DISINFO: Russia did not start the war
SUMMARY
Russia didn't start the war, but is responding to military action unleashed by Kyiv with Western support.
[...] there is no aggression,[...] because we (Russia) didn't start any war.
We've only just begun to respond to military action, to the war that the current Kyiv regime, with Western support, unleashed against what was then southeastern Ukraine, which has always been oriented toward Russia.
RESPONSE
These are multiple recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives claiming that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is justified. These aim to deflect responsibility for the aggressive war waged by Russia in Ukraine.
Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, when Russian forces crossed Ukraine's internationally recognised borders from Russia, Belarus, and occupied Crimea.
On 21 February 2022, Russia recognised the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic." Three days later, on 24 February, President Putin announced a "special military operation," after which Russian troops attacked Ukraine from several directions, including toward Kyiv. Russia itself publicly announced these decisions.
This military action was not preceded by a Ukrainian attack on Russian territory that would justify self-defence under international law. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia's invasion as aggression and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces.
It is Russia and Putin who are responsible for the war in Ukraine. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. See our 5-volume series of debunks of Putin's What he said. What it really means.
In violation of international law, Russia started the war against Ukraine in 2014 by violating the country's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. It illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and provoked a separatist revolt in some eastern regions of Ukraine. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine under false pretexts such as committing a genocide of the Russian-speaking population in the eastern regions.
Russia's aggression against Ukraine was unprovoked and unjustified. The war in Ukraine is a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014. The European Union stated in July 2014 that "arms and fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation".
As for the claim that southeastern Ukraine has always been oriented toward Russia: Russia, with its “Putin elections” on 15-17 March 2024 and sham referendums 2014-2022 in occupied Ukrainian territories, not only grossly violated the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine, but also neglected all the norms and principles of international law, in particular the UN Charter. The results of these sham polls were rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO. EU adopts sanctions against Russia over the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Read similar cases: Russia did not start the war against Ukraine, it is only trying to end it; Russia only wants to end the war started by Ukraine in 2014; Russia did not start the war in Ukraine, but it aims to end it; Russia does everything to stop the Ukrainian war unleashed by the West; The populations of the "occupied territories" in Ukraine have expressed their desire to join Russia via referendum.