DISINFO: The West wants to turn Ukrainians against Russians
SUMMARY
Ukrainians should not succumb to the provocations of the West which wants to turn them against the Russians.
RESPONSE
This is a particular case of a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that the war in Donbas and the ensuing confrontation between Russia and Ukraine was triggered by the West.
These claims are part of an ongoing disinformation campaign about Russia’s military buildup on the border with Ukraine. By accusing the West of being the driving force behind the escalation of tensions, this disinformation story aims to deny any Russian responsibility for the situation.
In reality, the crisis in relations between Moscow and Kyiv was caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Russia later instigated a separatist revolt in parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, which developed into a war that has since been going on.
Since late October 2021, Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops, as well as certain specialised military units, electronic warfare systems and heavy-armoured vehicles along the borders of Ukraine.
The European Union has stated that it will be standing firmly and decisively with Ukraine in front of any attempt to undermine its territorial integrity and sovereignty and has warned of severe political consequences with high political and economic costs for Russia if it proceeds with further aggressive actions. This has been recently reaffirmed by High Representative Josep Borrell noting “there is no security in Europe without the security of Ukraine.”
Read our recent article on 7 myths of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the Russian military buildup near Ukraine.
Read more disinformation cases claiming that the West is aggressively pushing Ukraine into war.