Unnamed: 0
int64 0
9.96k
| Date
stringlengths 10
10
| Title
stringlengths 17
171
| URL
stringlengths 38
228
| Outlets
stringlengths 3
3.09k
⌀ | Countries
stringlengths 2
1.01k
⌀ | Language
stringclasses 365
values | Summary
stringlengths 27
2.27k
⌀ | Disproof
stringlengths 31
5.08k
⌀ | Keywords
stringlengths 3
259
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
600 | 24.12.2022 | Ukrainian Azov militants are preparing to enter Belarusian territory | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukrainian-azov-militants-are-preparing-to-enter-belarusian-territory | Sputnik Poland | Ukraine, Belarus | Polish | The Kyiv regime is preparing military provocations on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border near the Volyn region, which are supposed to take place in the near future. Small groups of the Azov militants can break through the border, entering the territory of Belarus. | This message is a part of the recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the Kyiv authorities of provoking Russia, looking for further escalation of the war.The Ukrainian Army is not planning to attack the Belarusian territory or implement any military or security provocations against this country.In an effort to deflect attention away from Russia's responsibility for the war, pro-Kremlin media routinely accuse Ukraine of having plans to implement all possible anti-Russian provocations – use of a dirty bomb, false flag attacks on chemical facilities, setting up a missile provocation in Poland, staging Bucha mass graves, etc.Read more cases on Kyiv’s alleged anti-Russian provocations here. | Azov Battalion, security threat, Provocation, War in Ukraine |
601 | 23.12.2022 | Kyiv regime is an American puppet doomed to stay under the US control | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-regime-is-an-american-puppet-doomed-to-stay-under-the-us-control | news.rin.ru,ru.armeniasputnik.am | Ukraine, US | Russian | Kyiv remains an American puppet, and all attempts to gain independence are doomed to failure. The Americans inflated Zelenskyy as a world-class leader [...]. The President of Ukraine imagined that he could determine American policy. Biden called him in and reminded him: it is up only to the White House to decide how events develop. Ukraine has only an advisory vote. At the same time, Zelenskyy is kept on a long leash. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine’s alleged lack of sovereignty, aiming to undermine its statehood. Since 2014 pro-Kremlin media outlets have often claimed that Ukraine either did not exist as an independent state or was going to disintegrate very soon.In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated.Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine has a functioning government and economy, it is a member of many international organisations (e.g. United Nations, Council of Europe), and a party to international agreements. Ukraine has bilateral diplomatic relations with the majority of countries.Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by continuous acts of aggression by Russian armed forces since 2014 culminating in a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022.President Zelenskyy's visit to the US, in December 2022 was his first foreign visit since the full-scale Russian invasion is a a significant sign of transatlantic support for Ukraine. The US and other NATO member states are sending weapons to Ukraine, to support its right of self-defense, that is enshrined in the UN Charter.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukraine lost its independence and is under external control, that the West has made Ukraine its colony and is using Ukrainians as cannon fodder, that the West is destroying Ukrainian statehood and its military forces, that Western lobby demanded Zelenskyy to raise the stakes of the crisis, or that Zelenskyy's visit to Washington shows that Ukraine will be a neo-colony of the US. | War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Sovereignty, Ukrainian statehood, Joe Biden, Puppets |
602 | 23.12.2022 | Ukraine's hostility to Russia is an American project to weaken Europe | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraines-hostility-to-russia-is-an-american-project-to-weaken-europe | nabd.com,rtarabic.com,arabic.rt.com,menkuwait.com | Ukraine, Russia, Europe, UK, US | Arabic | Using Ukraine against Russia is part of the Anglo-Saxon project to weaken Europe. The Americans have succeeded in this so far: Russia is in relative isolation, the European Union is suffering from economic stagnation and capital flight, and, on the contrary, growth has begun in the United States itself. | A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the war in Ukraine and the US having malicious intentions towards Europe, trying to deflect responsibility for the war from Russia by claiming that the US would benefit from it and has a hidden agenda related to the war.Although the US is an important and historical ally of Europe, the European Union and European states are sovereign entities that shape their own policy and make their own decisions. The EU is 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 the fall of the EU is a US goal; that EU and NATO member states are subordinate to the US, that 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, and that When the US orders, the EU complies. | Anglo-Saxon, Conspiracy theory, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, US presence in Europe |
603 | 22.12.2022 | By 2025 only under eight million people will reside in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/by-2025-only-under-eight-million-people-will-reside-in-ukraine | sputnik.by | Ukraine, Russia | Russian | Within the next two-three years not more than a fifth part of the present-day population will remain living in Ukraine. Most will be seniors and people with pro-Russian sentiments. The remaining residents of Ukraine will relocate to either Russia or the West. This will be the effect of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Most people will leave Ukraine within the coming weeks. Until the energy infrastructure is restored, life in Ukraine will not be possible for only five to eight million people, mostly in rural areas. The scale of emigration from Ukrainian cities resembles the situation in Mariupol, but without ruining them. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about disintegration and/or collapse of Ukraine. While is is difficult to debunk prophecies, it can be concluded that this is out of sync with the demographic movements where there has been a net influx as more Ukrainians have returned to the country after an initial period of seeking shelter abroad; especially in the EU (see details here). In addition, the Ukrainian people demonstrate every day, in spite of Russian bombardements, a will to defend their land. This does not sugges mass exodus. In addition, this manipulative claim, designed to break the fighting spirit of Ukrainians, offers a particularly outrageous and cynical justification of Russian shelling of Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Instead of condemning this practice, it speculates about the enormous emigration of Ukrainians abroad.Read our earlier analysis of reporting about military attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and energy systems and their justification in Russian state media. See also some earlier disinformation cases that target Ukraine’s statehood: There is no Ukraine: Russia liberates Russian cities; that Ukraine does not exist as a state; that Ukraine will be split up; Ukraine is a quasi-state with a failed economy; modern Ukraine was created as a country for death in the name of American interests and others. | Ukrainian statehood, War in Ukraine |
604 | 22.12.2022 | Pole’s Card holders can organise a pro-EU Maidan in Kaliningrad | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poles-card-holders-can-organise-a-pro-eu-maidan-in-kaliningrad | Sputnik Poland | Poland, Russia, EU, US | Polish | Throughout the post-Soviet years, Poland carefully surrounded the population of Kaliningrad with the so-called “soft power”. There were thousands of joint projects financed from the EU budget, hundreds of thousands of personal trips in two directions, numerous joint Polish-Russian businesses, and finally, the launch of the [visa-free] small border traffic, enabling people living in the Kaliningrad region to visit Poland en masse.The distribution of the Pole’s Cards may be used by the Polish special services to “recruit” the Russians, especially taking into consideration the unfounded claims of the Polish politicians towards the Kaliningrad region. The region will be handed over to Poland in the event of an armed conflict with Russia.After the beginning of the special military operation [24 February 2022], the possession of the Pole’s Card by Kaliningrad's inhabitants seemed to be acceptable, but now, with the active supply of Polish weapons to Ukraine and the number of Polish mercenaries, patriotic Russians should give this document up. The Russian special services should check the information about the Pole’s Card holders in order to prevent a pro-Poland or a pro-EU “Maidan” in Kaliningrad. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about aggressive plans of the West regarding the Kaliningrad region and the Western attempts to “encircle Russia”.Poland does not have any territorial claims to Kaliningrad and it does not prepare any type of hostile action against Russia and the Kaliningrad region in particular.The Pole’s Card is not an element of a “hybrid war” or the “anti-Russian activities”, but an instrument used to support Poles living abroad, facilitating their visits and possible migration to Poland.The claim also masks an authoritarian approach to ordinary citizens. Presenting the opportunities of citizens to have cross-border contacts and businesses as just sinister elements in Warsaw's heinous plans, illustrate a neglect of the citizens' interest. According to this approach, citizens are assets of the state and have to serve the state. The state is not to serve the interests of the ordinary citizens. See previous examples of disinformation messages alleging that the Kaliningrad exclave is threatened by NATO; the US plans to take over the Kaliningrad region and the aim of NATO’s exercise: prepare for the annexation of Russia’s Kaliningrad region. | Kaliningrad, Encircling Russia, Destabilising Russia, Military, security threat, ethnic tension, Anti-Russian, Euromaidan |
605 | 22.12.2022 | Ukraine started a war against people who considered themselves to be a part of Russia in 2014 | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-started-a-war-against-people-who-considered-themselves-to-be-a-part-of-russia-in-2014 | Sputnik Czech | Ukraine, Russia | Czech | Ukraine started a war against people who consider themselves to be a part of Russia. It should not be possible to act against this group of people – who are part of the Russian world, in terms of culture, language and traditions –, but that is what happened in 2014 when a war was launched against them. | The allegation is part of a broader disinformation campaign to prepare the ground and justify the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia. The crisis in Ukraine began as a series of demonstrations in late 2013 which were called Euromaidan. Protesters demanded that the then-president Viktor Yanukovych sign an association agreement with the European Union. Earlier, Yanukovych – after several years of ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and the bloc – refused to sign it and halted progress towards his country’s closer relationship with the EU. After a violent reaction from the authorities towards the protesters, Yanukovych fled to Russia and a new government was formed.Russia was afraid to lose its influence in Ukraine and reacted to the situation of its neighbour with force. In February 2014, it illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea. Russia-backed armed separatist forces began seizing territory in the East of Ukraine (the so-called Donbas region) and when the situation did not look favourably for them, the Russian army provided them with further support. See also this timeline from EUvsDisinfo.Ukraine did not start a war against Russian culture; what started as an effort to turn the country more towards the West ended with violence by Russian interference in Ukrainian internal affairs. Ukraine has culturally been closely connected to Russia, 20 % of its citizens said their native language is Russian, 30 % of people speak both Russian and Ukrainian. The events from 2013 onward were thus not a “war” against Russian people in Ukraine. See similar cases such as Russia only tries to protect its people in its historical borders and Mariupol is an ancient Russian city. | War in Ukraine, Russian world |
606 | 22.12.2022 | Gas price cap violates market principles and harms Europe more than Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/gas-price-cap-violates-market-principles-and-harms-europe-more-than-russia | raialyoum.com,rtarabic.com,kachaf.com,arabic.rt.com | Ukraine, EU, Russia | Arabic | The proposed gas price cap not only violates every market principle, but it also does not eliminate the risk of fuel shortages in Europe. [...]Many Europeans fear that the price ceiling is not high enough. And if gas costs less in the EU than in Asia, fuel tankers will simply go where it is more profitable to trade. Then Europe will face an even greater deficit and a mountain of problems.For the most part, these restrictions do not scare Russia. Even before these restrictions were introduced, we started to look east. This is due, among other things, to Europe's statements about its intention to abandon Russia's energy resources. | The narrative is part of the recurring disinformation campaign surrounding the energy sector and sanctions on Russia. The aim of these narratives is to belittle and denigrade Western sanctions on Russia. The price cap for Russian oil cannot be seen as a violation of market principles and it was initiated by G7 states and supported by the EU as an additional sanction for Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. Sanctions against individuals or political regimes have always existed alongside market dynamics to control harmful practices like corruption, terrorism, illegal warfare etc. As noted in the Council of the EU's press release: 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 stabilize global energy prices while mitigating adverse consequences on energy supply to third countries.The price cap on Russian oil is a novel tool that the energy market has not seen in recent years and this could give a period of uncertainty. However, the impact is expected not to be so critical. According to the New York Times, the processes around the price cap are "not expected to have a sudden impact on oil supplies for Europe, because the regulation has been in the works for months and so traders and shippers have had time to adjust. In particular, energy companies have already begun buying more oil from the United States, Brazil, Guyana and the Middle East. The EU is also giving exemptions to some countries like Hungary, whose energy needs depend on flows of Russian crude by pipeline, to quell their objections to the sanctions".The claims in the article seek to distract attention away from the fact that the price cap is the biggest problem for Russia, not Europe. It is predicted that Russian oil output is set to fall by 1.4 million barrels per day in 2023. Chatham House provides a prognosis that one particularly important point when it comes to oil, energy, and commodity markets has been how market forces have mitigated Russia’s own efforts to use the energy card against the West, particularly against Europe.See similar cases that Sanctions don't affect the Russian economy; the New York Times reports that Russia is barely affected by sanctions; sanctions against Russia worsen the economic crisis in the West; The EU lost more from sanctions than Russia; European sanctions against Russia do not work. | gas, Sanctions, Economic difficulties, economy, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
607 | 22.12.2022 | The US and its allies are stepping up military aid to Kyiv to prolong the conflict | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-and-its-allies-are-stepping-up-military-aid-to-kyiv-to-prolong-the-conflict | tass.ru,ru.armeniasputnik.am,ng.ru | US, Ukraine | Russian | Since the beginning of the special operation, the United States and its allies have been consistently increasing the volume of military assistance to Kyiv in order to protract the conflict. | This disinformation claim is part of a wider disinformation campaign to support Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is a violation of international law. The Ukrainian Army is fighting with Russian troops to defend their country from unprovoked Russian military aggression. The Western countries are providing Ukraine with military, economic, and humanitarian support.Individual NATO member countries are sending weapons, ammunition and many types of light and heavy military equipment, including anti-tank and air defence systems, howitzers and drones to Ukraine. All of this is making a difference on the battlefield every day, helping Ukraine to uphold its right of self-defence, which is enshrined in the United Nations Charter.Read more disinformation cases claiming that Peaceful settlement in Ukraine is off the table for Western countries; US arms deliveries to Ukraine delay peaceful settlement; EU, Europe, NATO hamper peaceful solution in 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. | War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Military, Warmongering |
608 | 21.12.2022 | Washington caused the war in Ukraine to benefit American military industrial complex | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/washington-caused-the-war-in-ukraine-to-benefit-american-military-industrial-complex | sputnik.by,sputnik-abkhazia.ru | Ukraine, US | Russian | The Ukrainian conflict, artificially created by Washington, multiplies risks for the whole planet. They include economic impoverishment, hunger, wars, migration, technological degradation, and nuclear winter. Peace in Europe and elsewhere brings no dividends to the American military and industrial complex and no new working places for the US economy. Instead, wars guarantee that. American weapons in Ukraine will not defend anyone. Washington’s military assistance brings suffering and mass civilian deaths in all developing countries. | This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is a Western "tool" against Russia. The claim aims 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 Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.The US has in no way created the “Ukrainian conflict” as alleged in the article. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII. Putin had offered 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.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. Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.Although NATO member states are providing Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression, they are not involved in direct fighting. 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. | War in Ukraine |
609 | 21.12.2022 | The US seeks to prolong the war in Ukraine to dissolve the EU | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-seeks-to-prolong-the-war-in-ukraine-to-dissolve-the-eu | sputnik.by | Ukraine, US, Germany, Russia | Russian | The US benefits from Russia’s special operation in Ukraine and will provoke its continuation. The major bonus for the US is dissolution of the EU as its main economic competitor. Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz is acting as Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s. Ursula von der Leyen and others are in the team of killers of Germany. | Recurring disinformation about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, presenting the EU as the victim and puppet of the US, which wants to destroy the economy of Europe for its own benefit. See also here about the Kremlin claim about EU's lost sovereignty.The disinformation claim suggests that EU leaders are destroying the economic base in Europe with the sanctions agreed against Russia. The European Union adopted in December 2022 the ninth package of economic and individual sanctions on Russia due to its illegal aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories.Europe is facing an energy crisis which 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 made 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. The German economy expanded by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2022 and is expected to grow by 1.2% annually.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. | War in Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, Sanctions, Economic difficulties, Conspiracy theory |
610 | 21.12.2022 | The US has destroyed German economy | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-has-destroyed-german-economy | sputnik.by | Ukraine, US, Germany, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Tunisia | Russian | The only chance for the US to survive as a global economic leader is to bring chaos and destruction worldwide. The US-provoked conflict in Ukraine has made all of Europe insolvent. The German economy bears the hardest consequences – it is de facto destroyed due to sanctions. A significant part of large and medium German businesses decided to relocate to the US. Previously the US had done the same with the Middle Eastern countries such as Libya, Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US presence in Europe and sanctions imposed on Russia. Such claims aim to deflect responsibility for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The US, the EU and other countries have imposed series of sanctions on Russia, following its unjustified and unprovoked all-out war against Ukraine. The European Union has already adopted the ninth package of economic and individual sanctions on Russia. 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. | War in Ukraine, Sanctions, Economic difficulties |
611 | 21.12.2022 | EU top diplomat Josep Borrell caught with millions in offshore deposits in Seychelles | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-top-diplomat-josep-borrell-caught-with-millions-in-offshore-deposits-in-seychelles | pronews.gr | EU | Greek | According to Spanish reports, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security, Josep Borrell, was caught maintaining offshore accounts in the Seychelles, with deposits totalling USD 3,000,000. He is said to have received 30 deposits of USD 100,000 each in the Seychelles since January 2022, totalling USD 3,000,000.The specific funds are linked to a criminal organization that involves judges and Spanish politicians in a serious corruption case! According to the same information, an investigation is also being carried out against the former president of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and the Minister of Defense of the Spanish government, Margarita Robles, for the same case. | This disinformation is a new attempt to discredit EU HRVP Josep Borrell -a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation- and the European Union in general by falsely accusing its top diplomat of corruption. The claim is unsubstantiated. The “Spanish reports” mentioned in this disinformation story are a single Twitter thread from an anonymous account used to promote baseless conspiracy theories about politicians involved in child abuse and other scandals. No serious outlet in Spain has published or even suggested that this story may be true.The so-called “documents” shown in the Twitter thread as “evidence” are unlikely to belong to any offshore society in the Seychelles as they are in Spanish, which is not a working language in that country. And in any case, the document refers to someone named “Borrell Centelles, J.”, while the HRVP actual name is Josep Borrell Fontelles, which points to suggest that they are most likely a clumsy forgery by a non-Spanish speaking malign actor.The accusation coincides with the European Parliament investigating a high-level corruption case. Smear campaigns is a frequent feature in the pro-Kremlin ecosystem and disinformation campaigns, as it is easy to blame others for Russia’s own problems to deflect attention, in this case corruption. According to Transparency International, Russia is in the position 29 among the most corrupt countries in the world, and the lowest scoring case in Europe.We review the trend of slinging mud to see what sticks: here. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that calls for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine are an attempt to distract from EU corruption, that Russia jails people for high-level corruption whereas the US, UK and Europe don’t, that European aid to Ukraine is a corrupt scheme for Zelenskyy, or that the West is decadent, corrupt, rotten and has reached its final phase. | Corruption, European Union, Josep Borrell |
