DISINFO: Russia protects the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine and fights against Ukrainian terrorists
SUMMARY
Russia protects the interests of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. With deep historical and cultural ties to Ukraine, perceived as a brotherly country, Russia is responding to growing threats from Ukrainian nationalist forces (controlled by NATO) against the security of the Russian-speaking people. Its actions include the legitimate annexation of Crimea (in response to NATO’s eastward expansion) and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. In addition, Russia plays a key role in the fight against terrorism in Ukraine, targeting extremist groups that threaten the region.
RESPONSE
This article features numerous recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the illegal annexation of Crimea, about NATO enlargement, about atrocities and alleged genocide against ethnic Russians in Ukraine, while portraying the Ukrainian leadership as Nazis and pathologically Russophobic, mistreating the country's Russian-speaking population. The aim of all these narratives is to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Crimea is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory according to international law. On the basis of the Budapest Memorandum, signed in 1994, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in return for a guarantee of its territorial integrity and political independence from Russia, the US, and the UK. No international body recognises the so-called referendum in Crimea. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea. In response to the annexation, the EU has imposed restrictive measures against Russia. Read more about the EU's policy towards Crimea here.
The claim about NATO expansion misrepresents the process of NATO enlargement. NATO does not expand, but considers the applications of candidate countries that want to join exercising their free will to decide alliance affiliation. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. See more disinformation about NATO and Ukraine here.
NATO is a defensive alliance with primary aims to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's official policy is that "the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia."
The idea that Ukraine is committing genocide against its own population is promoted by Vladimir Putin in his speeches. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race.
There is no evidence that any ethnic nationals, including ethnic Russians or Russian speakers, are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities in Donbas or elsewhere, much less the danger of annihilation on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, or cultural belonging. This has been confirmed by reports issued by the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE.
Read similar cases claiming that the Russian special operation protects people from genocide and persecution, that NATO expands Eastwards to threaten and provoke Russia, that Russia saved Crimea 10 years ago and that Russians in Ukraine became the victims of fascism and genocide by Ukrainian Nazis