DISINFO: Russia does not threaten the West
SUMMARY
The leaders of the Baltic states and Eastern European nations are constantly talking about a Russian threat. This is stupid talk. Even NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Alliance does not feel a military threat from the Russian Federation. Russia is not amassing troops along the Western nation’s borders.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Russia is a peaceful country.
NATO has been strengthening its eastern flank in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in February 2014 and the beginning of the unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia has been repeatedly issuing nuclear threats to European nations and the United States by both voicing belligerent statements and holding military drills.
The ex-president and deputy head of Russia’s security council, Dmitry Medvedev, wrote on Telegram on 6 May 2024 that if Western countries sent their troops to Ukraine, it would entail these countries' direct entry into the war, to which Russia ‘will have to respond.’ ‘And, unfortunately, not on the territory of Ukraine. There will be a global catastrophe,’ Medvedev said.
Putin said on 29 February 2024 that if Western countries sent troops to Ukraine, it could lead to nuclear war. In his speech announcing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (which Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’) on 24 February 2022, Putin threatened Western nations with dire consequences if they dared to help Ukraine, sayings that ‘Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences that you have never experienced in your history.’
All the above-mentioned statements and many others have posed a direct threat to European and global security. In addition, Russia has been regularly launching nuclear drills with a view to intimidating its European neighbours. Russia’s military held the first stage of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons in May 2024. Russia and its ally Belarus launched a second stage of the drills in June 2024.
To counter Russian threats, NATO has adopted several strong declarations and drew up several plans of action. In 2014, at the Wales Summit, NATO agreed to implement the Readiness Action Plan (RAP) to respond to the changed security environment on the Alliance’s borders. At the Warsaw Summit in 2016, NATO agreed to enhance its forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. The Declaration of NATO’s Madrid summit of 2022 said: ‘The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.’ The 2023 Vilnius Summit Communiqué said: ‘We condemn Russia’s announced intention to deploy nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable systems on Belarusian territory, which further demonstrates how Russia’s repeated actions undermine strategic stability and overall security in the Euro-Atlantic area.’
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