612 | 20.12.2022 | The EU calls any information it doesn’t like disinformation | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-eu-calls-any-information-it-doesnt-like-disinformation | Ukraina.ru,Sputnik on Twitter,Ukraina.ru,francais.rt.com | EU, US, Russia | Russian, French | The EU is outlawing a whole bunch of TV and Radio networks whose only crime is that they are providing information that the EU doesn't like. It is a violation of the charter of fundamental rights of the EU of the EU treaty. RT [former Russia Today] is under heavy attack from EU which tries to deny the European public access to its perspective. Anybody who looks at the BBC, CNN, Deutsche Welle… gets propaganda and disinformation! The EU wants to suggest that this very one sided presentation is somehow objective while it is all proper information. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative stating that disinformation does not exist or is everybody's work. This is a classic Kremlin "whataboutism". Further, claiming that the EU illegally suppressed freedom of information to eliminate unwanted journalism. Disinformation, false information spread on purpose to destabilise public opinion, does exist and is openly recognised as a weapon against western countries. RT has defined its mission in military terms. Its editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, has publicly equated RT’s importance with that of Russian’s need for a Defence Ministry. According to her, RT is capable of “conducting an information war against the whole Western world,” using “the information weapon. RT’s strategic aim is to “conquer” and to “grow an audience” in order to make use of access to this audience in “critical moments”.Regd. the legality of EU measures: During the military aggression against Ukraine, the EU took a number of restrictive measures (sanctions) against Russian tools of disinformation broadcasting on the EU territory. In March 2022, the EU decided sanctions against the Russian state owned outlet RT. This was challenged by RT France in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) but the court ruled against RT, upholding the sanctions decision. See more in the ECJ statement of 27 July 2022.In December 2022 the EU adopted a 9th package of sanctions that restricted four additional Russian language channels:“In order to address the Russian Federation's systematic, international campaign of disinformation and information manipulation intended to destabilise its neighbouring countries, the EU and its member states, the Council initiated the process for suspending the broadcasting licences of four additional media outlets: NTV/NTV Mir, Rossiya 1, REN TV and Pervyi Kanal. These outlets are under the permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation and have been used by latter for its continuous and concerted disinformation and war propaganda actions, which legitimise Russia’s aggression and undermine support for Ukraine. In line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, these measures will not prevent those media outlets and their staff from carrying out activities in the EU other than broadcasting, e.g. research and interviews.”Read also related cases: There is no press freedom in the West , Ursula von der Leyen unilaterally banned independent media , RT was banned in France without any legal basis or evidence , Western mass media and social media are controlled by the government , Berlin is ashamed to admit that it is fighting RT Deutsch with undignified methods , Russian media frighten Western elites, that is why they are blocked in the West. | War in Ukraine, Freedom of speech, Propaganda, RT, Russia Today (RT), Sanctions |
613 | 20.12.2022 | Crimea and four other regions voted to join Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/crimea-and-four-other-regions-voted-to-join-russia | oroszhirek.hu | Ukraine, Russia | Hungarian | Crimea has been part of Russia since a referendum in 2014, in which its inhabitants voted overwhelmingly to join Russia following the Maidan coup in Kyiv. Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that he intends to take control of Crimea, along with the four former regions of Ukraine that also recently voted to join the Russian Federation. | Recurring Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming there was a coup that displaced the Ukrainian government in 2014, as well as the illegal annexation of Crimea and four other Ukrainian regions via sham referendums.In 2014, there was no coup, nor a western orchestrated protest in Ukraine.The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with the former President Yanukovych. After seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU due to Russian pressure. The protesters' demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, the formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence. Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and illegally annexed it via a sham referendum.Additionally Russia has held illegal referendums on four occupied oblasts of Ukraine (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson) on September 23-26, 2022. In each case, Russia does not fully control the territories where so-called referendums are taking place. As stated EU High Representative Josep Borrell:“The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal “referenda” which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, are in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in blatant breach of international law. The results of such actions will be null and void and would not be recognised by the EU and its Member States.Since the start of the invasion Russia has intimidated, illegally detained, tortured and abducted Ukrainian citizens and a significant part of the original population in the invaded areas has been forced to flee. Legally elected local officials have, in some cases, been forcibly replaced. Access to the internet, free and independent media and freedom of expression have also been greatly restricted.Therefore, these illegal “votes” cannot be considered under any circumstance as the free expression of the will of the people living in these regions under constant Russian military threat and intimidation".These parodies of democracy were also condemned by NATO, G7, US, as well as Russia’ partners like Serbia and Kazakhstan (a member of CIS and CSTO), which also mentioned that they will not recognise their results.See also a similar disinformation claims alleging that Kherson residents want to join Russia in a referendum. | Crimea, Kherson, Donbas, Manipulated elections/referendum, Referendum, illegal annexation, Invasion of Ukraine, Coup |
614 | 20.12.2022 | EU sets up war tribunal to cover up its war crimes in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-sets-up-war-tribunal-to-cover-up-its-war-crimes-in-ukraine | RIA | Ukraine, Russia, EU | Russian | The European Union is trying to cover up its involvement in war crimes in Ukraine by initiating the creation of a special tribunal and by financing arms supplies to Kyiv. Some EU member states are ready to openly violate the UN Charter in their Russophobic fervour. They are interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states. | This case may contain disturbing material incl. images of strong violence.This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets trying to deny any Russian involvement in war crimes in Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.The European Union has nothing to do with war crimes in Ukraine. There is ample and well-documented evidence of Russia's direct involvement in such crimes, which necessitates the creation of a special tribunal to bring the culprits to account. Russian forces were involved in atrocities such as in the town of Bucha and neighbouring settlements in the Kyiv Region, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum (Kharkiv Region) and Kherson region during the Russian occupation. Russian troops indiscriminately shell civilian facilities such as residential areas, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other objects. Since early October 2022, Russia has been repeatedly targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure.Russia also regularly shells the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is creating a radioactive threat for Ukraine and the whole of Europe. EU High representative 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. IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi said he was "extremely concerned" by reports of shelling at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is Europe's largest. Since October 2022, Russia has been regularly staging massive missile attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cities, launching dozens of missiles at a time.All these Russian actions are war crimes, for which those involved must be held accountable. That is what EU High Representative Josep Borrell was speaking about in his press remarks at the Ministerial Council meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Polish city of Łódź on 1 December 2022.Read more disinformation narratives about Russian war crimes in Ukraine. | War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, War crimes, Russophobia |
615 | 20.12.2022 | The claim Ukrainians were targeted during the 1932-33 famine is false | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-claim-ukrainians-were-targeted-during-the-1932-33-famine-is-false | Rossiya 1 | Russia, Ukraine, USSR | Russian | The 1932-33 Soviet famine affected all agricultural regions of the USSR. No special policies targeting Ukrainians were implemented at the time. | This is an example of gross historical revisionism and a recurring pro Kremlin disinformation narrative about Holodomor, claiming that there was no deliberately caused famine in Ukraine.The Holodomor was an man-made famine deliberately caused by Stalin with the aim to remove a perceived Ukrainian threat to the Soviet regime. The Soviet state took away livestock, crops and seeds from the peasants under the guise that they "plundered" state property. The Soviet law on the seizure of food from peasants was adopted in 1932 and is known as the "Five Spikelet Law". Anyone who gathered several ears of wheat on the collective farm field was a culprit of "theft of state property". The punishment for theft of kolkhoz or cooperative property was the death sentence. This law was personally attributed to Joseph Stalin. The famine of 1932-1933 claimed the lives of 7 to 10 million citizens of the Soviet Union; the disaster affected in large parts but not only Ukraine but also parts of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Russia. As Ukraine was particularly dominated by agriculture, Stalin entrusted Lazar Kaganovich to force through the orders in against Ukrainian peasents. The Holodomor is well documented and confirmed by a huge array of declassified documents, including official documents of the Soviet authorities and the Communist Party. In 2006, the Verkhovna Rada officially recognised the Holodomor of 1932-33 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. According to the latest data, 15 UN member states and the Vatican state recognise the Holodomor as an act of genocide in Ukraine. The European Parliament and PACE have recognised the Holodomor as a crime of the Soviet regime against their own people and a crime against humanity. See similar cases including Russophobic historical concepts, including so-called Holodomor-genocide, have brought Ukraine to a civil war , Holodomor is a myth invented of American propaganda , Holodomor-Genocide invented by Ukraine , Famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933 was not a genocide of the population. | Holodomor, USSR, Historical revisionism |
616 | 20.12.2022 | Calls for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine are an attempt to distract from EU corruption | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/calls-for-russia-to-withdraw-from-ukraine-are-an-attempt-to-distract-from-eu-corruption | sputniknews.lat | EU, Russia, Ukraine | Spanish | NATO and the EU prepare another charade for domestic consumption with Russia as its main character. In face of the generalised corruption of the European Commission and the European Parliament, they urgently need a smoke screen to distract the attention of their citizens, and this is a call for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. | The claim is false. This disinformation story refers to an upcoming joint EU-NATO statement pledging support for Ukraine and calling for Russia to stop the invasion and withdraw from Ukraine, which is totally unrelated to a corruption scandal that exploded in December 2022, after several European Parliament members were accused of receiving bribes from at least one foreign country.The allegation that corruption in the European Commission and the European Parliament is “generalised”, kind of the norm, is baseless. The EU reacted strongly to the scandal. Suspects in this case were immediately suspended from both their functions in the EU and their party memberships.EU lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to press for MEPs to be obliged to declare assets and for external financing of MEPs or staff to be prohibited, including a ban on donations from non-EU countries. They also urged the European Commission to put forward a proposal for an independent ethics body as soon as possible. The EU also suspended work with Qatar on legislative files relating to the country, notably on visa liberalisation, as well as on an EU-Qatar aviation agreement and planned visits until the allegations about bribing practices by this nation had been confirmed or dismissed.By framing the upcoming EU-NATO joint statement as “an attempt to distract” from the corruption scandal, this disinformation story tries both to stir up anti-EU feelings and to divert attention away from the unprovoked Russian aggression against its peaceful neighbour, which is indeed the real reason for this Western support for Ukraine. It is a well-known Kremlin tactic to launch smear campaigns with mudslinging against others - see our article here. See also other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia jails people for high-level corruption whereas the US, UK and Europe don’t, that European aid to Ukraine is a corrupt scheme for Zelenskyy, or that the West is decadent, corrupt, rotten and has reached its final phase.This disinformation narrative appeared in the same article as the claim that “Russian troops are not in Ukraine, as four regions decided to become Russian territory”. | Corruption, European Union, European Commission, European Parliament, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Ukraine, NATO |
617 | 20.12.2022 | Russians in Ukraine are in the majority, they are brainwashed | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russians-in-ukraine-are-in-the-majority-they-are-brainwashed | sputnik.by | Ukraine, Russia | Russian | The share of Russians in Ukraine's population is as high as in Russia. Hence, Russia cannot be interested in inflicting harm on the Ukrainian population. Attacks on energy infrastructure are aimed at limiting transportation of western assistance to Ukraine. The Russian majority in Ukraine has been seriously brainwashed with propaganda for the last century and a half. | This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets justifying the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. By falsely and absurdly claiming that the majority of the Ukrainian population are Russians, who were heavily brainwashed over a century-and-a-half-long with propaganda, it also promotes the classic disinformation narrative about the Russian world.Pro-Kremlin outlets have earlier voiced the bizarre claim that the shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure might help Ukrainian society, because “people’s brains might eventually turn on” without access to the internet and TV.Massive Russian missile attacks against civilian infrastructure do not have anything to do with attempts to prevent the transportation of western assistance to Ukraine but seeks to destroy the living conditions for millions of Ukrainian civilians. By continuing to terrorise Ukraine’s civilian population, Russia aims at making the lives of Ukrainian citizens intolerable during the winter months and forcing them to leave their homes, perhaps becoming refuges in EU countries. This way, Russia weaponises winter and refugees. Read earlier similar disinformation cases claiming that the war against Ukraine lasts longer than expected because Russia greatly cares about civilians, that financial aid to Ukraine funds terrorist attacks against civilian infrastructure, and that Russia is only attacking valid military targets. | War in Ukraine, Ethnic Russians, Propaganda |
618 | 20.12.2022 | Russian troops are not in Ukraine, as these regions decided to become Russian territory | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russian-troops-are-not-in-ukraine-as-these-regions-decided-to-become-russian-territory | sputniknews.lat | Russia, Ukraine | Spanish | We must clarify that Russia is not currently in Ukraine but in Russian territory, because that’s the decision of four regions who preferred to tie their destiny to Russia: Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. In any case, there should be a call for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Russian territory. | This disinformation story aims to portray the illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions by the Russian Federation as legitimate and the expression of the free will of the population. Nonetheless, the claim is false, as the four mentioned regions - Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson- remain legally part of Ukraine. The forced annexation of these regions took place amid a full invasion and under military occupation, and after sham referenda that didn’t meet any international standard to be considered legitimate. The "referenda" were held illegally, under duress, and on territories which Russia does not even fully control. Multiple testimonies showed that many voters were coerced to take part in the false consultation, and eyewitnesses and footage in places like Enerhodar and Kherson proved that officials escorted by soldiers went door to door picking up votes.The results of these sham polls were universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. No other states -with the single exception of North Korea- recognised the result of the referenda, despite Russia’s claims at the UN that the presence of over 100 observers from multiple countries recognised the outcomes as legitimate.On the EU's behalf, High Representative Josep Borrell said the following:“The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal “referenda” which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, are in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in blatant breach of international law. The results of such actions will be null and void and would not be recognised by the EU and its Member States. […] Therefore, these illegal “votes” cannot be considered under any circumstance as the free expression of the will of the people living in these regions under constant Russian military threat and intimidation."See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Kherson, Zaporizhia and Donbas regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia, that international observers certified that people voted freely in the Ukraine referenda, that referendums in Eastern Ukraine were completely transparent and legitimate, or that the referendum in Donbas corrected a historical injustice. | Referendum, Manipulated elections/referendum, illegal annexation, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine, Ukraine, Donbas |
619 | 20.12.2022 | The US pushed Ukrainian puppets to war with Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-pushed-ukrainian-puppets-to-war-with-russia | sputnik.by,uz.sputniknews.ru | Ukraine, Russia, US | Russian | The US pushed Kyiv's puppets to war with Russia. Washington makes Ukrainian suffering longer and is not immune from consequences of the Russian special military operation on US territory. The Russian operation was provoked by NATO expansion to the east and militarisation of the post-Soviet space. Once the actual reason is liquidated, Europe may become the area of peace and well-being. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is a Western "tool" against Russia. The claim aims to deflect any Russian responsibility for the unjustified full-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.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 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. 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.Although NATO member states are providing Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression, they are not involved in direct fighting. 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. | Puppets, NATO, War in Ukraine, Anti-Russian |
620 | 20.12.2022 | Moldova dreams of a Russian invasion | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/moldova-dreams-of-a-russian-invasion | sputnik-ossetia.ru | Moldova, Russia, Ukraine | Russian | [President] Maia Sandu may unleash a war in Transnistria, but the Moldovan security forces do not want to fight and may refuse to follow the orders of the president.The standard of living in Moldova has fallen so much that the authorities are dreaming of a Russian invasion, which, in their opinion, will help Moldova start a comfortable life as part of Russia. | Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Moldova's pro-European leadership wants to draw Moldova into Russia's war with Ukraine, opening a "second front" in the Transnistrian region. The disinformation seeks to deflect attention away from Russia's pressure on Moldova: economic via prices for gas export, politically via vocal threats of giving Moldova "the same fate as Ukraine". There is no evidence to claim that Moldova is preparing for war. Even though the defence budget has increased by approximately 50%, and the spending includes both the procurement of military equipment and salary increases for the military, this does not mean that Moldova prepares for war. According to the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is a neutral country and this status can only be changed through a referendum. However, such a referendum is not planned or even discussed.The country's president, Maia Sandu, declared (min. 34-38) in July 2022 that Moldova remains a neutral country, but will strengthen its defence: "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".See similar disinformation cases claiming that Moldova is preparing for war, that Moldova is preparing a new war against Transnistria, that US arms Moldova for war in Transnistria, or that Kyiv is pushing Moldova to aggression against Transnistria. | Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Transcarpathia |
621 | 20.12.2022 | Germany is quietly turning into a state of beggars | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-is-quietly-turning-into-a-state-of-beggars | Sputnik Poland | Germany | Polish | Germany is on its way to becoming a “beggar state”. The soaring energy prices and the rising cost of living threaten to break up the society, which will have potentially dramatic consequences for Germany. A sharp increase in the cost of living has led to a rise in poverty in this country. The poor people become even poorer while the middle class is also starting to struggle. The middle-class anxiety about the crisis is gradually turning into a real fear, while the poor people are turning into pure despair. For many decades, Germany has been a modern welfare state, so we cannot allow it to quietly turn into a state of beggars. | A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on the energy crisis in Europe and economic difficulties amid the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. This narrative plays into the Kremlin’s claims that Western economies are collapsing.The claim that Germany and other EU countries are “quickly turning into beggar states” is ungrounded.Under various projections, Germany's economy is expected to grow slightly and avoid the worst of the energy crisis with the help of easing energy market prices and state aid.Despite the Kremlin’s decision to limit gas supplies to Europe and the effects of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, the EU economy is recovering from the crisis created by COVID-19. Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, indicates that, in the 2nd quarter of 2022, GDP in the Eurozone was up by 0.8%, and employment increased by 0.4%. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 4.1% in the euro area and by 4.2% in the EU in the second quarter of 2022. Inflation is assumed to reach 7.6% on average.The European Investment Bank estimates that real economic growth in 2022 will be below 3%, which is just 1% below the forecast at the beginning of the year. It also stresses that EU Member States will have to deal with rising prices for households and industry, trade disruptions, etc. Nevertheless, the EU is in a good position to avoid recession and economic downturn, which Putin and Moscow seeks to impose on Europe.See similar disinformation cases alleging that Europe is collapsing: EU sanctions are hurting Europe more than Russia; sanctions imposed by Washington and Brussels are pushing Italy to economic suicide; Western sanctions are the cause of inflation. | economy, Economic difficulties, Energy |
622 | 20.12.2022 | Germany and Poland requested pipeline oil supplies from Russia by 2023 | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-and-poland-requested-pipeline-oil-supplies-from-russia-by-2023 | oroszhirek.hu | Russia, Germany, Poland | Hungarian | Germany and Poland have asked Russia for pipeline oil supplies by 2023. Both countries had previously announced that they would stop importing Russian oil by the end of the year. | New pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about energy and the EU’s sanctions on Russia. This claim is false. Germany rejected a claim that it plans to buy Russian oil early next year, saying that it will instead import crude oil from Kazakhstan. “Reports that Germany had ordered Russian crude oil are false,” a spokeswoman for the German Economy Ministry said. “The mineral oil companies at the Leuna and Schwedt refineries will no longer be ordering Russian crude oil in the new year.”Polish refiner PKN Orlen said it will not extend a contract for Russian oil which expires in January 2023, while a second long-term agreement for Russian crude will cease to be implemented once sanctions are in place.See similar narratives about energy issues. | Energy, Sanctions, European Union |
