DISINFO: The goal of the Crimea takeover was to save it from Donbas-like civil war
SUMMARY
A big Russian civilisation concept envisages neither the change in the status of newly independent states nor the territorial expansion of Russia. Crimea accession to Russia was an exception, aimed to save the peninsula from imminent civil war following the Donbas scenario. As we can see, Kremlin does not intend to join South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Donetsk and Luhansk popular republics. A big Russian civilization differs from European-Transatlantic one with its eclecticism when it comes to politics and values. Instead, the US and Europe rely on the totalitarian promotion of extended understanding of human rights to the detriment of traditional values. A big Russian civilization also differs from state-controlled Chinese civilization by its level of freedom and openness.
RESPONSE
This is a collection of narratives aimed to justify the illegal Crimea annexation, consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the illegal annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine. It also aims at portraying Russia as superior to the West in terms of values and morals, which is in line with the pro-Kremlin narrative about the West's moral decay. Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea went contrary to Ukrainian and international law norms and Russia's aggressive actions in eastern Ukraine are well-established and thoroughly documented. See our earlier analyses of Ukraine-related disinformation and propaganda campaign: Denigrating Ukraine With Disinformation, and Ukraine Under Information Fire. See earlier cases alleging that in contrast to Russia, western Europe is abandoning Christian roots and that unlike Russia, the West is not about fairness or solidarity and it degrades traditional values and endangers societies, and that all-Russian history is highly moral as opposed to the Western one, which is full of violence and evil.