/West as a whole in light of Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. It is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about alleged Western aggressiveness towards Russia and its anti-Russian activities. Read our analysis Key Narratives In Pro-Kremlin Disinformation - Nazis. It also perpetuates substantiated pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO. The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.Furthermore, the myth of 'Nazi-ruled Ukraine' has been a cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. Now it is used to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine (see our infographic).See earlier disinformation cases claiming that Josep Borrell discredited himself calling Russia a fascist state, he is a latent fascist himself; EU’s fascist sanctions against Russia prove European countries are no longer democratic; the EU is Hitler's 'New Europe', that the European Union justifies Nazism, that the the EU is a Nazi project, that the European Union has Nazi Roots and that the the EU continues the aggressive policies of Nazi.

Nazi/Fascist, Anti-Russian, Russophobia, Stepan Bandera

23.01.2023

Kyiv regime stores Western-supplied ammo in nuclear plants

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-regime-stores-western-supplied-ammo-in-nuclear-plants

tass.com

Ukraine, Russia, EU

English

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service received reliable data that the Ukrainian armed forces store Western-supplied weapons and ammunition on the premises of nuclear power plants. This relates to HIMARS and large-caliber artillery rounds.

This is an unsubstantiated claim in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of using the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as a shield for launching attacks and thus putting Europe on the verge of a nuclear catastrophe.Since Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in the first weeks of the invasion, Ukraine has been calling on the international community to make Russia withdraw from the site. In the meantime, Russia has been shelling the plant, causing a radioactive threat for Ukraine and the whole of Europe. Along with shelling this power plant, Russian forces also deployed artillery systems, rocket launchers, tanks and personnel carriers there, turning it into a military base. They did it purposefully to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack. Using the plant in this way violates the Geneva Convention, which states that particular care must be taken if "installations containing dangerous forces" are located near the fighting.Ukraine’s National Nuclear Energy Generating Company has said Russian troops had begun to openly blackmail the whole world, declaring that they had mined the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi has said he is "extremely concerned" by reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is Europe's biggest.EU HRVP Josep Borrell has condemned Russia’s military activities there and labelled them as a serious and irresponsible breach of nuclear safety rules and another example of Russia’s disregard for international norms. See more disinformation cases about the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Nuclear issues

23.01.2023

Spain's Pedro Sánchez demands a dictatorship in Europe

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/spains-pedro-sanchez-demands-a-dictatorship-in-europe

sputniknews.lat

Spain, Russia

Spanish

At Davos, Spain’s ‘democratic’ premier Pedro Sánchez demands a dictatorial regime in the European Union by calling for the banning of European politicians who are “allies” of the Russian president. The Spanish leader falsely accuses Vladimir Putin for being an autocrat. There is a parliament in Russia, where all political forces are present, there are elections that are as legitimate as those that take place in Spain.

All the allegations in this disinformation story are false. Pedro Sánchez’s speech in the Davos Forum on 18 January 2023 was very critical of some parties in the EU and demanded unity against “the rotten seeds Putin has planted in our countries”. He called on world leaders to fight them with the same determination with which the Ukrainians are fighting invading Russian forces, albeit through “democracy, transparency and effective policies”. This is radically different from “demanding a dictatorial regime in the EU”, as this disinformation story claims.Russia is an authoritarian system and Vladimir Putin is an autocrat basing his rule on censorship, police repression and engineering fear among citizens. Elections in Russia are neither fair not free and are usually marred with irregularities and electoral fraud. Opposition leaders are usually banned from taking part in elections, imprisoned, forced into exile or murdered. Since 2021, the Russian regime has closed all remaining independent NGOs and international advocacy groups and unleashed massive repression against dissidents. Russia is in position 19 out of 100 of the less free countries in the world according to Freedom House. In contrast, Spain is in position 90 and is considered a free country.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Spanish authorities protect neo-Nazi demonstrations while sending rappers to jail, that the interruption of Pedro Sánchez’s press conference in Lithuania by Russian aircraft was staged and Russophobic, and that Germany and Belgium called on Spain to annul politically motivated sentences against Catalan leaders, or that there is an ongoing media campaign to divide Russia and Spain.

Democracy, Vladimir Putin, Dictatorship, European values, European Union, Europe, Anti-Russian, Elections

23.01.2023

Brovary helicopter crash was to purge Zelensky loyalists

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/brovary-helicopter-crash-was-to-purge-zelensky-loyalists

sputnik.az

Ukraine

Azerbaijani

The helicopter crash on January 18 can be seen as an escalation of the internal struggle for influence and money between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was an attempt to purge "Zelenskyy's team" of the security forces that were loyal to him.

