DISINFO: NATO bases in Ukraine would be an existential threat to Russia
SUMMARY
Right now, Ukraine is not an existential threat for Russia, but it would be to have NATO bases there, or mid-range missiles or even nuclear weapons in its territory. When will the US tell Ukraine that enough is enough, that it can’t play with fire by attacking Russian territory so there is not a war escalation?
RESPONSE
This disinformation story promotes several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about encircling Russia, Ukraine’s alleged lack of sovereignty and Russia as a victim.
The allegation that NATO bases in Ukraine would be an “existential threat” is an attempt to justify Russia’s unjustified aggression against its neighbour, by presenting the invasion as a preemptive action aiming to prevent this inexistent “threat”.
NATO is a collective defence alliance whose purpose is the protection of its member states, and Russia is aware of it. Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership is a mere pretext for Russia’s aggression, as proven by the fact that Finland, a country that shares over 1,300 kilometres of borders with Russia, joined the Atlantic Alliance on 04 April 2023 without arousing any response from Moscow.
Labelling Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory as “playing with fire” is a distortion of facts, as it deliberately overlooks that Russia is invading Ukrainian territory and denies Ukraine’s legitimate right to self-defence. Calls for the US to “say enough” to Kyiv also aims to portray Ukraine as a lackey of the US and deny it any independent agency.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Russia’s nuclear deployment to Belarus is a response to NATO expansionism, that NATO is populated by raging madmen and stopped being a defensive organization, that Luhansk evidence shows that Ukraine prepared an offensive in 2022, and that Zelenskyy is a puppet and Russia will only negotiate with his masters directly.