623 | 20.12.2022 | Moldova gets rid of everything Russian | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/moldova-gets-rid-of-everything-russian | mybusiness.md | Moldova, Russia | Russian | Schools, TV channels: Moldova gets rid of everything Russian.But the bans are likely to affect not only TV channels broadcasting in Russian. Maia Sandu, on the air of one of the TV channels, said that concerts in Moldovan cities, where children performed Soviet songs in Soviet uniforms, should be studied by the Information and Security Service for risks to the country's security. At the same time, Finance Minister Dmitry Budyansky, when asked by a deputy about the underfunding of Russian-language schools, advised them to switch to Romanian. In the republic, they started talking about the upcoming closure of Russian schools. | This claim appeared after the decision of the Moldovan Government to suspend the licenses of 6 TV stations, considered by the Commission for Emergency Situations as dangerous to state security because of their transmission of propaganda and disinformation and not working as proper media according to journalistic standards. All these channels retranslated a big part of their content from Russian channels controlled by the Government.The claim in the article does not correspond to the truth. The licenses of these stations were stopped only during the exceptional situation in force in Moldova due to the war in Ukraine. They were not intended only for Russians, but also had many shows and news in Romanian, as required by the legislation of the Republic of Moldova. The representation of this action as Russophobia instigated by the West is part of the pro-Kremlin narrative, according to which Russians and the Russian language are persecuted in states with a pro-European leadership. In the Republic of Moldova, there are still TV stations that transmit content in Russian, either partially or fully, and they have not been closed. No evidence is given for the claim about the future closure of Russian schools in Moldova. At the moment, there is no draft law or decision that would provide for the closure of any school on the agenda of the authorities.See here a similar case claiming that Moldova received an external political order to suspend the Russian TV channels. | Russophobia |
624 | 19.12.2022 | Europe has rapidly lost its independence | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/europe-has-rapidly-lost-its-independence | news.am,tass.ru,Golos Armenii | EU, US, Europe | Armenian, Russian | Europe can hardly lay claim to the role of a separate center of a multipolar world, although Moscow would like that. Washington, as the Russians say, “lined up” the rest of the collective West. Europe rapidly, just before our eyes, lost its independence and can hardly claim the role of a separate center of a multipolar world. | A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an alleged loss of sovereignty of the EU and its member states. 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.”In fact, the EU Member States are sovereign countries and make sovereign decisions. 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.Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine. See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war. | Sovereignty, New World Order, Sergei Lavrov, US presence in Europe, European Union |
625 | 19.12.2022 | The UK is building an anti-Russia coalition using vassals | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-uk-is-building-an-anti-russia-coalition-using-vassals | baltnews.com | UK, Baltic states, Poland | Russian | The Baltic states are colonies and vassals of the United Kingdom. London is trying to build an anti-Russian coalition using the Baltic states and Poland. | Recurring narrative of disinformation presenting the Baltic states and Poland as puppets of Western powers (the UK in this case). A disinformation trope playing on the Kremlin narrative of "lost sovereignty". The relations between the UK, the Baltic states, and Poland are grounded by mutual respect and interests. Here is more information about relations between the UK and Lithuania, the UK and Latvia, the UK and Estonia, and the UK’s cooperation with Poland in defence and economy.See similar examples of disinformation presenting the Baltic states and Poland as puppets of the West: NATO will turn the Baltic states into the epicentre of the nuclear explosion; The US and NATO want to turn the Baltic sea region into the anti-Russia powder keg; The Eastern European “limitrophes” are geopolitical scum unable to protect their borders. | Anti-Russian, Puppets, Russophobia |
626 | 19.12.2022 | Russian oil price cap violates market pricing | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russian-oil-price-cap-violates-market-pricing | RIA | Ukraine, Russia, EU | Russian | Russia will respond to Western attempts to set a cap on gas prices. This is a violation of the market process of and an encroachment on it. Any references to a price cap are unacceptable. | This is a recurring manipulation of the discussions about the energy sector and sanctions on Russia.In reality, setting a price cap is not a violation of market rules. Russian oil is not ousted from Western markets completely. The price cap is fixed for now but adjustable over time. EU countries agreed to set it at $60 per barrel. The price may be amended in the future to reflect market developments and technical changes. The price cap for Russian oil was initiated by G7 states and supported by the EU as an additional sanction for Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. It was noted that: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.The price cap applies to oils which originate in or are exported from Russia. It comes on top of the EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products, and the corresponding bans of other G7 partners. Russian oil output is expected to fall by 1.4 million barrels per day in 2023. Chatham House provides a prognosis that “one particularly important point when it comes to oil, energy, and commodity markets has been how market forces have mitigated Russia’s own efforts to use the energy card against the West, particularly against Europe”.If the cap causes oil prices to go down as a secondary effect, that would benefit most of the global economy, especially low-income countries, which have suffered the most due to rising energy costs. It was noted by the Council of the EU that: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.Read more disinformation narratives about the price cap on Russian oil and see also our article Smoke, mirrors and gas: the Kremlin deflects blame for the energy crisis - EUvsDisinfo. | economy, Sanctions, Invasion of Ukraine |
627 | 19.12.2022 | West sanctioned Russia and Iran under the false pretext of drone supplies | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/west-sanctioned-russia-and-iran-under-the-false-pretext-of-drone-supplies | sputniknews.lat,sputniknews.lat | Iran, Russia, Ukraine, EU, US | Spanish | Schizophrenic West sanctioned again Russia and Iran under the pretext of a lie. The US, UK, the EU and New Zealand imposed new sanctions on Iran justifying them by its repression of protests, and also on its drone supplies to Russia which never happened. An Iranian top official affirmed that Ukraine didn’t present evidence about the use of Iranian drones in the Slavic country. It doesn’t matter, as many allegations on the use of Iranian drones in the Ukrainian conflict are based on baseless statements and rumours. Falsity is the only weapon of the West to impose sanctions. | The claim is patently false. Despite early denials, there is ample evidence of the use of Iranian drones by Russian invading forces in Ukraine, including images, wreckage, expert identification and the examination of at least one downed unmanned aerial vehicle in good condition. After these denials became untenable in face of the growing mass of proof, on 05 November 2022 Iran shifted its narrative and admitted that it had indeed supplied drones to Russia but only months before the war, although this is contradicted by a mid-October report by Reuters news agency quoting four Iranian officials who confirmed that Tehran had recently agreed to supply more Iranian drones to Russia along with missiles, more than half a year after the start of the war.There is also further circumstantial evidence of Iran’s drone deliveries for its use in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. On 18 October 2022, Ukraine invited UN experts to examine debris from downed Iranian drones. Russia reacted by calling on UN officials to “abstain from engaging in any illegitimate investigation” and threatening to “reassess [Russia’s] collaboration” with the United Nations. US intelligence also affirmed that Iranian trainers were in Crimea to help Russian forces operate the Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles. On 20 October 2022, Russian military expert Ruslan Pukhov inadvertently admitted on camera in RBC TV that Russia is using Iranian suicide drones. US intelligence reports distributed to some NATO partners also affirm that Iran reached an agreement to assemble Iranian-designed drones on Russian soil, according to The Washington Post.This growing mass of evidence has led to UK, US and several packages of EU sanctions, including one on 12 December 2022 against Iran and on 16 December 2022 against Russia. The European Union strongly condemns and considers any type of Iranian military support unacceptable, including deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs - “drones”), to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, and recalls that any transfer of certain combat drones and missiles to or from Iran without prior permission by the UN Security Council are in violation of UNSCR 2231.Claiming that there is no reason to sanction Russia is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, while denying Russia’s illicit actions when it is called out or labelling these accusations as fake is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that war crimes accusations are Ukrainian propaganda against Russia, that Russia is falsely accused of misdeeds by simply affirming that its responsibility is “highly likely”, that anti-Russian sanctions are illegal pressure, or that sanctions on Russia and China are an artificial attempt to maintain a vanishing Western hegemony. | Sanctions, Invasion of Ukraine, Military |
628 | 19.12.2022 | Radical Islamists heading from Syria to Ukraine to fight for Kyiv | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/radical-islamists-heading-from-syria-to-ukraine-to-fight-for-kyiv | sputniknews.lat | Syria, Ukraine | Spanish | A new group of radical Islamists travelled from northeast Syria to Ukraine to fight as mercenaries for the Kyiv regime, local sources revealed. There are Turkish officials involved in the operation. | No evidence is provided to back this claim, part of a wider disinformation campaign to justify Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The affirmation that jihadists, terrorists or other kind of extremists are fighting on Ukraine’s side is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to discredit Ukrainian efforts to defend their country from the Russian invasion. This allegation also abounds in a long-term disinformation narrative about the West’s alleged support for terrorism with multiple goals including encircling Russia, and about Russia as the only power actually “fighting terrorism” in the world. | Terrorism, Invasion of Ukraine, Jihad, Islamic extremism |
629 | 19.12.2022 | Ukraine is losing the war, it's being ruined for the sake of American globalists | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-is-losing-the-war-its-being-ruined-for-the-sake-of-american-globalists | inosmi.ru,fr.sputniknews.africa,radiosputnik.ria.ru | Russia, US, Ukraine | Russian, French | The mainstream media and the Biden administration insist that Ukraine is winning against Russia. The war hawks know their cynical Ukraine policy has not succeeded in driving Russia out of Ukraine. Tragically, the Ukrainians are the ones who suffer the immense cost of this foreign policy failure. Their nation is ruined for the sake of the globalist American empire.The losses of the Ukrainian army could amount to 100,000 men, as also recently admitted lip service Ursula von der Leyen. Faced with the outcry caused by these estimates, the speech of the President of the European Commission was then censored.If this data is true, this represents ten times more than the losses reported by the Ukrainian government. | Classic pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative turning upside-down the responsibility for the war casualties and destruction from the aggressor (Russia) to the defending country (Ukraine), while the countries who support this defensive effort are being called hawks with a cynical policy.Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and 8 years later, on 24 February 2022 launched a full-scale military invasion. The full responsibility lies with Russia, not with the defenders or the countries that help them. The EU condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine and imposed the toughest restrictive measures on Russia. Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine.The speech of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referred to was edited to remove the Ukrainian losses because they referred to a third party global evaluation including wounded and killed military personnel. American sources had earlier made similar evaluations:“UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that "we estimate over 100,000 Russians are either dead, injured, or have deserted." That figure echoes a similar estimate from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, the highest-ranking US general, who said last month that over 100,000 Russian soldiers had been "killed and wounded." Milley added that Ukraine has "probably" suffered similar casualties.”The facts presented in the article show that Ukraine and Ukrainians is paying a huge cost to Russian aggression but do not imply in any way that Ukrainian army is about to collapse, and Russia gain control of the territory contradicting Western mainstream media.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, West, Warmongering |
630 | 19.12.2022 | The goal of the West led by the US is to destroy Russia as a state and turn it into a puppet | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-goal-of-the-west-led-by-the-us-is-to-destroy-russia-as-a-state-and-turn-it-into-a-puppet | livenews.am | Russia, US | Armenian | The Western countries are pursuing a policy of confrontation with Russia, they are increasingly escalating the tension, deepening the conflict in Ukraine, which does not correspond to the fundamental interests of humanity at all. The goal of the collective West led by the USA is to destroy Russia as a state, at least to overthrow Putin's regime and turn Russia into a puppet, a vassal, a "state" that fulfils its will unconditionally. | Pro-Kremlin outlets disinformation paranoid narrative accusing the West of anti-Russian policies, escalation in Ukraine, colonialism, aggressive Russophobia and allegedly belligerent and hostile agenda to destroy, ruin Russia, aiming to portray Russia as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s illicit actions. See also Russian Myths: no.5 Encirclement. The West has never strived to destroy Russia as a state. From the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the emergence of a new and democratic Russia and up to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Western nations were treating Russia as an equal. The EU imposed restrictive measures on Moscow in 2014, which have been amplified and broadened since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.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 West or the US are not in war with Russia or Russians. Since Russia launched its unjustified aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the West has been calling for Russian withdrawal from Ukraine and a peaceful settlement.Sanctions were implemented by the European Union as a reaction to the unjustified actions of Russia.Read our recent article: Putin scaremongering – a Quick Guide. | Anti-Russian, West, Puppets, Destabilising Russia, Russophobia, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
631 | 19.12.2022 | The West is an accomplice of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-an-accomplice-of-the-ethnic-cleansing-of-serbs-in-kosovo | sputniknews.lat | Kosovo, US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Serbia | Spanish | With the inaction of the Quintet ambassadors of the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy in Pristina, namely to avoid the escalation of an eventual conflict, they become accomplices of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo. | The claim is an attempt to stir up anti-Western feelings and tension, by baselessly accusing Western countries of a non-existent “ethnic cleansing” against Serbs in Kosovo. This is part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign to blame the West for the escalation of tensions in Kosovo in December 2022 when it is Russia who is actually inflaming the situation. Further, it is also serves to divert attantion away from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although there is not a universally accepted definition in international law of what “ethnic cleansing” is, a UN commission of experts on Yugoslavia labelled it as “a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas”. According to the International Criminal Court, elements that make up the practice of ethnic cleansing include “widespread and systematic killings, disappearances, population transfers, rape, persecution, and other similarly inhumane acts”. As controversial as some of the recent measures adopted by the government in Pristina regarding the Serbian population in northern Kosovo may be, such as legally forcing ethnic Serbs to surrender their Serbian license plates, they cannot be considered even remotely as concordant with the practices included in this definition. However, an abusive use of terms such as “genocide” or “ethnic cleansing” is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the escalation of tensions in Kosovo is caused by NATO, that the West is using Kosovo to break Serbia’s ties to Russia and China, that the West is organising everything in Kosovo and is unable to force Kosovars to obey existing agreements, or that the US is trying to provoke Serbia into a military operation. | ethnic cleansing, Kosovo, West |
632 | 19.12.2022 | Sanctions cause deindustrialisation of Europe | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/sanctions-cause-deindustrialisation-of-europe | baltnews.com | US, EU, Europe, Russia | Russian | The result of the sanctions against Russia is the deindustrialization of Europe. The sanctions cause an energetic crisis. The US uses the situation for its own purpose and pumping out investments from the EU. | Recurring disinformation about sanctions on Russia, presenting the EU as the puppet of the US, which wants to destroy the economy of Europe for its own benefit.The European Union already adopted the ninth package of economic and individual sanctions on Russia due to its illegal aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories.Europe is facing an energetic crisis which 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 made 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 set to contract by 6% in 2022.The US is not pumping out the investment from Europe. Instead, the statistic shows that direct investment of the US to Europe are growing last few decades.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. | economy, Sanctions, Puppets, Invasion of Ukraine |
633 | 19.12.2022 | Zelenskyy uses civilians as human shield in Kyiv | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/zelenskyy-uses-civilians-as-human-shield-in-kyiv | Rossiya 1 | Ukraine, Russia | Russian | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has virtually acknowledged that he is using civilians in Kyiv as human shields. He said that if the city was empty ahead of a possible Russian attack, it would be easy to seize it. | This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine of war crimes, including using civilians as human shields. This claim was made in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.In reality, Zelenskyy cited the experience of the Second World War in an interview to TF1 and LCI and said that it was easier to seize cities when they were empty. Asked whether he meant that Kyiv would not be evacuated at any cost, he said:“We will hold on, we do not have slavery. We have a democratic society. When people want to go, they can afford it, and that is OK. Each person protects the state, protects himself. The family is also part of the state. There are various examples. Sometimes people have to leave. The state must provide corridors and opportunities for evacuation. But I definitely want to tell you that if the city is empty, it will be very easy to capture it. These are both historical examples and examples of our state. All our destroyed towns in Donbas are empty. People were either killed by the Russian army, or they annihilated them, or people left and did the right thing. They were leaving because they were constantly under fire there. And the ruined towns were seized later.”There was nothing in Zelenskyy’s word about compelling civilians to stay in Kyiv, should it face a new Russian or Russian-Belarusian attack. He made it clear that everyone was free to either stay in Kyiv or leave it.Read more disinformation cases about Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. | War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, war crimes |
634 | 18.12.2022 | Berlin and Brussels are afraid of the strong Polish Army | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/berlin-and-brussels-are-afraid-of-the-strong-polish-army | Sputnik Poland | Poland, Germany, EU | Polish | The EU leadership’s attempts to deprive Poland of funds from the European budget partially dictated by the fact that Warsaw plans to spend this money on the modernisation of its Army, which may become stronger than the German armed forces. The actions of the European Commission are connected to the plans of the Polish Government to spend 110 billion euros on the development of its armed forces in the coming years. If it happens, the Polish Army will become much stronger than the German armed forces. Therefore, Berlin and Brussels may believe that if Poland does not receive the EU money, it will not be able to create one of the largest armies in Europe. | This message is a part of the Kremlin’s disinformation narratives about deep internal divisions within the EU.The claim that the European Commission and the German authorities want to hamper Polish attempts to develop its armed forces is ungrounded. The current dispute between Warsaw and Brussels regarding the allocation of money from the EU Cohesion Fund has no connection to military issues. The reason for this dispute is the EU's insistence that the Polish authorities comply with crucial EU requirements on fundamental rights. In December 2022, the Polish authorities manifested their readiness to solve this legal issue.The ongoing modernisation of the Polish Army and purchases of advanced military equipment is the Polish response to the current security crisis taking place in Eastern Europe – this situation is a result of the Russian annexation of Crimea and military aggression against Ukraine in Donbas.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).See other messages about the EU disintegration and European domestic contradictions here. | Military, EU disintegration, EU budget, Conspiracy theory, Brussels |
635 | 18.12.2022 | Kosovo's EU application is a breach of the Washington agreement | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kosovos-eu-application-is-a-breach-of-the-washington-agreement-is-a-breach-of-the-washington-agreement | kachaf.com,raiseyasi.com,raialyoum.com,ar.rtarabic.com,arabic.rt.com | Kosovo, Serbia, EU | Arabic | Submission of the Kosovan membership for EU application contradicts the Washington agreements signed in 2020. It provides for, among other things, a mutual moratorium on escalation between Pristina and Belgrade. Under it, the Kosovan authorities undertake to temporarily not seek membership of international organisations. | This is part of a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign regarding Kosovo, claiming that Kosovo is the only party responsible regarding tensions with Serbia, and that it is pushed by the West and NATO to fuel tension with Serbia. The case was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.According to the agreement signed between Kosovo and Serbia in Washington in September 2020, Kosovo only committed to a one-year moratorium on seeking membership of international organisations. Kosovo only applied for membership of the Council of Europe and the European Union after the moratorium ended in September 2021. | International Law, Kosovo |