A conspiracy theory which attempts to portray the recent helicopter crash in Kyiv as the result of an internal struggle in Ukraine. No evidence has been provided to show this. Background - on 18th January, a helicopter crash occurred near Kyiv in which 14 people died including Ukraine's interior affairs minister. It is premature to state the reason for this tragedy. The Security Service of Ukraine launched an official investigation to find out the cause of the crash. It states that, as of now, three versions are being considered: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction of the helicopter, or deliberate actions to destroy the aircraft. The Prosecutor General's Office said "all possible versions" of the helicopter crash are on the table.The Spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ihnat told that investigations in such cases take a lot of time because it is necessary to establish all factors and to reconstruct the sequence of events. "Each part of the helicopter is collected, each detail can say something, give more information on what had happened. Air crashes can have various reasons that might have had effect. A combination of factors could have contributed, as well as the weather conditions that had not been very favorable. The established commission will determine all the factors and give an assessment,” Ihnat told. See more of the Kremlin's disinformation narratives on Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, War in Ukraine

23.01.2023

US may give Western Ukraine to Poland if Warsaw pays Kyiv's debt to the US

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-may-give-western-ukraine-to-poland-if-warsaw-pays-kyivs-debt-to-the-us

de.news-front.info

Poland, US, Ukraine

German

Poland may receive part of Ukraine from the USA. The territory of Western Ukraine could go to Poland if the country pays off Kyiv's debts to the US. Poland will face financial problems because of the annexation of new territories at the expense of repaying the debt. Such a development will lead to the loss of Ukrainian statehood.

Adapted recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative presenting Poland as having imperial ambitions and claims to Ukrainian territories. This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying the statehood of Ukraine, while also anticipating its imminent disintegration. In addition, the claim also serves to distract attention away from Russia's invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine. The adapted disinformation claim also outlines, that the US would own Ukraine, which has no factual basis, which is the case for all of the article's claims.Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it does not have any territorial claims against its neighbours and it rejects any “imperial” ambitions towards other countries. Read more about the Eastern policy of Poland here.It is Russia that started an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.Poland is supporting Ukrainian refugees coming to Poland; it is allowing millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war access to the labour market and to health and social benefits. Moreover, Poland is also actively supporting Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.

War in Ukraine, Ukrainian disintegration

22.01.2023

The energy crisis in Europe is due to European mistakes, not Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-energy-crisis-in-europe-is-due-to-european-mistakes-not-russia

Sputnik Poland

EU, Russia, Germany

Polish

Starting from 2014, the EU has committed many economic mistakes leading to the energy crisis. Russia did not voluntarily close the transit routes, blew up the Nord Stream pipelines and initiated a withdrawal from energy cooperation. The German coalition government and its predecessors caused a deepening energy crisis, large-scale gas supply disruptions and increasing inflation. The EU has made many other economic mistakes since 2014, such as increasing inflation by printing the euro and depriving itself of cheap Russian energy.

This message is a part of a popular pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, claiming that the energy crisis in Europe is caused by an “irrational” European plan to eliminate its dependency on Russian gas. This narrative promotes a traditional pro-Kremlin message that Russia is the only reliable gas source for Europe, while American LNG is too expensive.After the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities completely destroyed European trust in Gazprom as a predictable and solid partner. Throughout 2022, Russia deliberately cut the gas supplies to the EU. The diversification of energy supplies is one of the cornerstones of the EU’s energy policy – it helps to strengthen European energy security, to prevent the monopolisation of the energy market and to introduce more competition to the energy market. See also the 3 December statement from the Council of the EU on the decision to set an oil price cap originating in or are exported from Russia:"The price cap on Russian oil will limit price surges driven by extraordinary market conditions and drastically reduce the revenues Russia has earned from oil after it unleashed its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. It will also serve to stabilise global energy prices while mitigating adverse consequences on energy supply to third countries".See more disinformation cases on energy issues amid the invasion of Ukraine.

gas, Nord Stream 2, Economic difficulties, Anti-Russian

22.01.2023

The IAEA will work for its main sponsor: the United States

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-iaea-will-work-for-its-main-sponsor-the-united-states

arabic.rt.com,midline-news.net

US, Ukraine, Russia

Arabic

At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, one of the priorities of the IAEA experts will be to deny Russia access to American nuclear fuel, even though Russia has no interest in seeing it anyway. The Americans are afraid that Russian's could find faults in American fuel. And since the Americans are the main sponsors of the IAEA, the agency's observers will make sure the Russian observers have no access.

