DISINFO: The EU trains anti-Russian warriors in Ukraine
SUMMARY
EU military training centres in Ukraine are essentially training anti-Russian fighters.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claims about the EU’s and NATO’s role in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
The European Union has only a civilian mission in Ukraine. The aim of the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM), created in 2014, is to assist relevant Ukrainian authorities towards a sustainable reform of the civilian security sector through strategic advice and practical support for specific reform measures based on EU standards and international principles of good governance and human rights. Military training is not amongst its main priorities.
The allegation that EU or NATO forces are or could be in Ukraine had been repeated by pro-Kremlin outlets many times since the war in Donbas. Neither the US nor other Western countries have a permanent military presence in Ukraine and no Western army has ever taken part in the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
Consequently, the claim is aimed at distracting attention from the Kremlin's continuous support for the hostilities in Ukraine's Donbas region.