636 | 18.12.2022 | It was an external political order for Moldova to suspend the Russian TV channels | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/it-was-an-external-political-order-for-moldova-to-suspend-the-russian-tv-channels | Sputnik Poland | Moldova, EU, US | Polish | The decision to suspend the broadcasting of six Russian-language channels in Moldova was the result of an external order. This political order comes from outside - this decision was made immediately after [President] Maia Sandu’s visit to the United States and after her meeting with one well-known Ambassador to Moldova. Therefore, no serious international organisations such as PACE, the EU or foreign embassies will speak out in defence of these TV channels. The Moldovan authorities count on the final dissolution of the opposition channels in three or four months. Meanwhile, the pro-government channels will broadcast the Russian-language preparing Moldova for NATO and EU integration. | Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the “lost sovereignty”, claiming that Moldova’s actions are not independent, but totally influenced by external forces. See about the Kremlin claim here.On 16 December 2022, Moldova temporarily banned six television channels for airing disinformation about the country and Russia’s war in Ukraine. In fact, some of the channels broadcast in Moldovan, dispelling the claim that this is a language issue only targeting the Russian-speaking population of Moldova.The ban takes effect from 19 December 2022 and last for the duration of a state of emergency that Moldova declared after Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The channels will lose their licences “for disseminating incorrect information when covering events in Moldova and the war in Ukraine”, said a special committee overseeing the state of emergency.See a similar case claiming that Moldovan authorities use disinformation excuse to exclude Russian voices from social and political life. | Puppets, Freedom of speech, Sovereignty, Maia Sandu, Media, US presence in Europe, Democracy |
637 | 18.12.2022 | Poles have figured out that a long conflict is beneficial to NATO, US and Western gun manufacturers | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poles-have-figured-out-that-a-long-conflict-is-beneficial-to-nato-us-and-western-gun-manufacturers | Sputnik Czech | Poland, Ukraine, Russia, US | Czech | Readers of Polish newspaper Interia criticised a statement from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about Russia’s plans for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine. According to them, it is the alliance which prepares Europe for a long conflict which would be beneficial to NATO, the US and Western gun manufacturers. | Disinformation around the war in Ukraine. This article in Sputnik is not only factually incorrect, but its clearly manipulative character plays an important role in the sentiment readers have from it. The most important part lays in the headline: “the Poles have figured out” – which would suggest the majority of the nation, maybe based on information acquired from a public opinion poll. In reality, “the Poles” are represented by four comments in the comment section of an article published by a Polish newspaper. This clearly does not correspond with the way the headline was written and is an attempt to manipulate the audience.Further, the claim seeks to deflect attention away from Russia's responsibility for starting and continuing the war by suggesting a kind of conspiracy where arms manufactures are the real culprits in keeping the war going. In fact, it is Russia's constant bombings and military offensives in Ukraine which is the root cause. “Coincidentally”, these comments represented Russian propaganda and “anti-Western” and “anti-Ukrainian” narratives.Read more disinformation cases claiming that the US and its allies are stepping up military aid to Kyiv to prolong the conflict, Peaceful settlement in Ukraine is off the table for Western countries; US arms deliveries to Ukraine delay peaceful settlement; EU, Europe, NATO hamper peaceful solution in 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. | War in Ukraine, NATO, West |
638 | 18.12.2022 | The European carbon market agreement serves American interests | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-european-carbon-market-agreement-serves-american-interests | Sputnik Poland | EU, US | Polish | The agreement on the carbon market reached by the EU is economic suicide for European countries. This agreement lies in the interests of the United States, not the environment.The EU is being sold to the Americans in order to destroy the Europeans. | A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged loss of sovereignty of the EU and collapsing economies of European countries. Pro-Kremlin outlets often portray European states as vassals, puppet-states or colonies of the US, which destroys the European economy through anti-Russian sanctions or climate policy. This is a wedge-driving attempt to undermine transatlantic cooperation. See also about the wider Kremlin claim of lost sovereignty. The claim that the European energy and climate policies are implemented in American interests is ungrounded.On 13 December 2022, the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement with the EU Council to set up an EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to combat climate change and prevent carbon leakage. The EU aims to cut carbon emissions by 62% by 2030. The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) will be a crucial pillar of European climate policy.See other similar examples of disinformation: the US is destroying industry in Europe by forcing Brussels to sanction Russia; Sanctions that were supposed to destroy Russia may disintegrate the EU and US is destroying industry in Europe by forcing Brussels to sanction Russia. | Energy, Climate, US presence in Europe, Puppets, EU disintegration |
639 | 17.12.2022 | The EU adopted another package of illegitimate sanctions against Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-eu-adopted-another-package-of-illegitimate-sanctions-against-russia | news.am | Russia, EU | Armenian | As a part of the sanction aggression unleashed against Russia, the EU Council adopted another "package" of illegitimate unilateral restrictive measures against our country. The EU leaders are not able to get out of the vicious circle of restrictions and recognise the futility of all anti-Russian sanctions and the policy of pressure on Russia. The current "package" will have the same effect as all the previous ones - exacerbation of socio-economic problems in the European Union itself. Due to the ill-conceived steps of Brussels, EU citizens have already faced energy shortages and unprecedented “sanctions inflation”, and a real threat of de-industrialisation looms over the EU economy. | Recurring disinformation about Western sanctions on Russia, framing them as illegal.This narrative fits well into the Kremlin's claims that the West is collapsing. The Kremlin seeks to pressure and blackmail the European governments and create public panic over energy insecurity / energy costs.The EU adopted so far nine sanction packages against Russia due to its illegal aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories. More about the last ninth package read here.The EU has imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia in response to the unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Furthermore, in December 2022, EU countries agreed to set a price cap on Russian oil at $60 per barrel. The price cap applies to oils which originate in or are exported from Russia. The cap comes on top of the EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products, and the corresponding bans of other G7 partners.Sanctions are a key tool of EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.The EU sanctions are legitimate restrictions imposed in accordance with international and European law as a response to violations of international legalities, such as Russia’s actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The EU established the sanctions regime under its laws, specifically Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, "concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine."The EU has the right to impose economic sanctions within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. Crucially, any such measures must strictly conform to European and international law. Other international actors have the right to impose them under international law as well under certain conditions.Through restrictive measures, the EU intervenes where appropriate to respond to emerging or current crises. EU sanctions are carefully targeted and designed to be proportionate to the objectives they seek to achieve. Moscow has falsely claimed that the EU sanctions are illegal ever since their imposition in 2014, following Russia's invasion, annexation, and ongoing occupation of Crimea.The Autumn 2022 Eurobarometer survey shows that three quarters of EU citizens approve the EU’s overall support to 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. The publication of the full results of this survey is foreseen for January 2023.Read here about the EU and the US sanctions explained. | Sanctions, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Maria Zakharova, Anti-Russian |
640 | 17.12.2022 | EU sanctions undermine global food security | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-sanctions-undermine-global-food-security | arabic.rt.com | EU, Russia | Arabic | The new [9th] sanctions package includes the possibility for EU member states to provide certain exemptions from sanctions in favor of a number of Russian food and fertilizer exporters. This step is an acknowledgment by the EU that its restrictive measures have undermined global food security, as they are directed against Russia's agro-industrial complex; they create significant barriers to the continued export of our agricultural products to third countries. | This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about sanctions in the context of Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.The claim that sanctions are the cause of the global food crisis is an attempt to deflect Russia's responsibility for it. In fact, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has also destroyed substantial Ukrainian food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in areas occupied in Ukraine. Further, Russian threats to shipping transport in the Black Sea reduced the export capacity from free Ukraine. Even before the 9th sanctions package, EU sanctions did not include the import of agricultural products unless a sanctioned individual was involved. Moreover, the sanctions already only covered bilateral trade between the EU and Russia, meaning that third countries can import Russian agri-food products without restriction, and therefore there is no basis for the claim that EU sanctions are the cause of the crisis in developing countries.See article 15. of the conclusions of the European Council of 20 and 21 October 2022:Russia, by weaponising food in its war against Ukraine, is solely responsible for the global food security crisis it has provoked. Russia’s war of aggression has triggered disruptions of agricultural production, supply chains and trade that have driven world food and fertiliser prices to unprecedented levels. The EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes have made possible the export of significant volumes of Ukrainian crops, agricultural products and fertilisers to the countries most in need.Read also related cases: Western sanctions cause food crisis and price growth, Sanctions against Russia worsen the economic crisis in the West, The EU lost more from sanctions than Russia, European sanctions against Russia do not work. | Sanctions, food, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
641 | 16.12.2022 | The war in Ukraine is part of a Western anti-China plan | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-war-in-ukraine-is-part-of-a-western-anti-china-plan | sputnik.by | Ukraine, Russia, China | Russian | The West spent almost 10 years preparing Ukraine for confrontation with Russia and thereby targeting China. Ukraine is an anti-Russia Western tool, thanks to which Russia was supposed to be taken under control and turned into an anti-China tool. An attack against Russia by Ukraine was a part of the plan to spark Russia-China war. Russia has undermined such western plans. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The claim paints Ukraine as a Western puppet thus undermining Ukraine's statehood and sovereignty. This claim aims to justify Russia war of aggression with groundless conspiracy about orchestrated Russia-China confrontation.The US, the EU and some NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression. Ukraine receives weapons with the sole aim of restoring its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.This is not the first instance when pro-Kremlin media use the Russia-China conspiracy. They previously spread the claim that the West invented Covid-19 to punish China for not confronting Russia and that the Hong Kong protests were the West’s revenge on China for not waging war against Russia. | War in Ukraine, Conspiracy theory, Anti-Russian |
642 | 16.12.2022 | Moldovan authorities use disinformation excuse to exclude Russian voices from social and political life | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/moldovan-authorities-use-disinformation-excuse-to-exclude-russian-voices-from-social-and-political-life | gate.ahram.org.eg,ar.rtarabic.com,m.gomhuriaonline.com,arabic.rt.com | Moldova, Russia | Arabic | Since last March there has been a ban on Russian news programmes, and Russian TV channels are constantly being fined "under the pretext of fighting misinformation and biased coverage of the special military operation (in Ukraine), and publishing unverified information that would harm the country's national security."When the Moldovan authorities pursue deliberate policies aimed at reducing the use of the Russian language and excluding it from social and political life, there can be no talk of respect and concern for the Russian-speaking population. | This claim is in line with a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Russophobia and anti-Russian attitudes are rampant in countries of the former Soviet Union; especially in cases where those countries receive Western support.On 16 December 2022, Moldova temporarily banned six television channels for airing disinformation about the country and Russia's war in Ukraine. In fact, some of the channels are broadcast in Moldovan dispelling claims that this a language issue, or targets the Russian-speaking population of Moldova. The ban will start on 19 December 2022 and last for the duration of a state of emergency that Moldova declared after Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The channels will lose their licences "for disseminating incorrect information when covering events in Moldova and the war in Ukraine", said a special committee overseeing the state of emergency.See a similar case that according to the West, the Russian language is a threat to open and transparent elections in Moldova. | Ethnic Russians, Russophobia, Russian language, fake news |
643 | 16.12.2022 | EU sanctions are against the freedom of choice of the Russian people | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/eu-sanctions-are-against-the-freedom-of-choice-of-the-russian-people | arabic.rt.com | EU, Russia | Arabic | When imposing sanctions against Russian parties, European officials imposed sanctions against the choice of the Russian people. This is because the political forces represented in the State Duma directly express the interests of Russian citizens. | Pro-Kremlin disinformation claim on sanctions, this time implying that the Russian political system is a democracy in which members of the State Duma are true representatives of the Russia people. The claim was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.The level of democratic freedoms in Russia has been steadily declining since the 1990s. In 2005, Freedom House changed Russia's classification from "partly free" to "not free," due to "the virtual elimination of influential political opposition parties within the country and the further concentration of executive power" (p. 519). By 2021, according to the watchdog's criteria, Russia had scored only 5 points out of 40 in the "Political Rights" section, including 0 points out of 12 in the "Electoral Process" sub-section and 3 out of 12 in the "Political Pluralism and Participation" sub-section.In fact, in the run-up to the Duma elections in 2021, there was an increased crackdown on opposition politicians, civil society organisations and independent media outlets, as well as journalists. This was especially the case against supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. This resulted in the limitation of the choice for Russian voters and their ability to get full and accurate information about candidates. | Sanctions, Democracy, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
644 | 15.12.2022 | Polish recognition of Russia as a state sponsoring terrorism is anti-Russian hysteria | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-recognition-of-russia-as-a-state-sponsoring-terrorism-is-anti-russian-hysteria | Sputnik Poland | Poland, Russia | Polish | The decision of the Polish Sejm to recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism is anti-Russian hysteria. Warsaw refuses to acknowledge the reality, blaming Russia for the crash of the presidential aircraft Tu-154 near Smolensk in April 2010. The Polish authorities do not want to face the truth, refusing to recognise the tragic reality of the accident. This unfriendly step is part of the information and political campaign realised by the West against Russia, and it has nothing to do with the real situation in terms of the fight against international terrorism. This step of Warsaw has a pseudo-legal nature that will harm Poland itself. | This message is a part of the Kremlin’s narrative about Russophobic and anti-Russian Poland. Pro-Kremlin outlets regularly accuse the Polish authorities of Russophobia.On 14 December 2022, the Polish Parliament adopted the resolution recognising the Russian Federation as a state supporting terrorism. According to the Polish MPs, the Russian state employs means of terror and carries out annexations, war crimes and genocide. The Polish Parliament states that Russia is directly responsible for the downing of the Malaysian plane (Flight MH17) and for the crash of the Polish Presidential plane in Smolensk in April 2010. Russia still refuses to return the plane wreck to the Polish authorities in order to complete the investigation of this air disaster.On 23 November 2022, the European Parliament designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism because of its military strikes on the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure during its war against Ukraine.See other examples of similar messages accusing Poland of Russophobia and anti-Russian actions. | Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Anti-Russian, Russophobia, Terrorism, War in Ukraine |
645 | 15.12.2022 | Zelensky initiated anti-Orthodox purges in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/zelensky-initiated-anti-orthodox-purges-in-ukraine | asd.news | Ukraine | Russian | The large-scale persecution of Christians began in Ukraine. Everything that happened earlier was a preparation of the godless authorities for the sake of which "pocket churches” were created. The news media controlled by Kyiv openly call on Ukrainians to prepare for a “new baptism”, outlawing all the sacraments previously performed by the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. | No evidence provided. This is a pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory aimed at portraying Ukraine as "Satanist", in line with the recurring disinformation narrative that Ukraine is "Nazi".No purges or prosecutions against Christians in Ukraine were initiated. Ukrainian authorities are carrying out counterintelligence (security) measures at the facilities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The measures are conducted jointly with the National Police and the National Guard as part of the Security Service of Ukraine systemic efforts to counter subversive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy. It plans to limit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine, which is affiliated with Russia. The parishes are free to switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received the tomos of autocephaly in January 2019. It is also the most popular Orthodox church in Ukraine: 78% of orthodox believers claim their allegiance to the church.Ukrainians who decide to visit parishes of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine are not re-baptised. No one is persecuted or blamed for being a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. In the course of the war, the Russian Patriarch in Moscow has voiced his full support for the Russian war on Ukraine incl. siding close with Putin, blessing soldiers and Russian guns and offering the church's support.In early December 2022, the Ukrainian government announced that it will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow.Read more disinformation cases on the topic: Zelensky is trying to eradicate the Orthodox church in Ukraine; Kyiv wants to exchange its Satanists for Orthodox priests; Borrell's remarks on Russian patriarch give Kyiv 'sanction' to persecute canonical church; the West wants to destroy Eastern Christianity through the war in Ukraine. | Orthodox Church, Religion, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky |
646 | 15.12.2022 | Poland started preparations for the incorporation of Western Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poland-started-preparations-for-the-incorporation-of-western-ukraine | Sputnik Poland | Poland, Ukraine | Polish | There are reasons to believe that Warsaw has turned to preparations for incorporating the western territories of Ukraine into the Polish state. In March, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński proposed to send a NATO mission to Ukraine or a wider mission “that will be able to defend itself” operating on the Ukrainian territory”. In May, the Polish President Andrzej Duda said “there would no longer be a border between Poland and Ukraine” and that the inhabitants of both countries could live together. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions.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. | Ukrainian statehood, War in Ukraine, Imperialism/colonialism, Ukrainian disintegration, Jarosław Kaczynski, Andrzej Duda, Maria Zakharova |
647 | 14.12.2022 | Serbia is about to annex Bosnia and Kosovo just as Russia successfully performed a “special operation” | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/serbia-is-about-to-annex-bosnia-and-kosovo-just-as-russia-successfully-performed-a-special-operation | odysee.com,francais.rt.com,swentr.site,doc.rt.com,actualidad.rt.com | Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | French, English, Russian, Spanish | Children of Serbia will soon live in a big Serbia including Serbian Kosovo and Serbian Bosnia. Russia gave the example with its successful “special operation”, soon Serbia will perform such special operations to bring prosperity and freedom.Western decadence tries to humiliate Serbia, but Western values will soon be defeated thanks to God and Russia that fight against them in Ukraine. The destiny of the world is now at stake in Ukraine and a Russian victory will bring the sun of victory. | New narrative specific on Kosovo and Bosnia but well-known pro-Kremlin disinformation trying to link a Serbian desire to unify Kosovo, Bosnia and Serbia to Russia's illegal military invasion of Ukraine.Imperialistic wars and annexation of foreign territories are justified by this narrative claiming that Western values tried to humiliate the traditions of Serbia and/or Russia. Revanchist agenda which also reverses the victim/aggressor roles to perpetrate new crimes. It has been studied by philosopher Pascal Bruckner in the temptation of innocence and it was identified as an important step for genocide.Kosovo and Donbas are different and cannot be compared. In Kosovo, the Serbian regime by Slobodan Milosevic waged a war with thousands of casualties and hundred of thousand of refugees and displaced persons. There was no war in Ukraine until Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. In 1999 NATO sought to cease ethnic cleansing in the Kosovo region.Kremlin propaganda uses the story of Yugoslavia to defend Moscow's activities in areas of frozen conflicts (i.e. Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Donbas, Nagorno-Karabakh, etc.). The parallels between the history of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the current situation in Donbas are incorrect. Donbas is historically a Ukrainian region. The so-called DPR (or DNR) and LNR are parts of the Ukrainian regions Donetsk and Luhansk but supported by Russian military units. Not a single country has recognised them as independent entities.Read also related cases: Ukraine's dehumanisation of Donbas people is similar to West’s dehumanisation of Serbs, Nazism is one of the highest European values, NATO is not a defensive alliance, it attacks countries illegitimately, he EU wants to expand its imperialism in the Balkans, Pristina is entirely responsible for the tension in Northern Kosovo. | Invasion of Ukraine, illegal annexation, Imperialism/colonialism, Western values |