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin claim attempting to discredit independent international organisations, especially those who monitor the implementation and respect of international treaties and instruments such as the OSCE, the OPCW, and now the IAEA.The claim seeks to divert attention away from the real problem: Russia's illegal overtake of the nuclear power station claiming it as property of the Russian state.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an independent organisation of the UN family and includes 175 member states. Russia itself is a founding member of the IAEA as well as one of the earliest ratifiers of its Statute, and remains a member state to this day.See similar cases that the IAEA is playing on the side of the West and Ukraine, the IAEA president is a product of the collective West, and that the IAEA delegation will pass on intelligence to Ukrainian army. See also our report on pro-Kremlin disinformation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Nuclear issues, Conspiracy theory, International Law, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine

21.01.2023

Ukrainians and Western Europeans are the direct descendants of Hitler

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainians-and-western-europeans-are-the-direct-descendants-of-hitler

m.akhbarelyom.com,sahafaty.com,sputnikarabic.ae

Ukraine, EU, Russia

Arabic

The war against the Nazis in Ukraine and Europe is a "new patriotic war". Josep Borrell, compared the Nazis in Ukraine to Hitler's Nazis, indicating that victory in it would be for Russia. He recalled that Russia defeated Napoleon and Hitler. He himself spoke of the similarity. Accordingly, Ukronazis and Western Europeans are the direct heirs of those who fought against Russia. Hence the war with them is a new national war, and the victory will be ours, as in 1812 and 1945.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets serving as justification for Russia’s full-scale military aggression against Ukraine. There is nothing in EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security's Josep Borrell's speech before the Nueva Economia Forum in held in Spain that likens Ukrainians to Nazis. It is telling that Borrell himself anticipated that his speech will be distorted saying during the event that every word he says will be twisted.Josep Borrell was only saying that Russia has in the past been able to make comebacks in its wars after being on the brink of defeat. He does so to promote the sense of seriousness and to mobilise the necessary political will which the situation requires to confront Russia's agression in Ukraine. There is nothing in this statement that implies that Russia's rivals in these wars have anything in common.In fact, the myth of a Nazi Europe has been widely used by pro-Kremlin outlets since Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed its peninsula of Crimea in 2014. The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine appeared during the Revolution of Dignity (aka Euromaidan) protests in late 2013 - early 2014, when the then-president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled and later fled to Russia. The Kremlin has been using this myth since then to discredit Kyiv’s shift toward Euro-Atlantic policy. The far-right groups had a limited presence during the Euromaidan protests. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015. During the 2019 presidential election, the highest-rated nationalist candidate, Ruslan Koshulynskyy, won 1.62% of the vote. A united front of all radical right-wing parties in the 2019 parliamentary elections winning only 2.15% of the vote falling far short of the 5% minimum threshold for entry into parliament.Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".Read more disinformation cases claiming that the the EU is Hitler's 'New Europe', that the European Union justifies Nazism, that the The EU is a Nazi project, that the European Union has Nazi Roots and that the The EU continues the aggressive policies of Nazi.

Nazi/Fascist, Adolf Hitler, Europe, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

21.01.2023

Germany does not provide Leopard tanks to oppose American colonisation of Europe

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-does-not-provide-leopard-tanks-to-oppose-american-colonisation-of-europe

Sputnik Poland

Germany, Ukraine, US, EU

Polish

Germany is reluctant to respond to Western demands to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks because the main beneficiary of this deal is the United States and its military-industrial complex. Germany keeps such a modest line because of political and internal economic reasons. In the background of the [Ukrainian] conflict, a systemic global economic crisis is unfolding. The United States is de-industrialising Europe, starting with Germany, to subjugate the European economy.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.The German decision regarding the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is not connected to the alleged American “colonisation” of Europe. At the present moment, Germany has a political discussion on a possible supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the German authorities announced that they would not block the supply of these tanks to Ukraine by other NATO countries (such as Poland).In terms of the alleged American “colonisation” of Europe, the European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations, and it has its own independent foreign policy. Its citizens are directly represented in the European Parliament and Member States are represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU.Although the United States is not part of these institutions and has no say in its decisions, the US is an important long-term ally to the EU.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions, that Europe is a colony of the United States, that When the US orders, the EU complies.

