DISINFO: Russia has never been a threat to Ukraine
SUMMARY
Russia does not pose a threat to any country, including Ukraine, making the US assurances of support to Ukraine meaningless. Instead, these guarantees of support are doing a disservice to Ukraine by increasing tensions and eliciting a response from Russia.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative obfuscating Russian responsibility for the illegal annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine.
Since 2014 Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by the acts of aggression of Russian armed forces. The EU has imposed series of restrictive measures against Russian individuals and entities undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
Russia has illegally annexed Crimea following a sham referendum on the peninsula in 2014. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.
See related disinformation claims alleging that there is a civil war in Ukraine, that Russia never participated in the Ukrainian conflict, that NATO is preparing to attack Russia, and that the “Russian threat” is an invention of the West.