DISINFO: The West is behind Ukraine's attack on Kursk region
SUMMARY
The attack by Ukraine on the Kursk region of Russia was planned with the participation of NATO and the intelligence services of the collective West. Ukraine would not have dared to attack Russian territory, but it is being pushed to do so by external forces, such as the United States. NATO has supplied the country with weapons, shares intelligence with Kyiv and controls its actions.
RESPONSE
This claim appeared in connection with Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk Oblast.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was seeking more detailed information from Ukraine regarding its cross-border operation, noting that they had had no advance knowledge of it. This statement indicates that Ukrainian NATO Allies did not have advance knowledge, let alone supervised the operation.
“It’s not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before – before they execute them. This is a war that they – they are conducting. We provide them with equipment, we provide them with advice, but when it comes to the kind of day-by-day tactics that they carry out, the day-by-day strikes that they take, sometimes we’re in communication about them; sometimes we’re not. And that’s – it’s appropriate for them to make those decisions”, Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US Department of State said during a press briefing.
This claim denies Ukraine's legitimate right of self defence and aims to portray its actions as driven by foreign interests. The main goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression and de-occupy regions that are internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has been attacked by Russia. Moscow's armed aggression is unprovoked, illegal and unjustified and Ukraine acts in its self-defence under the UN Charter, Article 51. This includes the right to strike military targets in Russia involved in Moscow's campaign and attacking Russian forces inside Ukraine, including Russian military bases in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories such as the Donbas, Crimea and other regions belonging to Ukraine.
Russia is the only country responsible for the invasion of Ukraine and the legitimate reactions that follow. It has been inventing explanations and pretexts for its aggression since the beginning of its hostilities. Moreover, Russia was not forced to invade Ukraine. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII.
See similar claims of disinformation: Ukraine is preparing to invade Russia; The West / NATO fighting a hegemonic proxy war against Russia in Ukraine; The conflict in Ukraine was provoked by Washington; The conflict in Ukraine is a Western proxy war against Russia; Russia fights the collective West, not just Ukraine; NATO instigated a war in Ukraine to weaken Russia; Russia is at war with NATO and the Pentagon and only the soldiers are Ukrainians.