Imperialism/colonialism, War in Ukraine, US presence in Europe, Sovereignty, Military, Economic difficulties

20.01.2023

Self-inflicted Dnipro tragedy used by Kyiv to get more Western arms

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/self-inflicted-dnipro-tragedy-used-by-kyiv-to-get-more-western-arms

tass.ru

Ukraine, Russia

Russian

Kyiv is cynically trying to use the tragedy in Dnipro [caused by the actions of Ukrainian air defences] in order to obtain more sanctions against Russian and more Western weapons. Western arms supplies lead to escalation in Ukraine.

This is a recent disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that a Ukrainian air-defence missile hit an apartment building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on 14 January 2023.It was not a Ukrainian missile that killed at least 40 people and wounded 76. It was a Russian Kh-22 missile that hit that apartment building. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) published the names of some Russian servicemen involved in the attack. Kyiv keeps receiving military and financial aid from Western nations regardless of this or any other Russian shelling of Ukrainian residential areas and peaceful infrastructure. Ukraine receives this aid so that it can repel Russia’s unprovoked aggression, in accordance with the UN Charter. Read more disinformation cases about Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine which broke out on 24 February 2022.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

20.01.2023

Western statements on more arms to Ukraine lead to escalation

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/western-statements-on-more-arms-to-ukraine-lead-to-escalation

tass.com

Ukraine, Russia, EU, US

English

Statements by Western countries about the need to supply Kiev with any weapons, including those capable of hitting targets in Crimea, are raising the stakes in the conflict and will inevitably lead to an escalation.

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing the West of aggravating the situation in Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.In reality, the West’s military, financial and diplomatic support to Ukraine is aimed at making it more successful on the battlefield and ensuring its victory over Russia as fast as possible, which will spare lives and prevent further economic destruction. Ukraine is receiving this aid with the sole aim of repelling Russian aggression, ousting the occupiers from its soil and restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders including the peninsula of Crimea and the occupied areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions. Crimea is part of Ukraine, so Kyiv has every right to hit Russian military targets on all of its territory.Russia has been reluctant to any Ukrainian attempts at talks by deliberately putting forward unacceptable conditions such as recognition of all occupied territories as part of Russia. It is Russia's efforts which lead to more escalation, particularly through its military doctrine saying that the best method of de-escalation is through escalation. Russia has already escalated the situation to the point of threatening the West with a military strike. Read more disinformation cases about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine

20.01.2023

Russian army distinguished by a humane attitude towards Ukrainian civilians

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russian-army-distinguished-by-a-humane-attitude-towards-ukrainian-civilians

livenews.am

Ukraine, Russia

Armenian

The Russian army, since February last year, is distinguished by a humane attitude towards civilians in Ukraine. Russia, as part of a special military operation in Ukraine, uses high-precision weapons. At the same time, strikes are carried out only on the objects of military administration, communications, and energy of Ukraine, which minimizes losses among civilians. The command staff of the RF Armed Forces at all levels demonstrates precision, fine calculation, and absolute self-control. Although ... in fairness, not all, even the civilians of Ukraine, deserve such scrupulousness and attention from the Russian troops.

Contrary to the message what this disinformation story tries to convey, Russian forces have systematically violated international humanitarian law, including mass executions and torture, the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and the forceful abduction of children. There is evidence of Russian atrocities against civilians and other crimes throughout the invasion of Ukraine, including footage, drone and satellite images, incriminatory radio conversations, testimonies of witnesses and survivors, and forensic proof. Furthermore, these atrocities and war crimes follow a similar patter in most territories previously occupied by Russian troops, as in Bucha, Borodyanka, Chernihiv, Hostomel, Lyman, Kherson, Izyum or other areas of the Kharkiv region. This evidence has been documented by personnel of the Ukrainian prosecutor office backed by international advisors, as well as by UN investigators, International Criminal Court experts and reputed human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch, and international reporters. Russian authorities not only refuse to acknowledge these abuses and war crimes, but they have rewarded some suspected perpetrators of atrocities.On 14 January 2023 a Russian heavy cruise missile struck a nine-story flat building in Dnipro, killing at least 46 people (including 6 children) and injuring another 80. Eleven people have not yet been identified, and the same number remain missing. Attacks on health facilities continue unabated: 473 WHO-verified attacks have been recorded this past half-year in Ukraine, resulting in at least 98 deaths and 134 injuries. Dozens of attacks were made also on ambulances, warehouses and stocks of medicines, valuable medical equipment.From 24 February 2023 to 2 January 2023, the OHCHR recorded 17,994 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 6,919 killed and 11,075 injured (by 3 January 2023).Most of the civilian casualties are from airstrikes and explosive weapons used by Russian forces with wide area effects, including heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.Read more about Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.See other cases in our database: Accusations about Russian military war crimes are unacceptable: a lot of fakes on this topic; The Russian military does not strike civilian infrastructure; Accusations of Russia "shelling the civilian infrastructure are hypocrisy.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, war crimes, War crimes, Human rights, Amnesty International