648 | 14.12.2022 | US trying to provoke Serbia into a military operation | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/us-trying-to-provoke-serbia-into-a-military-operation | sputnik.az | Serbia, Kosovo, US | Azerbaijani | The Atlanticists, more precisely the employees of the US embassy in Pristina, are trying to provoke Serbia into military operations to protect the Serbian population of Kosovo, and to force Russia to intervene in the conflict on the side of the Serbs. | A new narrative specific on the Kosovo situation using a classic Kremlin trope: US causing conflict and war. This anti-Western disinformation advances the narrative that the US is provoking conflict in the Western Balkans and forcing Russia to intervene. No evidence is provided that the recent heightened tensions between Kosovo and Serbia are being provoked by the US embassy in Kosovo. The spark that ignited recent tension between Kosovo and Serbia in 2022 was that Kosovo's government wanted those who live in Serb areas to change their Serbian-issued car number plates for Kosovan-issued ones. About 50,000 people refused to change their car number plates and it increased tension between the Serbian and Kosovo government. Under the facilitation of the EU, Serbia and Kosovo agreed on measures to avoid further escalation. The United States welcomed the agreements reached between Kosovo and Serbia to avoid further escalation.Russian state outlets, like this Sputnik platform try to talk up the crisis in Kosovo. See more cases Disinfo: Pristina is entirely responsible for the tension in Northern Kosovo and It became possible for Crimea to return to Russia when the West recognised Kosovo. | Kosovo, ethnic tension, US presence in Europe |
649 | 14.12.2022 | The West is trying to provoke conflict in Kosovo and the Balkans against Russia's interest | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-trying-to-provoke-conflict-in-kosovo-and-the-balkans-against-russias-interest | nabd.com,rtarab.com,arabic.rt.com,ar.rtarabic.com,kachaf.com | Serbia, Kosovo, Russia, Ukraine | Arabic | There are forces in the West who want to provoke the Serbs into a conflict in the Balkans, as Russia is preoccupied with Ukraine. They want to force Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia and to recognise Kosovo. This is an attempt to take advantage of the window of opportunity that has opened up. | This is part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign to blame the West for the escalation of tensions in Kosovo in December 2022 when it is Russia who is actually inflaming the situation.The disinformation is not backed up with evidence, baselessly blaming the West for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse 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 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 the 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.”See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the escalation of tensions in Kosovo is caused by NATO, that the West is using Kosovo to break Serbia’s ties to Russia and China, that the West is organising everything in Kosovo and is unable to force Kosovars to obey existing agreements, or that the US is trying to provoke Serbia into a military operation. | West, Western Balkans, Conspiracy theory |
650 | 13.12.2022 | Poland keeps eyeing western Ukraine, also parts of Germany, Czechia and Slovakia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/poland-keeps-eyeing-western-ukraine-also-parts-of-germany-czechia-and-slovakia | sputnik.by | Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic | Russian | The Poles are getting ready to take over western Ukraine. Polish nationalism is like an elephant waiting to swallow Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, as well as parts of Germany, Czechia, and Slovakia. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions. While pro-Kremlin outlets usually speak of Polish imperial intentions towards Belarus and Ukraine, the publication in question promotes a rare type of the ‘imperial’ narrative, extending alleged Polish claims to Czechia, Germany, and Lithuania as well.The disinformation message about Polish aggressive plans towards Ukraine 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 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.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 |
651 | 13.12.2022 | The West is trying to force Serbia to accept anti-Russian sanctions, fueling the conflict in Kosovo | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-trying-to-force-serbia-to-accept-anti-russian-sanctions-fueling-the-conflict-in-kosovo | tvzvezda.ru | Kosovo, Yugoslavia, Serbia, EU, Russia | Russian | The European Union is deliberately fomenting a conflict in northern Kosovo in order to persuade Belgrade to adopt anti-Russian sanctions. The European Union is doing everything necessary to put Serbia in the most difficult position, since Belgrade will not be able to respond to the provocations of the Kosovo authorities. At the same time, the West prefers to turn a blind eye to the violation of agreements by the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo. The EU and the collective West are doing everything necessary to make Serbia bow its head.The actions of the European Union towards Serbia are comparable with the attitude of the collective West to the situation in Ukraine. The shelling of the territories of the DPR and LPR, which took place more than eight years ago, was also ignored by them for a long time. At the same time, the indignation of the West by Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure facilities followed immediately. | Conspiracy theory and Whataboutism. Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative baselessly blaming the EU for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse tensions. The EU, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, didn’t play any role in increasing those tensions.Both Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti requested some action from NATO to address the latest 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.”Additionally, pro-Kremlin outlets exaggerate Serbia´s willingness to support Russia over the war in Ukraine. On 2 December 2022 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: "no one can bypass EU sanctions against Russia through Serbia. "We have reacted in cases of re-export of certain goods and our state bodies have detained people from companies that were involved in bypassing sanctions against the Russian Federation," Vucic said after meeting EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.See also Russia’s interests in the Balkans, which perceives the EU as a strategic competitor in the region.Parallel to Ukraine: the claim that "The actions of the European Union towards Serbia are comparable with the attitude of the collective West to the situation in Ukraine" is classic Kremlin whataboutism and an attempt to falsely legitimise Russia's unprovoked agression against Ukraine. See more about Russia-created conflict in Donbas since 2014. Key figure of the Russia's "hybrid", hidden war in Donbas is the convicted in absentia in the Hague Russian FSB officer Igor Girkin aka Strelkov. Interestingly enough, Girkin also participated in the war in Yugoslavia fighting in Bosnia on the Serbia's side. See also more information on the full-scale Russia's invasion of Ukraine since 24 February 2022.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims 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. | Kosovo |
652 | 13.12.2022 | NATO decided to invade the Serbian enclave of Mitrovica to punish Belgrade | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-decided-to-invade-the-serbian-enclave-of-mitrovica-to-punish-belgrade | lantidiplomatico.it | Kosovo, Serbia | Italian | Serbia rejects the sanctions approach towards Russia. To punish Serbia, NATO decided to use the same weapon of provocation previously used against Russia and China, using the government of self-proclaimed Kosovo for this purpose, which is not recognised as legitimate by half of the international community. Indeed, the military invasion of the Serbian enclave of Mitrovica represents an act of great provocation against Belgrade, to the extent that the possibility of the outbreak of armed conflict in the near future cannot be ruled out. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative not backed up with evidence, baselessly blaming NATO for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse tensions. NATO, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, didn’t play any role in increasing these 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 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 the 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.”Additionally, pro-Kremlin outlets exaggerate Serbia´s willingness to support Russia over the war in Ukraine. On 2 December 2022 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: "no one can bypass EU sanctions against Russia through Serbia. "We have reacted in cases of re-export of certain goods and our state bodies have detained people from companies that were involved in bypassing sanctions against the Russian Federation," Vucic said after meeting EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.See also Russia’s interests in the Balkans, which perceives the EU as a strategic competitor in the region.Parallel to Ukraine: the claim that "The actions of the European Union towards Serbia are comparable with the attitude of the collective West to the situation in Ukraine" is classic Kremlin whataboutism and an attempt to falsely legitimise Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. See more about Russia-created conflict in Donbas since 2014. A key figure of Russia's "hybrid", hidden war in Donbas is the convicted in absentia in the Hague Russian FSB officer Igor Girkin aka Strelkov. Interestingly enough, Girkin also participated in the war in Yugoslavia fighting in Bosnia on Serbia's side.Read similar cases claiming that the EU wants to expand its imperialism in the Balkans, that the West has promoted separatism in Yugoslavia and that the West is trying to force Serbia to accept anti-Russian sanctions, fueling the conflict in Kosovo. | Kosovo, NATO, Provocation, Sanctions, Yugoslavia |
653 | 13.12.2022 | Organ trading business launched in Ukraine, Red Cross involved | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/organ-trading-business-launched-in-ukraine-red-cross-involved | Ukraina.ru,svpressa.ru,geworld.ge,sputnik-georgia.ru,geworld.ge | Ukraine | Russian, Georgian | Against the background of the war, the business of organ trading has been launched in Ukraine and the organs of injured people are being exported to different countries of the world. Organ trafficking has been going on in Ukraine since 2014."Black transplant surgeons" involved in removing the organs of dead or mortally wounded Ukrainian soldiers have arrived near Artemovsk, where the Ukrainian army is now suffering heavy losses, which the Europeans who traffic in human organs have decided to take advantage of.These “black transplant surgeons" appear in Ukraine not only in the form of private military companies, but also under the guise of the Red Cross. Perhaps, this organisation imports weapons in Ukraine and also transports organ hunters into the country. | Sensational pro-Kremlin disinformation claim to obscure the fact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Hitting a highly emotional topic, no evidence is given to support the claim.Allegations around organ trafficking during the military activities in Ukraine are part of the Kremlin’s wave of conspiracies that have been spreading for years now. The claim that the Red Cross was involved in organ trafficking is disinformation that was disseminated already in May 2022. Transplantation of organs is a complex and time-constrained medical procedure and is impossible to be carried out in field conditions. Read the full debunk of the story at Myth Detector.Groundless accusations that after the start of the war in the east of Ukraine, the trade in the organs of the military is actively taking place in the country, and various political leaders are involved in this process have been spreading at different times since 2014. In the past, accusing others of organ trafficking has been a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation technique, be it NATO, Syria’s White Helmets, the Ukrainian army with its own soldiers, or even former Georgian president Mikhail Sakhashvili’s wife.In April 2022, Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the country’s foreign signals intelligence agency, warned of an ongoing Russian campaign to promote the message that Ukraine was harvesting the organs of fallen soldiers, women and children and using mobile cremating devices to dispose of the evidence. Similar disinformation efforts, including the use of a Lithuanian pro-Russian activist falsely posing as an OSCE expert, have been observed elsewhere as part of Russian disinformation during its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.Read similar disinformation claiming that Children's medical records found in Mariupol suggest an organ trafficking ring. | Conspiracy theory, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
654 | 13.12.2022 | Life under Ukrainian control in Kherson has worsened | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/life-under-ukrainian-control-in-kherson-has-worsened | ren.tv,RIA,baltnews.com,dumatv.ru,ru.sputnik.kg,lenta.ru | Ukraine, Russia, UK | Russian | Residents of Kherson complained to the British media that life under the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become worse.After the Ukrainian Armed Forces entered Kherson, it was repeatedly reported that the Ukrainian authorities abused the residents of the city and the right-bank districts, who were unable to leave for the Russian-controlled territory on the left bank of the Dnieper. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging Ukraine of abusing citizens and conducting war crimes. A classic example of pro-Kremlin manipulation, taking out of context selected sentences and misrepresenting of a Western media (Sky News) report. The reason for using a Sky News quote is to hijack credibility for own purposes. Pro-Kremlin propaganda outlets seek to create the perception as if the dire living conditions in Kherson are the result of the liberation of the region by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For this purpose, the pro-Kremlin media manipulated the article by Sky News, selecting a single quote by an individual resident who expressed dissatisfaction with the provided medical aid and presented it as if it depicts the position of the whole population and a view covering all living conditions. The context provided in the article by Sky News is being omitted in the misleading articles disseminated by the pro-Kremlin media. In fact, the majority of Kherson residents mentioned in the Sky News article told reporters of their joy that the city had returned under the control of Ukraine, even with all the difficulties. See the full debunk at Myth Detector.Kherson was liberated from Russian occupation on 11 November 2022. The Russian army conducted a brutal occupation and destroyed key energy infrastructure, electricity lines and stations. Local authorities and the government are working on restoring the energy supplies and food deliveries.See our recent article ‘Blessed’ are the ‘evacuated’ plus similar disinformation narratives: Ukraine wants to deport residents of Kherson, Russian withdrew from Kherson because Ukraine wants to blow up the Kakhovka dam, Zelenskyy saw that Kherson is a Russian city, Ukraine wants to blow up the Kakhovka dam to block water supply to Crimea. | Mainstream media, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine, Kherson |
655 | 13.12.2022 | The Kyiv regime is destroying the canonical Orthodox church | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-kyiv-regime-is-destroying-the-canonical-orthodox-church | antifashist.com | Ukraine | Russian | The liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was under the patronage of the Moscow Patriarchate, is indeed being carried out. This is a typical raider seizure on the scale of an entire state, which should lead to the prohibition and destruction of the only fully canonical and, as such, the only church recognized throughout the world and by all churches and religions. | No evidence provided. This is a pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory aimed at portraying Ukraine as "Satanist", and alleging that the Ukrainian government bans the only canonical Orthodox church of Ukraine.In early December 2022, the Ukrainian government announced that it will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow. The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy. It plans to limit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine, which is affiliated with Russia. Spravdi, the Centre for Strategic Communications under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, has explained why the government decided to ban the activities of UOC-MP.Spravdi emphasised that in the churches of the UOC-MP:Russian propaganda is being spreadActivities of enemy secret services are being coveredRussian agents are being recruited. The parishes may switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The latter received the tomos of autocephaly in January 2019 and is officially recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Patriarchate of Alexandria, Church of Greece, and Church of Cyprus. A number of other churches are leaning towards recognising it. Moreover, it is also the most popular Orthodox church in Ukraine: 78% of orthodox believers claim their allegiance to the church. Read more disinformation cases on the topic: Kyiv wants to exchange its Satanists for Orthodox priests; Borrell's remarks on Russian patriarch give Kyiv 'sanction' to persecute canonical church; the West wants to destroy Eastern Christianity through the war in Ukraine. | Orthodox Church, Ukraine, Religion |
656 | 13.12.2022 | The West is organising everyting in Kosovo and is unable to force Kosovars to obey to existing agrements | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-organising-everyting-in-kosovo-and-is-unable-to-force-kosovars-to-obey-to-existing-agrements | Pervyi Kanal | Serbia, Kosovo, Yugoslavia, EU | Russian | What Pristina calls its strategic goal is a national disaster for Belgrade. Serbian President Vucic is still trying to be subtle. The cynical West not only sees everything, but also organises everything itself. Serbia is blamed solely because it was appointed guilty by default. The last doubts about the ability of the EU to calm down the Kosovo-Albanians, who openly dismiss any advice and actually dictate their rules to those around them, are being dispelled. The inability and unwillingness of Brussels to induce them to implement the agreed agreements has become even more obvious. | Disinformation not backed up with evidence, baselessly blaming "The West" for organising "everything" meaning tensions over Kosovo. Tensions have simmered in Kosovo ever since it gained independence from Serbia, despite attempts by EU and U.S. officials to defuse tension. Kosovo proclaimed independence following the bloody Yugoslav wars, Milosevic's atrocities and the war crimes commited in Kosovo and judged by the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).In the current phase, both Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti requested some action from NATO to play some role to address the crisis. Elections that were due to take place soon have been moved to April, and Serbia's President said he would ask NATO's peacekeeping mission to allow him to deploy Serbian troops and police in the area.No evidence is given that "Serbia is blamed solely because it was appointed guilty by default". 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.”See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims 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. | Kosovo, Yugoslavia |
657 | 13.12.2022 | Europe does not present any clear peace initiatives concerning Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/europe-does-not-present-any-clear-peace-initiatives-concerning-ukraine | Sputnik Poland | EU, Russia, Ukraine, China | Polish | The dramatic developments in Ukraine concern us all – we want to end this drama. It is a very worrying situation that there is a lack of clear and loud European peace initiatives [concerning Ukraine].The only winners of this conflict are the defense companies. Ukraine carries out a proxy war on behalf of the great Western powers. This country is being used to test weapons and to weaken Russia and China. Putin has been constantly provoked, starting from NATO’s enlargement to the East. The US decision to incorporate Ukraine into NATO was a red line for Putin, but no one took him seriously. | This message is a part of the fundamental pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the West for the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner.The war began in 2014 with the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea and Russia’s military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas. Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine is unprovoked, unjustified and breaking international law.Neither the US nor European countries have declared war on 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.On the contrary, it is Russia that refused the diplomatic process and started an unprovoked war in Europe and created a serious danger to European security, while using nuclear threats.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the West unleashes Nazi and Russophobic war against Russia and Russians, that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is due to NATO’s persistent expansion, that the US and the West are fighting a hybrid war against Russia in Ukraine, that Ukraine is a proxy in the West’s war against Russia, or that The West declared total war against Russia. | War in Ukraine, EU/NATO enlargement, NATO, Anti-Russian, Vladimir Putin, Conspiracy theory, West |
658 | 13.12.2022 | European aid to Ukraine a corruption scheme for Zelenskyy | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/european-aid-to-ukraine-a-corruption-scheme-for-zelenskyy | Ukraina.ru,odysee.com,odysee.com,francais.rt.com | Ukraine, Russia, France, EU | Russian, French | Macron was not elected by French voters to give money to Kyiv, while France needs this money.More generally, the aid to Kyiv does not aim at helping Ukrainians, because so far 100,000 Ukrainians died, and Russian victory is ineluctable. Ukraine is only 500 km away from Moscow and it is easy to send their equipment and soldiers. Western military reserves are running out and cannot be produced at a faster pace. Russia will progress inexorably like steamroller. The point of European aid is to enrich Zelenskyy. All international rankings show that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.Moreover, the speeches about peace are hypocritical since peace is reached through discussions and negotiations not with money and weapons. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative aiming at whipping up resentment against Western support to Ukraine and forcing a capitulation to Russian military aggression and targeting personally the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.The idea that Ukrainian and Western leaders are convinced of a Russian victory and use the war for personal embezzlement does not fit with reality. The only evidence provided is a world ranking of corruption. In 2021, Ukraine was 122nd out of 180 countries in the Global corruption perception index (whereas Russia was 136/180). There is no evidence that Western aid is stolen by Zelenskyy or his government.The European Union made the decision to provide 18 billion euros to Ukraine next year (2023) to help run the country while it defends itself against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The money will support the economy of Ukraine.Read also related cases: The West and Zelenskyy cause famine in Ukraine and beg Russia for help, Weapons supplied to Kyiv are distributed among criminal groups in Europe, Volodymyr Zelenskyy will steal money from the EU, Western arms are supplied directly to the black market, not Ukrainian army, Ukraine is the most corrupted country in the world, helping it is suicide. | Volodymyr Zelensky, Corruption, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Diplomacy with Russia, Warmongering |
659 | 13.12.2022 | The objective of the oil price cap is for Europe to prosper | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-objective-of-the-oil-price-cap-is-for-europe-to-prosper | rtarab.com,rtarabic.com,rtarab.com,rtarab.com,rtarabic.com,rtarabic.com,arabic.rt.com | Europe, Russia | Arabic | It seems that imposing a cap on the price of Russian oil is due to the desire of Western countries to continue to prosper at the expense of cheap oil, even if it is not from Russia. The logic here is simple: if Russia is forced to sell oil cheaply, that will put pressure on other suppliers from the markets to sell oil cheaper to Europe. Thus, Russia is punished, and the countries of the European Union prosper. | This is a recurring manipulation of the discussions about the energy sector and sanctions on Russia. This also contradicts another pro-Kremlin narrative that the oil price cap will destroy Europe.Although the price cap on Russian oil is expected to limit oil price surges experienced throughout the world as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the goal of the cap is not to benefit Europe. It was initiated by G7 states and supported by the EU as an additional sanction for Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. If the cap causes oil prices to go down as a secondary effect, that would benefit most of the global economy, especially low-income countries, which have suffered the most due to rising energy costs. It was noted by the Council of the EU that: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 also our article Smoke, mirrors and gas: the Kremlin deflects blame for the energy crisis - EUvsDisinfo. | Energy, Sanctions, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine |
