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DISINFO: Russia has nothing to do with the conflict in eastern Ukraine

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

AI translations:

Tags:

War against Ukraine Eastern Ukraine Euromaidan illegal annexation Manipulated elections/referendum Crimea

DISINFO: Russia has nothing to do with the conflict in eastern Ukraine

SUMMARY

The Crimean Peninsula returned to Russia's strength after the overwhelming majority of its population voted in favour of this step in the popular referendum organised in March 2014, against the backdrop of the overthrow of the Yanukovych government and the outbreak of armed conflict in southeastern Ukraine between the government of Kyiv and the unilaterally declared republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Against the background of these developments, the West imposed sanctions on Russia, despite Moscow's repeated insistence that it is not a party to the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, and that Crimea's re-joining to the Russian state came in full accordance with international law.

RESPONSE

An example of recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-2014 Maidan protests and the war in Ukraine, claiming that there is no direct Russian military involvement in eastern Ukraine

The so-called conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine is a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that "the information available suggests that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol amounts to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This international armed conflict began at the latest on 26 February 2014 when the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government". President Putin later (proudly) admitted that even weeks before the Maidan protests began he ordered plans be drawn up to take control of Crimea by military force. See for instance here.

The European Union stated in July 2014 that "arms and fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation", while Russian President Vladimir Putin later admitted Russia's military presence in Ukraine.

After the 2020 EU-Ukraine Summit, HR/VP Josep Borrell said: "We fully support the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. We will not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and we call on the full implementation of the Minsk agreements."

See similar disinformation cases in our database alleging that Donbas rebelled because Russians in Ukraine were subjected to ethnocide; or that after Euromaidan Ukraine lost its sovereignty and is falling apart; or that a civil war erupted in Ukraine after the clique seized power in the country; or that Russian soldiers are not present in Ukraine; or that Crimea never belonged to Ukraine.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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