DISINFO: Ukraine crisis directly caused by NATO’s aggressive policies
SUMMARY
The current crisis in Ukraine was directly caused by NATO’s aggressive policies. These include attempts to turn Ukraine into an anti-Russian stronghold and a disregard for Moscow's security interests. Moscow is ready for dialogue and has never rejected talks. They were undermined by Kyiv. Future agreements must take Russia's security interests into account, reflect the new territorial realities, and address the root causes of the conflict.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing NATO of aggressive policies. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia's unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on 24 February 2022, is a blatant violation of international law. This war of aggression was preceded by a massive disinformation campaign, including the spread of false claims about the alleged NATO threat to Russia, as well as the alleged persecution of Russian speakers in Ukraine and a genocide in some parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the East of Ukraine. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has nothing to do with NATO.
NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. The Alliance has no plans to attack Russia. Its military preparations are only aimed at deterring a possible Russian attack, something top Russian officials have been frequently threatening with. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is caused by Moscow’s desire to seize as much Ukrainian land as possible, citing twisted historical facts about Russia’s rights on the South-East of Ukraine.
Since Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and its support for separatists in the East of Ukraine in 2014, Ukraine has set it foreign policy on the Euro-Atlantic track in order to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity against further Russian aggression.
A broad coalition of more than 50 countries, including NATO allies, provide Kyiv with military and financial support, but they are not involved in the conflict in Donbas. NATO does not have troops or the ground in Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that NATO expansion is to blame for hostilities in Ukraine, that NATO is waging a hybrid war against Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and that NATO directly invaded Russia in the Kursk region.