20.01.2023

Helicopter crash in Brovary served to clean up “Zelenskyy’s team”

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/helicopter-crash-in-brovary-served-to-clean-up-zelenskyys-team

sputnik-georgia.ru,sputnik-ossetia.ru

Ukraine

Russian

The helicopter crash on January 18 can be seen as an aggravation of the intra-departmental struggle for influence (money) between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine; It was an attempt to clean up "Zelenskyy’s team" by the security forces loyal to him. And at the same time, as a provocation against the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, who has gained political weight, to weaken his position.

A conspiracy theory attempting to portray the recent helicopter crash in Brovary as the result of an internal struggle in Ukraine. No evidence has been provided to show this.It is premature to state the reason for this tragedy. The Security Service of Ukraine launched an official investigation to find out the cause of the crash. It states that, as of now, three versions are being considered: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction of the helicopter, or deliberate actions to destroy the aircraft.The Prosecutor General's Office said "all possible versions" of the helicopter crash are on the table.The Spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ihnat stated that investigations in such cases take a lot of time because it is necessary to establish all factors and to reconstruct the sequence of events."Each part of the helicopter is collected, each detail can say something, give more information on what had happened. Air crashes can have various reasons that might have had effect. A combination of factors could have contributed, as well as the weather conditions that had not been very favorable. The established commission will determine all the factors and give an assessment,” Ihnat said.See more of the Kremlin's disinformation narratives on Ukraine.

War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky

19.01.2023

Ukrainian military's carelessness is behind the helicopter crash in Brovary

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainian-militarys-carelessness-is-behind-the-helicopter-crash-in-brovary

dnr-pravda.ru

Ukraine

Russian

The helicopter crash near the kindergarten in Brovary was due to the carelessness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This claim is unfounded; a conspiracy theory about the helicopter crash in Brovary on 18 January 2023.It is premature to state the reason for this tragedy. The Security Service of Ukraine launched an official investigation to find out the cause of the crash. It states that, as of now, three versions are being considered: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction of the helicopter, or deliberate actions to destroy the aircraft. The Prosecutor General's Office said "all possible versions" of the helicopter crash are on the table.The Spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ihnat stated that investigations in such cases take a lot of time because it is necessary to establish all factors and to reconstruct the sequence of events. "Each part of the helicopter is collected, each detail can say something, give more information on what had happened. Air crashes can have various reasons that might have had effect. A combination of factors could have contributed, as well as the weather conditions that had not been very favorable. The established commission will determine all the factors and give an assessment,” Ihnat said. See more of the Kremlin's disinformation narratives on Ukraine.

Ukraine

19.01.2023

Head of Zelenskyy's office Yermak sanctioned the helicopter crash in Brovary

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/head-of-zelenskyys-office-yermak-sanctioned-the-helicopter-crash-in-brovary

antimaydan.info

Ukraine

Russian

According to the "Joker" [a hacker], Monastyrsky had long known that the Ministry of Defense [of Ukraine] sells donated weapons. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of counter intelligence, is supervising this process. The "Joker" is sure that the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine wanted to have its share in this "business" [...].Having obtained evidence, Monastyrsky [...] began to blackmail the military. The head of Zelensky's office Andriy Yermak personally sanctioned the liquidation of the top of the Ministry of Internal Affairs [in a helicopter crash in Brovary]. Unlike his boss, he is also "on the take" with the military.

