DISINFO: A military group is being formed in NATO to occupy western Belarusian lands
SUMMARY
External intervention has aggravated the situation in Belarus. The problem is “the Belarusian lands belong to Poland.” This is already openly announced. A military group is being formed in NATO to occupy western Belarusian lands.
RESPONSE
There is no reason for NATO, a collective defence organisation, to launch an invasion of Belarus. This is part of a Russian disinformation campaign on post-electoral events in Belarus, merged with recurrent pro-Kremlin narratives portraying NATO as an ever-aggressive organisation.
NATO's leadership has repeatedly denied statements about the build-up of the alliance's forces near the western border of Belarus.
"There is no NATO buildup in the region. NATO’s multinational presence in the eastern part of the Alliance is not a threat to any country. It’s strictly defensive, proportionate & designed to prevent conflict & preserve peace" said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu on 16 August.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated this thesis on 27 August 2020 and stressed that NATO respects the sovereignty and borders of Belarus. He also called on the Belarusian authorities to respect the fundamental freedoms of citizens, including the right to peaceful protest.
"All NATO Allies support a sovereign and independent Belarus. The regime in Minsk must demonstrate full respect for fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest. NATO has no military build-up in the region. So any attempt to use that as an excuse to crack down on peaceful protesters is absolutely unjustified" - emphasised Stoltenberg.
See other examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives in Belarus, such as claims that Belarus mobilised its air force fearing an imminent NATO invasion, that NATO builds up military forces on the border with Belarus, that the EU reaction to Lukashenko’s victory is an example of Western double standards; and the Ukrainian secret services may have planned terrorist attacks on Belarusian territory; that the West wants to prepare another Maidan in the country.