660 | 12.12.2022 | Escalation of tensions in Kosovo caused by NATO | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/escalation-of-tensions-in-kosovo-caused-by-nato | actualidad-rt.com | Kosovo, Serbia, EU, US | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Kosovo, Serbia, EU, US | The current escalation of tensions in Kosovo is caused by the destabilising actions of NATO, which wants to worsen the economic and political crisis that the region is experiencing. | Disinformation not backed up with evidence, baselessly blaming NATO for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse tensions. NATO, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, 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 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.”See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims 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. | null |
661 | 12.12.2022 | The West is using Kosovo to break Serbia's ties with Russia and China | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-is-using-kosovo-to-break-serbias-ties-with-russia-and-china | actualidad-rt.com | Kosovo, EU, US, China, Russia, Serbia | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Kosovo, EU, US, China, Russia, Serbia | Kosovo's decision to request EU membership is another step in the US and EU strategy to break and weaken Serbia and prepare an absolute dominion over the former Yugoslavia. The West is trying to increase pressure on Serbia so it has to break its strategic ties with Russia and China. The latest events in Kosovo happen at the same time that EU representatives met with Balkan states asking to enter the EU, which means entering NATO. This is an important step, supported by terrorist actions, to break Serbia and prevent the solidarity of the Balkans with Russia and China. It’s a policy of aggression. | This disinformation narrative is an attempt to stir up feelings against Western countries, baselessly accusing them of being behind events in Kosovo. Although it is true that Kosovo prepared to formally submit an application to join the EU, the claims in this disinformation story about the reasons are not. There is zero evidence to back the claim that the US and the EU are behind this bid or that they have a strategy to ‘break Serbia’, much less to “prevent solidarity with Russia and China”. In the same way, neither Washington nor Brussels are behind ongoing destabilising events in Kosovo. Both the EU and the US are working hard to normalise Serbia-Kosovo relations and to defuse current tensions. This also includes urgent high-level meetings. The claim that “entering the EU means entering NATO” is patently false, as many countries are part of the EU but not of the NATO military alliance and the other way round. Only in the Western Balkans, three countries -Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia- belong to NATO but are not EU members.During a period of bitter fighting by Russian forces in Ukraine, pro-Kremlin outlets further utilise the Kosovo situation to divert attention away from Moscow's responsibility for attacks on civilian infrastructure and atrocities committed in Ukraine. See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims 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. | null |
662 | 12.12.2022 | NATO escalated the situation in Kosovo to distract Russia from Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-escalated-the-situation-in-kosovo-to-distract-russia-from-ukraine | sputnik.by,tj.sputniknews.ru | Russia, US, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia | Russian | NATO uses Kosovo in a proxy war against Serbia. The US initiated a ‘soft genocide’ of the Serbs as the autonomous population of Kosovo. The elimination of Indians and other Aborigines is in the Americans’ genetic code. Furthermore, Atlanticists consider Belgrade as Russia’s Trojan horse in Europe and aim at eroding Serbia’s sovereignty to the level of controlled Balkan limitrophes such as Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia.An escalation in Kosovo is linked to Russia’s military successes in Ukraine. Atlanticists aim at provoking Serbia to start military actions for the protection of Kosovo’s Serbians. They wish to force Russia to back Serbs and interfere in the conflict – and to undermine a large-scale Russian winter offensive in Ukraine. Endless provocations and wars are classic for the Pentagon and NATO in all parts of the world. | This publication baselessly accuses the US and NATO of waging a war against Serbia and a ‘soft genocide’ of the Serbian population in Kosovo, and generally for a complicated situation that has been long brewing despite EU and US efforts to defuse tensions. NATO, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin disinformation, didn’t play any role in increasing those tensions. In fact, both Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti requested some action from NATO to play some role to address the crisis.The spark that ignited recent tension between Kosovo and Serbia in 2022 was that Kosovo's government wanted those who live in Serb areas to change their Serbian-issued car number plates for Kosovan-issued ones. About 50,000 people refused to change their car number plates and it increased tension between the Serbian and Kosovo government. Under the facilitation of the EU, Serbia and Kosovo agreed on measures to avoid further escalation.The publication in question promotes a conspiracy linking the ongoing events in Kosovo with Russia’s war against Ukraine. It also uses the ‘lost sovereignty’ narrative, one of the five major recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, to discredit Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia – sovereign European countries.See also Russia’s interests in the Balkans, which perceives the EU as a strategic competitor in the region. 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.”See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims 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. | Kosovo, Conspiracy theory, NATO, War in Ukraine, Sovereignty, Imperialism/colonialism |
663 | 12.12.2022 | NATO is losing the war against Russia in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-is-losing-the-war-against-russia-in-ukraine | Laivaslaikrastis.lt | Russia, Ukraine | Lithuanian | NATO is on its way to collapse. NATO is painfully losing a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. This will have devastating consequences for the Alliance. | This disinformation narrative is part of a wider campaign aiming to justify Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, NATO is not “the aggressor” in Ukraine. Western nations did everything they could to prevent the war and have only been reacting to Russia’s full invasion. 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. Western instructors train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use modern weaponry 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 that Russia is the victim and NATO the aggressor in the Ukrainian conflict, that Polish special forces under NATO command have arrived in Ukraine, or that Russia is at war with NATO, not Ukraine. | NATO, War in Ukraine, Invasion of Ukraine |
664 | 12.12.2022 | Zelenskyy is trying to eradicate the Orthodox church in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/zelenskyy-is-trying-to-eradicate-the-orthodox-church-in-ukraine | asd.news | Ukraine | Russian | The Nazi regime intends to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to carry out a complete "confiscation" of all churches, monasteries, temples and other property by the end of 2023. Zelenskyy has actually announced something similar to the Bolshevik's “godless five-year plan”, with the goal to eradicate Orthodoxy in Ukraine. | No evidence provided. This is a pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory aiming at portraying Ukraine as "Satanist", in line with the recurring disinformation narrative that Ukraine is "Nazi".In early December 2022, the Ukrainian government announced that it will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow. The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy. It plans to limit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine, which is affiliated with Russia. The parishes are free to switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received tomos of autocephaly in January 2019. It is also the most popular Orthodox church in Ukraine: 78% of orthodox believers claim their allegiance to the church. Spravdi, the Centre for Strategic Communications under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, has explained why the government decided to ban the activities of UOC-MP.Spravdi found that in the churches of the UOC-MP, Russian propaganda is being spread; activities of enemy secret services are being covered and that Russian agents are being recruited. Read more disinformation cases on the topic: Kyiv wants to exchange its Satanists for Orthodox priests; Borrell's remarks on Russian patriarch give Kyiv 'sanction' to persecute canonical church; the West wants to destroy Eastern Christianity through the war in Ukraine. The Russian Patriarch in Moscow has voiced his full support for the Russian war on Ukraine incl. siding close with Putin, blessing soldiers and Russian guns and offering the church's support. | Orthodox Church, Ukraine |
665 | 12.12.2022 | The price cap on Russian oil will destroy the EU | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-price-cap-on-russian-oil-will-destroy-the-eu | Laivaslaikrastis.lt | Russia, EU | Lithuanian | The price cap on Russian oil means that there will be a huge deficit (because Russia will not sell oil to Europe). The prices of energy will grow very fast, destroying the European Union. | Recurring manipulation of the discussions about the energy sector and sanctions on Russia.The price cap for Russian oil was initiated by G7 states and supported by the EU as an additional sanction for Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. It was noted that: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.The price cap on Russian oil is a novel instrument which the energy market has not seen in recent years. This could give a period of uncertainty. On the other hand, the statement that it “will destroy the EU” is a manipulative one. The impact will be not so critical. This article from “the New York Times” mentioned that:(the processes around the price cap)…are not expected to have a sudden impact on oil supplies for Europe, because the regulation has been in the works for months and so traders and shippers have had time to adjust. In particular, energy companies have already begun buying more oil from the United States, Brazil, Guyana and the Middle East. The European Union is also giving exemptions to some countries like Hungary, whose energy needs depend on flows of Russian crude by pipeline, to quell their objections to the sanctions.The claim seeks to distract attention away. The price cap is the biggest problem for Russia, not Europe. It is predicted that Russian oil output is set to fall by 1.4 million barrels per day next year. Chatham House provides a prognosis that “one particularly important point when it comes to oil, energy, and commodity markets has been how market forces have mitigated Russia’s own efforts to use the energy card against the West, particularly against Europe”.See other similar cases of disinformation promising that sanctions on Russia, in reality, will disintegrate the EU, that the EU is behind the energy, food and economic crisis, or that the West destroyed the economies of the EU and US. | Energy, economy, Sanctions, War in Ukraine |
666 | 11.12.2022 | Moldova is preparing for war | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/moldova-is-preparing-for-war | Moldavskie Vedomosti | Moldova, Russia, Ukraine | Russian | Moldova is actively preparing for possible hostilities and war. This happens openly and unceremoniously, according to the Telegran channel "Smuglyanka". Next year, the budget of the Ministry of Defence will increase by 50%. It will amount to about 85 million euros. The funds will be allocated for the purchase of weapons and equipment and salary increases for the military. And it is obvious that the authorities in this process are clearly led from abroad. | Pro-Kremlin narrative that Moldova's pro-European leadership will draw Moldova into Russia's war with Ukraine, opening a "second front" in the Transnistrian region, on the orders of "external curators".According to the draft of the State Budget Law for 2023, approved by the Government, and a press release from the Ministry of Defence, the defence budget has indeed increased by approximately 50% and amounts to 1,697.1 million lei. The spending includes both the procurement of military equipment and salary increases for the military.But this does not mean that Moldova is preparing for war. According to the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is a neutral country and this status can only be changed through a referendum. However, such a referendum is not planned or even discussed.The country's president, Maia Sandu, declared (min. 34-38) in July 2022 that Moldova remains a neutral country, but will strengthen its defence: "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".See here a similar case claiming Moldova is preparing a news war against Transnistria. | War in Ukraine, Transnistria |
667 | 11.12.2022 | Holodomor famine was largely caused by the West | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/holodomor-famine-was-largely-caused-by-the-west | RIA | Ukraine, Russia, USSR | Russian | The main cause of the Holodomor was large-scale crop failure. To a large extent, the famine was also promoted by Western countries, which demanded that the USSR pay with grain in foreign trade operations with them. | This is an example of gross historical revisionism and a recurring pro Kremlin disinformation narrative about Holodomor, claiming that there was no deliberately caused famine in Ukraine.The Holodomor was an man-made famine deliberately caused by Stalin with the aim of remove a perceived Ukrainian threat to the Soviet regime. The Soviet state took away livestock, crops and seeds from the peasants under the guise that they "plundered" state property. The Soviet law on the seizure of food from peasants was adopted in 1932 and is known as the "Five Spikelet Law". Anyone who gathered several ears of wheat on the collective farm field was a culprit of "theft of state property". The punishment for theft of kolkhoz or cooperative property was the death sentence. This law was personally attributed to Joseph Stalin. The famine of 1932-1933 claimed the lives of 7 to 10 million citizens of the Soviet Union; the disaster affected in large parts but not only Ukraine but also parts of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Russia.The Holodomor is well documented and confirmed by a huge array of declassified documents, including official documents of the Soviet authorities and the Communist Party. In 2006, the Verkhovna Rada officially recognised the Holodomor of 1932-33 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. According to the latest data, 15 UN member states and the Vatican state recognise the Holodomor as an act of genocide in Ukraine. The European Parliament and PACE have recognised the Holodomor as a crime of the Soviet regime against their own people and a crime against humanity.See similar cases including Russophobic historical concepts, including so-called Holodomor-genocide, have brought Ukraine to a civil war , Holodomor is a myth invented of American propaganda , Holodomor-Genocide invented by Ukraine , Famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933 was not a genocide of the population. | Holodomor, Historical revisionism, USSR |
668 | 11.12.2022 | European plan to get rid of Russian gas dependency is madness | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/european-plan-to-get-rid-of-russian-gas-dependency-is-madness | Sputnik Poland | US, Russia, EU | Polish | Europe is saying that it wants to get rid of gas “dependence on Russia”, but it does not realise that it turns to dependence on the American LNG. It is an absurd and absolutely mad desire “to get rid of dependence on Russia”. Europe trades one dependency for another. Now, the Europeans are losing billions of euros every day, which are being earned by Washington. | 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 get rid of its dependency on Russian gas. This narrative promotes a traditional pro-Kremlin message that Russia is the only reliable source of gas for Europe, while the American LNG is too expensive.During 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.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.After the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities completely destroyed the European trust in Gazprom as a predictable and solid partner. Throughout 2022, Russia deliberately cut the gas supplies to the EU and made impossible further gas supplies through the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines.See more disinformation cases on energy issues amid the invasion of Ukraine. | Dmitry Peskov, gas, Energy, US presence in Europe, Economic difficulties, Anti-Russian |
669 | 10.12.2022 | Germany and France will have to pay compensation to Donbas for eight years of genocide | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/germany-and-france-will-have-to-pay-compensation-to-donbas-for-eight-years-of-genocide | Sputnik Poland | Germany, France, Russia, Ukraine | Polish | Germany and France should pay compensation to the inhabitants of Donbas. The Europeans must know to whom they owe their problems: lack of heat, electricity, huge inflation, and closed companies. Germany and France will have to pay compensation to the people of Donbas for eight years of genocide and destruction. The current situation in Ukraine is a result of the false policy of the leaders of these countries. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative blaming the West (USA, NATO, EU and Ukraine) for the outbreak of war in Ukraine.In this case, the purpose of these narratives, part of a wider disinformation campaign, is to deflect any Russian responsibility for the Russian invasion of Ukraine by blaming Germany and France.The war began in 2014 with the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea and Russia’s military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas. Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine is unprovoked and unjustified. Neither the US nor European countries have declared war on 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. Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the West unleashes Nazi and Russophobic war against Russia and Russians, that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is due to NATO’s persistent expansion, that the US and the West are fighting a hybrid war against Russia in Ukraine, that Ukraine is a proxy in the West’s war against Russia, or that The West declared total war against Russia. | Donbas, War in Ukraine, Genocide, Economic difficulties |
670 | 10.12.2022 | West aims to squeeze Russia out of Transcaucasia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/west-aims-to-squeeze-russia-out-of-transcaucasia | newsarmenia.am,ru.armeniasputnik.am,tass.ru,7or.am | Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan | Russian, Armenian | Western countries are persistently trying to wedge themselves into the formats of Russia's interaction with Armenia and Azerbaijan. And no matter how hard they try in Brussels and Washington to imagine otherwise, the desire to squeeze Russia out of Transcaucasia, rather than really and sincerely help in establishing peace and stability in the region is behind this. | 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 interests and attempts to discredit EU action in the area, and specifically the EU Monitoring Capacity. The claim attempts to pre-empt Russia's weakening position in the region.The EU Monitoring Capacity in Armenia was not directed against Russia, or any third country. The EU Monitoring Capacity to Armenia focused on two core tasks:1) support confidence-building between Armenia and Azerbaijan by monitoring the adherence of both parties to the ceasefire;2) through regular and ad-hoc reporting the EU team reported on ceasefire-related developments, monitoring the situation on the Armenian side of the internationally recognised border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This will allow the EU to better support the work of the two parties’ border commissions.Based on the agreement by Armenia and Azerbaijan, the EU is closely involved in leading a peace process between both sides.The EU Monitoring Capacity responds to the agreement reached at the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron, and President of the European Council Michel.The decision to deploy the EU monitors on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was made after the September 2022 escalation, when Azerbaijan attacked sovereign Armenia and occupied Armenian territories.On 19 December 2022, EU Monitoring Capacity completes its mandate, and Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy announced the start of a new phase in the EU’s engagement in the South Caucasus, with a transitional team that will prepare the ground for a possible longer-term EU mission in Armenia, with the ultimate goal of contributing to sustainable peace in the region. | West, Caucasus, European Union, Anti-Russian, Josep Borrell |
671 | 09.12.2022 | Minsk agreements were attempt to gain time for Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/minsk-agreements-were-attempt-to-gain-time-for-ukraine | lantidiplomatico.it | Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia | Italian | The Minsk agreements were an attempt to gain time for Ukraine. Ukraine did not implement the Minsk agreements. France and Germany lied about their willingness to end the conflict in Donbas, they just wanted to fill Ukraine with weapons and prepare it for combat. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, actively trying to legitimise Russia’s military actions. This narrative claims that the West and Ukraine are responsible for the war, because Kyiv did not implement the Minsk agreements.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 Russian side and its proxies have failed to implement a ceasefire, withdraw all heavy weapons, implement all-for-all political prisoner exchange, or ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance based on an international mechanism. On the contrary, Russia has been strengthening the illegal armed formations in eastern Ukraine. Russia also did not allow for unfettered access to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission monitors, including to the Ukraine-Russia border, where the (very limited) monitoring mission was discontinued due to a Russian veto in summer 2021.Without the full implementation of the ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons as well as permission for the full access to all territories for the OSCE monitoring mission, it is difficult to discuss the implementation of the political parts of Minsk II. Nevertheless, Ukraine implemented as much of the Minsk agreements as can reasonably be done while not having control over the territory and addressed every point. It has passed – and extended with renewals – legislation on special status and amnesty (2014), and prepared draft legislation on local elections (2014). Ukraine passed constitutional amendments to provide more autonomy to the territories currently outside its control (2015).The US and EU did not aim to escalate relations with Russia and were not preparing for military conflict. Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.Read similar cases claiming that The West encouraged Kyiv not to implement the Minsk agreements, that Kyiv refused to implement the Minsk agreements and conducted a genocide in Donbas and that Russia launched a military offensive because Ukraine did not implement the Minsk agreements | Minsk agreements, Donbas, War in Ukraine |
672 | 09.12.2022 | NATO continues to force Kyiv to wage war | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/nato-continues-to-force-kyiv-to-wage-war | oroszhirek.hu | Russia, Ukraine | Hungarian | NATO continues to force Kyiv to wage war. The Alliance still wants to fight to the last Ukrainian, and the alliance is still pumping weapons into Ukraine. So it is prolonging the war and making the situation more difficult for the Ukrainian regime. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is a Western "tool" against Russia. The claim aims to deflect any Russian responsibility for the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022.In reality, Ukraine is a sovereign state with a democratically elected government and it’s of foreign and security policy. The country is not controlled by the US, EU or any other foreign organisation or government. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the world but were violated by Russia from 2014. Western countries are only supporting lethal military aid and financial aid to Ukraine for the country’s efficient self-defence against the unprovoked Russian invasion.Although NATO member states are providing Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression, 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. Western instructors are teaching Ukrainian soldiers how to use modern weaponry, but there are no NATO troops fighting on the front. NATO condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's war on Ukraine. NATO as an organisation is not involved in fighting in Ukraine. In fact, Western actions adopted against Russia, such as sanctions or diplomatic measures, are a reaction to these actions including the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the long-term destabilisation of Ukraine or the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of this peaceful country.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. | NATO, Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood, Puppets |