This claim is unfounded, a conspiracy theory about the helicopter crash in Brovary on 18 January 2023.It is prematurely to state the reason for this tragedy. The Security Service of Ukraine launched an official investigation to find out the cause of the crash. It states that, as of now, three versions are being considered: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction of the helicopter, or deliberate actions to destroy the vehicle. The Prosecutor General's Office said "all possible versions" of the helicopter crash are on the table.The Spokesperson for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yurii Ihnat told that investigations in such cases take a lot of time because it is necessary to establish all factors and to reconstruct the sequence of events. "Each part of the helicopter is collected, each detail can say something, give more information on what had happened. Air crashes can have various reasons that might have had effect. A combination of factors could have contributed, as well as the weather conditions that had not been very favorable. The established commission will determine all the factors and give an assessment,” Ihnat told. The accusations about the misuse of donated weapons are unfounded and without evidence. Ukrainian officials and foreign donors oversee Western arms shipments. No misuse was found so far. The Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities start their investigations if the misuse of financial assistance is found. President Zelensky stated that the Ukrainian government will not tolerate corruption. The government dismissed a deputy minister after an investigation into allegations he accepted the bribe.See more Kremlin's disinformation narratives on Ukraine.

Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Information war, Corruption

19.01.2023

Europe has lost its independence and completely submitted to an American dictatorship

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/europe-has-lost-its-independence-and-completely-submitted-to-an-american-dictatorship

rg.ru,rg.ru,iz.ru,gazeta.ru

EU, Europe, US

Russian

Europe has lost its independence. The European Union has completely submitted to American dictatorship. The apotheosis was the recently signed joint declaration between NATO and the European Union. NATO and the EU declared themselves "an alliance of democracies against autocracies", that is, they proclaimed a deliberately confrontational agenda to the whole world. NATO and the EU intend to use all political, economic, and military means in "the interests of the golden billion citizens of NATO and the European Union."

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged lost sovereignty of the EU and its member states (more examples). Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet states or colonies of the US and NATO.Contrary to the claim, the European Union is a sovereign entity created by the voluntary initiative of European nations and it has its own, independent foreign policy, while the US has no say in its decisions.EU Member States are sovereign countries and make sovereign decisions about their own internal, economic, foreign and security policies. The European Union is explicit on the subject of national sovereignty: “the Member States all remain sovereign and independent states, they have decided to pool some of their 'sovereignty' in areas where it makes sense to work together.”The US is an important ally to the EU but EU policy is not determined by the US.On 10 January 2023, the EU and NATO signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation – this Declaration underlined a NATO-EU strategic partnership, condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and presented NATO as a foundation of the European and American collective defence. The EU-NATO Cooperation Declaration is aimed at strengthening the mechanism of collective defence – this document does not assume any aggressive actions against Russia. The agreement is not about NATO’s attempt to rule over the EU either, since the members of these international organisations are mostly similar.Read similar disinformation cases claiming that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, that lined up with the US, the EU never took independent decisions, that Europe is a colony of the United States, that When the US orders, the EU complies, and that the EU-NATO agreement aims to weaken the EU.

European Union, NATO, US presence in Europe, Sovereignty, Puppets, Dictatorship, Sergei Lavrov

18.01.2023

NATO instigated a war in Ukraine to weaken Russia

https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-instigated-a-war-in-ukraine-to-weaken-russia

novorosinform.org

Russia, Ukraine, US, EU

Russian

Stoltenberg reveals the cards about the true scope of this war and about the intentions of the Atlantic block: to destroy Russia, to ensure the arrival of globalism in a totalitarian-imperial form. The military and political occupation of European countries takes place. This Ukrainian conflict is necessary for the globalist forces. The EU is playing the role of global local government, completing the transformation of European states into an apolitical and submissive swamp.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Western countries are fighting a proxy-war against Russia in Ukraine. This narrative aims to frame Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a confrontation with a Russophobic and belligerent NATO.Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, the Ukrainian state is under attack by Russia, while the US and Western countries are providing support to Ukraine. The West supports Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.Some NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to help Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s attack, but they are not involved in direct fighting. Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. In several Western countries instructors train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use modern weapons and NATO officials have frequent political contacts with Ukrainian counterparts, but there are no NATO troops fighting on the front.Moreover, NATO is a defensive political and military alliance. The primary aim of the alliance is to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO as an organisation is not involved in fighting in Ukraine. NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression and not because of their alleged animosity towards Russia.See similar cases that Russia is at war with NATO and the Pentagon and only the soldiers are Ukrainians; that NATO is at war with Russia with the hands of Ukrainians; that NATO was turning Ukraine into an enemy of Russia; that Ukraine is forced to fight on behalf of NATO; and that the West is using Ukrainians to fight against Russia.

NATO, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, EU/NATO enlargement, US presence in Europe