DISINFO: NATO is trying to destroy the military alliance of Russia and Belarus
SUMMARY
NATO continues to build up its combat potential and military activity in Europe. The deployment of NATO’s military infrastructure is proceeding at an accelerated pace in the Baltics. The main goal of expanding military activity is to dismantle the military alliance of Belarus and Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO. NATO is in no way directed against Russia or any other state. NATO’s objectives are set out in the 1949 Washington Treaty which forms the legal basis of the alliance. The treaty states that parties “are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security”. NATO has taken defensive and proportionate steps in response to a changed security environment. Following Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine, Allies requested a greater NATO presence in the region. NATO's presence in the region is at the request of the host nations and enjoys significant public support. A 2016 Gallup poll found that most people in Allied countries in the Baltic region associate NATO with the protection of their country. NATO exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia, Belarus or any other country. The claim that NATO is encircling or threatening Russia is one of the myths about this organisation. See several other anti-NATO narratives such as NATO provoking Russia, Kaliningrad exclave is threatened by NATO, Eastern European countries are NATO “hostages” (Baltic states, Moldova, Poland) and that NATO has taken a path of aggression. Read the most common fakes about relations between Russia and NATO here.