673 | 09.12.2022 | The West encouraged genocide in Donbas and turned Ukraine into a colony | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-encouraged-genocide-in-donbas-and-turned-ukraine-into-a-colony | regnum.ru,RIA,iz.ru,eadaily.com,sputnik.by,Moskovskij Komsomolets,tvzvezda.ru,vedomosti.ru,tass.ru | Russia, Ukraine | Russian | For years, the West has exploited Ukraine and turned it into a colony. Currently the Ukrainian people are cynically used as cannon fodder and an anti-Russian ram. The West also encouraged genocide and terror in Donbas. Continuously supplying Ukraine with weapons and ammunition and sending mercenaries, the West is pushing Ukraine to suicide. | This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim aiming to undermine the Ukrainian statehood, portraying Ukraine as a puppet of the West, also accusing the Western countries of being anti-Russian. The article also promotes a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about alleged genocide committed by Ukraine, aiming to justify the full-scale Russian invasion of and war crimes in Ukraine.The idea that Ukraine is committing genocide against its own population is promoted by the Russian president in his speeches. The idea is nevertheless baseless. A genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. No such plan existed in Ukraine and no killing of civilians by Ukrainian armed forces can be related to an alleged genocide.There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities in Donbas or elsewhere, 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.The genocide narrative has been an integral part of the justification campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Leaders of the European Union recognized that Moscow's actions should be evaluated as “acts of violence and the violation of international law”.The claim that Ukraine is controlled or ‘colonised’ by the Western contries is unsubstantiated. Pro-Kremlin media outlets often cast doubts on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine either does not exist as a state or is going to tumble down very soon. In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. It has elected six presidents since then and changed parties in government several times which illustrates political diversity and democratic dynamics even during economic hardship in the wake of Russian aggression in 2014.See more similar narratives of disinformation against Ukraine: Moscow must interfere because Kyiv gasses people in camps; Kyiv’s leaders do not hide their desire to move from a Russophobic policy to genocide; Russian speakers in Donbass are victims of genocide; The West encouraged and justified genocide against the Donbas population. | Genocide, Donbas, War in Ukraine, Anti-Russian, Imperialism/colonialism, Sovereignty |
674 | 09.12.2022 | The West has made Ukraine its colony and is using Ukrainians as cannon fodder | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-has-made-ukraine-its-colony-and-is-using-ukrainians-as-cannon-fodder | oroszhirek.hu | Ukraine, Russia, Europe | Hungarian | For years the West has been shamelessly draining and exploiting Ukraine's resources, inciting genocide and terror in the Donbas, turning the country into a virtual colony, and now cynically using the Ukrainian people as cannon fodder, a battering ram against Russia, continuing to supply Ukraine with arms and ammunition, sending mercenaries, and driving the country on a suicidal path. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is a Western "tool" against Russia. The article also undermines the Ukrainian statehood, portraying Ukraine as a puppet of the West. The claim aims to deflect any Russian responsibility for the unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022.The claim that Ukraine is controlled or ‘colonised’ by the Western contries is unsubstantiated. Pro-Kremlin media outlets often cast doubts on Ukrainian statehood and claim that Ukraine either does not exist as a state or is going to tumble down very soon. In reality, present-day Ukraine has been on the world map since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. It has elected six presidents since then and changed parties in government several times which illustrates political diversity and democratic dynamics even during economic hardship in the wake of Russian aggression in 2014.Ukraine is not controlled by the US, EU or any other foreign organisation or government. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the world but were violated by Russia from 2014. Western countries are only supporting lethal military aid and financial aid to Ukraine for the country’s efficient self-defence against the unprovoked Russian invasion.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. NATO condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's war on Ukraine. NATO as an organisation is not involved in fighting in Ukraine. In fact, Western actions adopted against Russia, such as sanctions or diplomatic measures, are a reaction to these actions including the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the long-term destabilisation of Ukraine or the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of this peaceful country.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. | West, Warmongering, Ukrainian statehood, Puppets, Imperialism/colonialism |
675 | 09.12.2022 | Petro Poroshenko became president after the US-backed coup in Kyiv in 2014 | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/petro-poroshenko-became-president-after-the-us-backed-coup-in-kyiv-in-2014 | oroszhirek.hu | Ukraine, Russia, US | Hungarian | Petro Poroshenko, who became President of Ukraine after the 2014 US-backed coup in Kyiv, told his domestic supporters in August 2015 that the Minsk agreement was a ploy to buy time for military reinforcement. He admitted as much to the West in an interview with German media in July 2022. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the role of the US in 2014 Euromaidan in UkraineIn 2014, there was no coup, nor a western orchestrated protest in Ukraine.The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with the former President Yanukovych. After seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU due to Russian pressure.The protesters' demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, the formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence.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.By making statements alleging that Ukraine has done nothing to implement the Minsk agreements, Moscow and the separatists it backs are trying to deflect attention away from Russia’s responsibility.See similar disinformation cases in our database: Ukraine fell under external control after the 2014 coup d’etat; Ukraine is under the external control of the US and EU; Zelenskyy is unable to make independent decisions and dances to the tune of the US; Zelenskyy and Tsikhanouskaya are a clown and a kitchen maid selling out their countries; The CIA ordered its puppet Zelenskyy to extend sanctions against Russian social media. | US presence in Europe, Puppets, Coup, Euromaidan, Minsk agreements |
676 | 08.12.2022 | The European Commission always worked under Washington's direction | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-european-commission-always-worked-under-washingtons-direction | akhbarak.net,arabic.rt.com,rtarabic.com | EU, US | Arabic | The European Commission has always worked within the framework and under the direction set by Washington, and it is a framework that is narrowing today, which pushed Europe directly towards the crisis. | 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.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, European Commission, Puppets, Europe, Sovereignty |
677 | 08.12.2022 | Zelensky uses the same Nazi symbols as Hitler | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/zelensky-uses-the-same-nazi-symbols-as-hitler | lantidiplomatico.it | Ukraine | Italian | There is commonality of Nazi symbolism between Adolf Hitler and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president elected man of the year by Time magazine whose army has been bombing civilian areas of Donetsk and Gorlovka for 8 years with European weapons. Today's Ukrainian symbols dredge up both the emblems of Nazi Germany (the black sun, the rune wolf tooth) and those of Hitler's collaborationist Ukraine (the red-and-black colours of the UPA, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army). | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine, often presented as justification for the full-scale Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022 and recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation about the atrocities of the Ukrainian army in Donbas, such as war crimes and genocide.This is part of a disinformation campaign aiming to deflect attention away from Russian actions and justify Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. There is no evidence to support the claims of genocide by Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities did not systematically exterminate or abuse people living in the conflict zone. The claimed dead people – military and civilian alike - are a result of a war Russia had started in Ukraine. It was not an internal civil conflict but a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine which has closely monitored the conflict has observed no such genocide.As for accusations of Ukrainians wearing Nazi symbols today, this is a fabrication from pro-Kremlin media. 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. The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest.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".See similar cases claiming that Ukrainians are the new Nazis, their actions directed by Europe against Russia, Ukraine is ruled by a Nazi junta, Ukrainian army has been attacking civilian areas in Donetsk with artillery for eight years and a Nazi symbol was found on the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of Ukraine. | Adolf Hitler, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donbas, Genocide, Nazi/Fascist, Stepan Bandera |
678 | 08.12.2022 | The European Parliament is a bunch of extremists with no real power | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-european-parliament-is-a-bunch-of-extremists-with-no-real-power | akhbarak.net,arabic.rt.com,rtarabic.com | EU | Arabic | The European Parliament was a collection of extremists of all types; over the years it passed laws and legislation that would tear the world apart if implemented. Fortunately, the real politics are determined by the European Commission, while the European Parliament remained a virtual game within the framework of the utopia that was created. | This is a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative questioning the EU institutions' legitimacy and powers.The European Parliament is one of the EU's two law-making bodies. It has constitutional-type and ratification powers. It passes EU laws, together with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission proposals. It has budgetary powers, scrutiny over the executive, hears citizens’ petitions, and appoints the European Ombudsman. A detailed overview of the European Parliament’s role in the European decision-making process can be consulted here. As EU co-operation evolved with time, the European Parliament progressed from a purely advisory role to one of co-decision on an equal footing with the Council. The Lisbon Treaty expanded the number of policies which are subject to ordinary legislative procedure to virtually all areas including the areas of freedom, security and justice, external trade, environmental policy and the common agricultural policy.In line with its competences, on 16 September 2021 the European Parliament adopted a recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the direction of EU-Russia political relations, generating this attempt to minimise its role in in the EU's decision making process.See similar stories that the European Parliament has no powers in the EU, that the European Parliament has no effect on the EU Commission, that the European Parliament decides practically nothing in the EU, and that the European Parliament does not have real powers.**This disinformation claim appeared in the same article as the disinformation claim that the European Commission always worked within Washington's framework | European Parliament, European Commission |
679 | 08.12.2022 | Brussels wants to squeeze Russia out of the Caucasus | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/brussels-wants-to-squeeze-russia-out-of-the-caucasusm | news.am,news.am,panorama.am,tass.ru,Golos Armenii,aravot-ru.am | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, EU | Armenian, Russian | We know about the desire of Brussels to infiltrate by any means in the process of normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Brussels does this in order to simply stake out a presence on the ground and, ultimately, squeeze Russia out of the region. [...] everything suggests that the EU, with its activity in the South Caucasus, is solely guided by its own opportunistic interests. | 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 interests and attempts to discredit the recently announced EU mission.The claim attempts to preempt Russia's weakening position in the region.The EU Monitoring Capacity in Armenia is not directed against Russia, or any third country. It consists of up to 40 EU civilian monitoring experts which was deployed for a limited period of two months.The EU Monitoring Capacity to Armenia focus on two core tasks:1) support confidence-building between Armenia and Azerbaijan by monitoring the adherence of both parties to the ceasefire;2) through regular and ad-hoc reporting the EU team will report on ceasefire related developments, will monitor the situation on the Armenian side of the internationally recognised border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This will allow the EU to better support the work of the two parties’ border commissions.Based on the agreement by Armenia and Azerbaijan, the EU is closely involved in leading a peace process between both sides.The EU Monitoring Capacity responds to the agreement reached at the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron and President of the European Council Michel.The decision to deploy the EU monitors on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was made after the September 2022 escalation, when Azerbaijan attacked sovereign Armenia and occupied Armenian territories. | European Union, Anti-Russian, Maria Zakharova, Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, Territorial dispute |
680 | 08.12.2022 | The Russian air force killed over 90 Polish mercenaries in one strike | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-russian-air-force-killed-over-90-polish-mercenaries-in-one-strike | null | Poland, Russia, Ukraine | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Poland, Russia, Ukraine | Over 90 Polish mercenaries were killed near the village of Borovskoye in the Kharkiv region as a result of a high-precision weapon strike by the Russian air force. | Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the invasion of Ukraine, on Western involvement in the war and on foreign mercenaries fighting against Russia.The claim about the alleged 90 Polish mercenaries “killed in one strike” is not supported by evidence. In total, there may be several dozens of Polish volunteers fighting within the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine (official Ukrainian Army unit) – these people are volunteers, not mercenaries. There are around two officially confirmed deaths of Polish volunteers fighting in Ukraine (one in July and one in December).The West is not at war with Russia or the Russians. Since Russia launched its full-scale unjustified aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the West has been calling for Russian withdrawal from Ukraine and a peaceful settlement. The West is not interested in the continuation of the war at the heart of Europe.Only the Ukrainian Armed Forces with subordinated units are fighting the Russian forces having invaded Ukraine.See other cases claiming that Russia fights the collective West, not just Ukraine and American mercenaries are recruited en masse and sent to Ukraine. | null |
681 | 08.12.2022 | IAEA is playing on the side of the West and Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/iaea-is-playing-on-the-side-of-the-west-and-ukraine | sahafatak.net,nabd.com,rtarabic.com,arabic.rt.com,news.munsati.com | Ukraine, Russia | Arabic | Putting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant under the control of the IAEA is impossible, because this organisation is not mandated to manage nuclear power plants.Such a step would mean putting the plant effectively under Ukrainian control. In addition, it would not be possible to regulate this through the IAEA Charter or any other international legal documents.It is now clear that such a proposal is another sign that the IAEA is "playing" on the side of the West and Ukraine in the conflict. | 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 claim was neither balanced nor critically challenged in the article.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 president is a product of the collective West, and that the IAEA delegation will pass on intelligence to Ukrainian army, See other examples of disinformation narratives about the supposed anti-Russian bias of international institutions- such as the OPCW, the World Anti-Doping Agency or the United Nations.See our report on pro-Kremlin disinformation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. | Nuclear issues, International Law |
682 | 08.12.2022 | Ukraine perpetrated terrorist acts on Russian airfields | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ukraine-perpetrated-terrorist-acts-on-russian-airfields | sputniknews.com | Ukraine, Russia | English | The recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian military airfields in Saratov and Ryazan Oblasts were acts of terrorism. | The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative regarding Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.Both the Engels-2 airfield in Saratov Oblast and the Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Oblast are military facilities managed by the Russian Ministry of Defence. If it happened to be Ukrainian strikes on both objects, they would be legal under Article 52 of the Geneva Convention (Protocol I):"Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage".Furthermore, Article 51 of the UN Charter reads:"Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations".In October 2022, Moscow falsely claimed that the attack on the illegally built Crimean Bridge, which was likely perpetrated by the Ukrainian security services, was also an act of terrorism. See here for our debunk of this claim. | War in Ukraine, Military, Terrorism |
683 | 08.12.2022 | West views Ukraine war as decisive battle against Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/west-views-ukraine-war-as-decisive-battle-against-russia | yapolitic.ru | Ukraine, Russia, EU | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Ukraine, Russia, EU | Many Western countries view the conflict in Ukraine as the last decisive battle with Russia which they are now losing. | This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing the West of Russophobia and attempts to destroy the Russian state.The West was trying to conduct a peaceful dialogue and establish good-neighbourly relations with Moscow from the breakup of the former Soviet Union in 1991 and up to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014. The European Union slapped sanctions on Russia in the wake of its illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. More sanctions have been imposed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.NATO did not consider Russia to be a threat until this war. In 1997, the two sides signed the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation in which Russia was viewed as a partner of the alliance. A new strategy towards Russia was adopted at the summit of NATO leaders in Madrid in June 2022. They adopted a new strategic blueprint branding Russia as “the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.” But it does not mean that the West is aiming to invade Russia. Alliance members took this stance solely because of Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine and its unceasing threats to Ukraine’s allies.This change in the West’s policy towards Russia does not imply any aggressive intentions towards Moscow. The West’s actions aim at enhancing its security in the face of Russia's threat.Read more disinformation cases about the Russian unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and the West’s alleged Russophobia. | null |
684 | 08.12.2022 | The US is pushing Europe into conflict with Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-us-is-pushing-europe-into-conflict-with-russia | Sputnik Poland | Russia, Ukraine, EU, US | Polish | Brussels does not want to understand that for a long time it has been a junior partner to Washington. The EU accepts this role by engaging in an open confrontation with Russia under US pressure, which goes against the economic and political interests of Europe. The less the EU is willing to articulate and defend its priorities to the Americans, the less the EU is considered by the USA. | A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an alleged loss of sovereignty of the EU and its member states. 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 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.NATO and the EU stand united in condemning Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-defence.Read more about the EU response and support for Ukraine. See our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war. | War in Ukraine, Sovereignty, US presence in Europe, Anti-Russian, Puppets, Maria Zakharova |
685 | 07.12.2022 | Western sanctions on Russian energy jeopardize the global economy | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/western-sanctions-on-russian-energy-jeopardize-the-global-economy | bgr.news-front.info | Ukraine, US, China, EU, Russia | Bulgarian | Unfortunately for the US and the EU, the global energy market cannot function normally without Russian oil and gas. Various energy sanctions, including the US ban on Russian fuel imports, have had no effect on Moscow, because oil supplies have been diverted to other buyers who want to buy it at a discount. Europe's latest economic attack on Russia - the imposition of a price cap on Russian oil will probably fail, because Moscow warned that it would not sell fuel at non-market prices. Even if Russia agrees to a price cap, then that cap per barrel is almost exactly the price at which Russia currently sells its oil. | The article utilises the pro-Kremlin narrative on the energy crisis in Europe amid the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and belittles subsequent Western sanctions on Russia. This narrative fits well into the Kremlin's claims that the West is collapsing. The Kremlin seeks to pressure and blackmail the European governments and create public panic over energy insecurity / energy costs.Despite recent events, Europe is prepared to face this winter. EU underground gas reserves have been filled by more than 95% of their capacity, much more than the 1 November deadline set to achieve 80% capacity. This means that with the predicted gas consumption reduction and filled gas reserves, Europe won’t be out of gas for the winter even without Russian gas. Furthermore, American LNG supplies to Europe have more than doubled this year, as EU strategically increased its orders. Europe’s LNG imports increased by 65% in the first nine months of this year, also due to fall of Asian demand for LNG, in part because of lower demand from China.The EU has imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia in response to the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Furthermore, in December 2022, EU countries agreed to set a price cap on Russian oil at $60 per barrel. The price cap applies to oils which originate in or are exported from Russia. The cap comes on top of the EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products, and the corresponding bans of other G7 partners.This decision aims at limiting price surges driven by extraordinary market conditions and drastically reduce the revenues Russia has been earning from oil since its invasion of Ukraine. It will also serve to stabilize global energy prices while mitigating adverse consequences on energy supply to third countries.It is important to note that through the sanctions, the West is trying to send a strong signal of resolve and unity to the Kremlin, degrade Russia’s ability to wage war and slowly asphyxiate the Russian economy and in particular the country’s energy sector.See more disinformation cases on energy issues amid invasion of Ukraine and sanctions towards Russia. | War in Ukraine, Sanctions, Energy, G7 |
