DISINFO: ‘Russia’s threat’ is an attempt to justify increasing military expenditure in Europe
SUMMARY
The latest statements by Danish intelligence about a threat from Russia are nothing more than an attempt to justify increased military spending in Europe to taxpayers. They have to constantly talk about some ephemeral threat to explain why life has become more difficult for people, also in Denmark. Moscow has for years denounced NATO's expansion towards Russian borders, despite its promises not to do so. NATO currently surrounds Russia on the western flank.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO expansion and encircling Russia. The ultimate goal of this disinformation story is to portray Russia as a peaceful nation, dismissing its aggressive actions towards other countries as defensive and justified. Danish leaders are also baselessly framed as manipulative and adopting decisions against the interest of their citizens.
Russia’s threat to Europe is real, as proven by its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the dozens of sabotage operations it has carried out throughout the continent in the last years, and its attempts to destabilize multiple countries through electoral interference, cyberattacks and other hybrid actions.
The mentioned comments by the Danish Defense Intelligence Service appear in its annual report, which states: “The threat of Russian sabotage has increased, especially against targets linked to Danish support for Ukraine, as has the threat of serious Russian cyber attacks. We may also see Russia ramp up its threatening behaviour towards military aircraft and ships belonging to Denmark and other NATO countries. […] At present, there is no threat of a regular military attack on Denmark, but as Russia keeps rebuilding its military power, the military threat to NATO will increase”. Other reports published recently by the intelligence services of Estonia, Norway, Latvia, Sweden and Finland offered similar conclusions.
NATO’s alleged promises not to expand towards Russia’s borders are a recurring myth that has been debunked multiple times (see here, here and here). Russia’s western borders with NATO expanded as a result of its aggression against Ukraine, as Finland and Sweden, which had remained outside the alliance until then, rushed to join it as a protective measure.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that NATO’s eastward expansion posed a threat to Russia and caused its war against Ukraine, that NATO expansion posed a threat to Russia, that Russia is not a threat to Europe, Europe is a threat to Russia, that NATO uses “Russian threat” to justify its actions, or that Russian threat is a myth.