686 | 07.12.2022 | Western mercenaries in Ukraine will rape and kill | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/western-mercenaries-in-ukraine-will-rape-and-kill | bgr.news-front.info | null | Bulgarian | Local Ukrainian police station refused to prosecute the rape of two local girls by Polish mercenaries because it followed instructions from Kyiv to ignore actions of allies fighting for the Zelenskyy regime. Ukrainians should not support Zelenskyy, because this way they will be subjected daily to such vileness. Ukrainians are worthless slaves for the West and their mercenaries came to Ukraine only to make money, pillage and plunder. There will only be death, sin and violence for the Ukrainian citizens if they continue to follow this path. | The article promotes a multi-faceted disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that the West is directly involved in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, aggravating the situation through sponsoring war crimes and that Kyiv’s legitimate government is a puppet in the hands of the West.Ukraine is recognized as a sovereign national state, with a democratically-elected president and parliament, developing within its existing boundaries to exercise the Ukrainian nation's right to self-determination. The country is not a tool utilised by the West to wage a proxy war against Russia. The fundamental aim of Western countries and organizations is helping Ukraine to ward off the full scale Russian invasion.Only the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fighting Russian invaders in Ukraine. Ukraine called on experienced foreign nationals to join its foreign legion, whose members are regular soldiers of the Ukrainian army and not mercenaries. It is not an unusual practice since other countries also offer foreigners the opportunity to join the foreign legion without being mercenaries, as in the case of the French Légion étrangère.There is no evidence that committing war crimes is a common practice of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, or it is encouraged by Kyiv or any Western country. However, Ukraine is investigating more than 34,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression committed by Russia since February. A non-exhaustive list of the Russian Army’s exploits in Ukraine includes the rape and torture of children; massacres of civilians; deliberate attacks against non-combatants; widespread use of cluster munitions in civilian areas; hospital bombings; forced disappearances and torture of civilians; mass deportations to Russia; and attacks on cultural heritage sites. | null |
687 | 07.12.2022 | Ursula von der Leyen had no competency to ban RT and Sputnik | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/ursula-von-der-leyen-had-no-competency-to-ban-rt-and-sputnik | francais.rt.com,odysee.com | France, EU, Russia | French | RT / Sputnik are banned by a decision of the President of the European Commission, who has no right to do so. But it is effective in all countries of the European Union. The French media authority ARCOM had just renewed the RT France agreement when Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen decided to ban RT France and ARCOM said nothing. | Recurrent disinformation message about the European Commission and the decision to implement a temporary broadcast and transmission ban RT / sputnik within the EU during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The President of the European Commission announced temporary restrictive measures against on broadcasting of RT branches and Sputnik in the EU during the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops but the decision was made by the EU Council which is composed of member states' governments. Conspiracy theory prone groups often pretend that an “unelected individual”, the President of the Commission, decided unilaterally and illegally to mute media groups inside the EU: it is incorrect. It is also incorrect to present RT and Sputnik as independent French media free from Russian narratives. RT / Sputnik and other Russian state outlets and platforms are not media in the normal sense as they are totally dependent on the Russian state financing, fully under the editorial control of the Kremlin and do not adhere to basic journalistic standards. See here about the European Court of Justice ruling, backing the European Council decision. Over the past several years the database EU vs Disinfo documented many occurrences of pro-Kremlin disinformation in RT and Sputnik's material, many of which target Ukraine.Read also related cases: Ursula von der Leyen unilaterally banned independent media, RT was banned in France without any legal basis or evidence, RT and Sputnik are censored only because of their funding, Ursula von der Leyen shouldn’t decide on the safety of Sputnik V; EU's approval process is politicised. | Russophobia, RT, European Commission, Propaganda, Dictatorship |
688 | 07.12.2022 | Russia protects the territorial integrity of Ukraine from Polish expansionism | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-protects-the-territorial-integrity-of-ukraine-from-polish-expansionism | Sputnik Poland | Poland, Ukraine, Russia | Polish | Nationalist elements in Poland dream about taking back the western lands that Ukraine received thanks to Stalin’s decisions after WWII. The only real guarantor of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its current borders is Russia. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions.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 actually 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. | War in Ukraine, Territorial dispute, Ukrainian statehood |
689 | 07.12.2022 | Four large clusters of world elites manage global events | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/four-large-clusters-of-world-elites-manage-global-events | sputnik.by | UK, Vatican | Russian | Speaking of global elites with enormous political power and finance, many wrongly narrow them down to the Rockefellers and Rothschilds. In fact, four large clusters of actors construct the world elite. First, monarchical and aristocratic families, foremost coming from the UK. Second, the Vatican and religious orders. Third, bankers linked to old Anglo-Saxon money and Jewish capital. The fourth cluster consists of the Jewish, Armenian and Lebanese diasporas. | An unfounded conspiracy theory, sharing a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about "secret elites" controlling world leaders. 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. The reference to "the Rothschilds" is a well-known Anti-Semitic trope.In such cases, the term “Anglo-Saxons” 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 earlier disinformation cases in the ‘big conspiracy’ category alleging that the decision to go ahead with the coronavirus pandemic was taken by the Rothschilds, Rockefellers and Bill Gates in Davos, that the Rothschilds sanctioned an attempt to impeach Donald Trump, that the “true rulers of the globe” are like the "Skulls and Bones" fraternity to which all US presidents belong.A few examples of disinformation accusing the Anglo-Saxons of acting against Russia include: 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 are on the edge of an anti-Russian attack.Technical remark: This disinformation was broadcast via Sputnik on 7 December 2022. Due to the EU decision to restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU. | Rothschild, Rockefeller, Secret elites / global elites, Deep state, Anglo-Saxon |
690 | 06.12.2022 | The WHO Pandemic Treaty is a weapon of the global elites | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-who-pandemic-treaty-is-a-weapon-of-the-global-elites | tsargrad.tv | null | Russian | The secret pandemic treaty has been already signed by the global elites. Its real purpose is to prepare the world countries for the fact that, by signing it, they will voluntarily agree to give away their sovereignty and the lives of their citizens into the hands of the global elites. The pandemic agreement is aimed at creating a system of total electronic control over the people of all countries and has nothing to do with healthcare. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that the secret globalist elites from the West are using the pandemics to make countries dependent, reduce their sovereignty, and to maintain the elites in power.This is also part of a disinformation campaign on coronavirus, well documented by both media and governments.The publicly available conceptual zero draft, which serves as a bridge to the future zero draft of the WHO CA+, emphasizes the principle of sovereignty of States Parties in addressing public health matters. | null |
691 | 06.12.2022 | In the Ukrainian conflict, Russia is the victim and NATO the aggressor | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/in-the-ukrainian-conflict-russia-is-the-victim-and-nato-the-aggressor | actualidad-rt.com,actualidad-rt.com | Ukraine, Russia, US, EU | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Ukraine, Russia, US, EU | There is an old Russian proverb saying: you need two to make war. But it is not true: in this war there weren’t two sides. There is one side that is the victim, Russia, and the other side is the aggressor, NATO under the Anglo-American leadership. | This disinformation narrative is part of a wider campaign aiming to justify Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, for which Russia spent years preparing the information battleground prior to its kinetic attack. Victimisation of Russia and presenting its illicit actions as “defence” against its adversaries is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, NATO is not “the aggressor” in Ukraine. Western nations did everything they could to prevent the war and have only been reacting to Russia’s full invasion. 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. Western instructors train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use modern weaponry 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.This disinformation story appeared in the same video as the claim that “Financial aid to Ukraine serves to fund terrorist attacks against civilian infrastructures” | null |
692 | 06.12.2022 | Hate speech against Russians is accepted on French TV | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/hate-speech-against-russians-is-accepted-on-french-tv | francais.rt.com,tsargrad.tv,odysee.com | France, Russia | French, Russian | It seems that you can use the most racist, the most xenophobic terms about certain nations while for some others, it is completely unacceptable.
If you criticize the excessive presence of migrants in France and you indicate that this lowers labor costs for the working classes, and therefore the wages of the working classes, you are a fascist, you are a Nazi; [....] while you can openly say that the Russians are cockroaches, or are rats, and the hosts on the big TV chains say that they understand [...]. | Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative stating that western countries are russophobic and that the use of hate speech against Russians is accepted.The article refers to a particular discussion in the studios of LCI about the Russians who are leaving Russia massively after the illegal military invasion of Ukraine and after the military mobilisation.The contributor is known for her straight talk against the oppression of the Ukrainian people, she learned French in the Soviet Union and sometimes can make linguistic twists not common by native speakers. Here she uses an expression Les rats quittent le navire", in English “the rats leave the ship”. This expression is commonly used in everyday life without being related to racism or discrimination against one ethnic group. The expression is used to describe a desperate situation, an "every man for himself" situation, like that of Russians who leave the country because they refuse to fight in Ukraine or be sent to jail for refusing this war. The idea that western media in general are “Russophobic” is a common trope on today’s Russian state and Kremlin-affiliated outlets. It seeks to drum up an "us versus them" feeling and mobilise a sort of patriotic sentiment. Short of substantial arguments, the term has become an easy slogan which the Kremlin uses to reject any criticism or opposing view.Read also related cases: Western media have an information policy that is supposed to create a hatred of Russians , Nazi Ukraine kills Russian speakers in East and wants to set up monoethnic state , The EU preaches trivial Russophobia presented as European values , Europe’s Russophobia dates from 16th century. | Invasion of Ukraine, Russophobia, Anti-Russian, Migration crisis |
693 | 06.12.2022 | There is no press freedom in the West | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/there-is-no-press-freedom-in-the-west | RT English | Latvia, Russia | English | Latvia’s decision to revoke the broadcasting license of Dozhd, a Russian liberal TV channel, should be a wake-up call to all journalists who still harbour any illusions about press freedom in the West. | A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about censorship and control of the media in the West.The European Union as a whole is committed to respecting the freedom and pluralism of the media as well as the right to freedom of expression - which includes the right to receive and impart information without interference by public authority. Currently, the EU is preparing a 'Media Freedom Act', a law that will include rules on cross-border functioning and ownership of media inside the EU to prevent government interference.According to Reporters Without Borders, the nations with the most press freedom and freedom of speech are Western countries, with European nations predominating, as well as Canada and the United States. In contrast, Russia, with increasing authoritarian trends, ranks 150th out of 180 in the press freedom rankings, where researchers say the Kremlin is determined to control the Internet and the media. For an in-depth look at the situation of Russian state-controlled mass media read here. Read similar cases claiming that The West cannot cope with freedom of opinion and imposes censorship, that Freedom of expression allowed only to denounce white Americans as racist or that The era of liberal democracy and freedom of speech is over – corporations and states are unified in promotion of censorship.See also our account of the censorship laws in Russia here. | Freedom of speech, Western values, European values, Anti-Russian, Russophobia |
694 | 06.12.2022 | The conflict in Ukraine started in 2014 following a US decision to arm Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-conflict-in-ukraine-started-in-2014-following-a-us-decision-to-arm-ukraine | lantidiplomatico.it | US, Ukraine | Italian | The conflict in Ukraine was triggered by Washington's deliberate actions that led Kyiv to lose its neutral status toward Russia. Starting in 2014 in the Donbas so many people were displaced because the United States was heavily arming the Ukrainian army. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the US' allegedly provocative actions in the run-up to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, claiming that the West (EU/NATO) has provoked and is involved in war in Ukraine. The aim is to deflect responsibility for Moscow’s illicit actions and the threats made by the Kremlin.The war began in 2014 with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.After Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, the Obama Administration provided Ukraine non-lethal security assistance, such as body armor, helmets, vehicles, night and thermal vision devices, heavy engineering equipment, advanced radios, patrol boats, rations, tents, counter-mortar radars, uniforms, medical kits, and other related items. US aid was meant to help Ukraine preserve its territorial integrity and secure its borders.So many people in Donbas were displaced because of the Russian-backed separatists aggression. Over the course of eight years, Ukrainian government forces fought Russian-backed separatists for control over much of the two heavily industrialised regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, also known as Donbas. Fierce battles in 2014-2015 ended with one third of the regions’ territory, its most urbanised part, occupied by two Russian proxy statelets, the self-described Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.Russia’s protracted invasion of Ukraine is unprovoked and unjustified.Neither the US nor European countries have declared war on 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. Western nations have always been calling for solving all problems with Russia in a peaceful and diplomatic manner. Moscow’s overall aggressive policy has led to a tougher and better-balanced policy towards it by the West.On the contrary, it is Russia that refused the diplomatic process and started a full-scale unprovoked war in Europe and created a serious danger to European security, while using nuclear threats.The EU or NATO as an organisation are not involved in fighting in Ukraine. In fact, Western actions adopted against Russia, such as sanctions or diplomatic measures, are a reaction to these actions including the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the long-term destabilisation of Ukraine or the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of this peaceful country.Read similar cases claiming that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is due to NATO’s persistent expansion, that the US and the West are fighting a hybrid war against Russia in Ukraine, that Ukraine is a proxy in the West's war against Russia, that The West declared total war against Russia, or that The conflict in Ukraine was provoked by Washington. | NATO, Invasion of Ukraine, War in Ukraine, Eastern Ukraine, Donbas, Military, DNR, LNR |
695 | 06.12.2022 | Kyiv is preparing a false flag attack to prevent resumption of Russian fertiliser exports | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/kyiv-is-preparing-a-false-flag-attack-to-prevent-resumption-of-russian-fertiliser-exports | sputniknews.lat | Ukraine, Russia | Spanish | Ukraine is preparing a false flag attack organised by the British special forces to prevent Moscow from exporting ammonia again through the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline, a military diplomatic source explained. Kyiv wants to frustrate the UN initiative calling for the resumption of the export Russian fertilisers. | Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. The goal of this disinformation story is to portray Ukraine and the UK as evil actors responsible for obstructing the reintroduction of Russian fertilisers in global markets. As both US and EU sanctions exclude fertilisers and food exports, pro-Kremlin disinformation is resorting to unsubstantiated allegations to mask what is largely the result of Russia’s lack of willingness to compromise at the UN-backed talks on this issue, and ultimately the consequence of Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine.Baseless claims of false flag operations are a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique. 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 visual evidence shows that Russian “executions” in Izyum are fake, or that atrocities in Bucha are a Ukrainian provocation. | food, false flag, Invasion of Ukraine, Provocation, Diplomacy with Russia |
696 | 06.12.2022 | Financial aid to Ukraine funds terrorist attacks against civilian infrastructure | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/financial-aid-to-ukraine-funds-terrorist-attacks-against-civilian-infrastructure | actualidad-rt.com | Ukraine, EU, US | Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation:
Ukraine, EU, US | New financial aid packages for Kyiv have been announced. For many, this is an invitation for Western countries to fund all these terrorist attacks against the civilian infrastructure in conflict zones. | This is part of a wider disinformation campaign surrounding Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine, in this case aiming to undermine support in Western countries for providing aid to Ukraine to defend itself against Moscow’s unprovoked aggression. Foreign aid serves multiple purposes, from maintaining the economy to backing Ukraine’s war efforts, but in no case it is “an invitation to fund terrorist attacks”, unlike what this disinformation story baselessly affirms.See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Western military aid to Ukraine will only 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.This disinformation story appeared in the same video as the claim that “In the Ukrainian conflict, Russia is the victim and NATO the aggressor”. | null |
697 | 05.12.2022 | Russia must eliminate Nazis in the Ukrainian leadership | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/russia-must-eliminate-nazis-in-the-ukrainian-leadership | oroszhirek.hu | Ukraine, Russia | Hungarian | The leader of the Ukrainian National Security Council urged the destruction of Russia. There is no point in reacting symmetrically to this nonsense. There is also no point in talking about the destruction of Ukraine. We must simply destroy all the Nazis. | This is a recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine, presented as justification for te full-scale Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022. In 2015 Ukraine issued a ban on Nazi and Communist ideologies. Generally speaking, far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself and had poor results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. The "Right Sector" candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections. In the 2019 election cycle, far-right candidates fell short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament.The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest.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".See more cases about so-called 'Nazi Ukraine' here. | Nazi/Fascist, Invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood, Russophobia |
698 | 05.12.2022 | Polish special forces under NATO command have arrived in Ukraine | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/polish-special-forces-under-nato-command-have-arrived-in-ukraine | oroszhirek.hu | Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Europe | Hungarian | A combined task force of officers and fighters of the Polish Special Forces in Ukrainian uniforms under the NATO command had arrived in the town of Marhanec in the Dnipropetrovsk region to identify the town's pro-Russian residents. This unit is not under the Ukrainian military command, but under the operational control of the NATO headquarters. | Pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about the war in Ukraine and an alleged presence of NATO forces in the territory of Ukraine. There is no evidence presented in the article to support these claims. This is part of a broader effort by pro-Kremlin outlets to frame Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine as a war against NATO and the West. Although NATO member states are providing Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression, 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. Western instructors are teaching Ukrainian soldiers how to use modern weaponry, but there are no NATO troops fighting on the front. NATO condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's war on Ukraine. NATO as an organisation is not involved in fighting in Ukraine. In fact, Western actions adopted against Russia, such as sanctions or diplomatic measures, are a reaction to these actions including the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the long-term destabilisation of Ukraine or the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of this peaceful country.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 other examples of similar disinformation messages, such as claims that the West fights Russia through psy-ops like Bucha and the Mariupol maternity hospital, that the US needs war between Russia and Ukraine to weaken Russia, that Moscow called for peaceful coexistence but Russia is depicted as a global threat, Russia is under US and NATO attack, or that the West has an anti-Russian plan named “Anaconda ring”. | NATO, Provocation, Military, Invasion of Ukraine |
699 | 05.12.2022 | 2014 US-led coup in Kyiv turned Ukraine into a neo-Nazi bulwark against Russia | https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/2014-us-led-coup-in-kyiv-turned-ukraine-into-a-neo-nazi-bulwark-against-russia | de.rt.com | Ukraine, US, EU | German | Ukraine is only a means to an end for the West. This was the purpose of the coup in Kyiv in 2014, led by the USA and supported by the EU and the German government, and the development of Ukraine into a neo-Nazi bulwark against Russia.The population in the Donbass refused to submit to the national-chauvinist coup plotters who suspended the constitution, declared war on everything Russian and discriminated against Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Following referendums, the Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk declared their autonomy as people's republics. | Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives painting the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv as a coup d'état, and portraying the Ukrainian leadership as pathologically Russophobic and mistreating the country's Russian-speaking population.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.There was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; this is a longstanding pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine's Euromaidan. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former president Viktor Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.Since 2014, Russia has waged large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and is also responsible for the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, after having illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula and engineered the creation of rebel militias in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, with its army actively participating in military clashes.For this reason, the conflict in eastern Ukraine can hardly been called an act of "resistance," given the abundant evidence that the war is an act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014.Read similar cases claiming that A violent coup d’état took place in Ukraine in 2014, that The US supported the 2014 coup d’état in Ukraine or that The EU supported an unconstitutional coup d'état in Ukraine led by the US. | Nazi/Fascist, Coup, Donbas |