DISINFO: US private militaries are preparing a chemical attack in Donbas
SUMMARY
Private US militaries deployed in the Donetsk Region are preparing a provocation with chemical weapons. Reservoirs with unidentified chemical components have been delivered to the towns of Lyman and Avdiyivka. About 120 members of private US militaries have arrived in the region to train Ukrainian special ops forces.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation message about the US and Ukraine and alleged chemical weapons attack.
There is no evidence to substantiate claims about the preparation for chemical weapons attack. There are no private foreign armies in Eastern Ukraine that would fight together with Ukrainian troops.
Ukraine cooperates with NATO and takes part in military exercises together with its member states, but these efforts are preventive. This cooperation is legal and transparent and these measures are only aimed at enhancing Ukraine's defensive capabilities. Russia is launching such and similar fakes to justify its military buildup along Ukraine’s border and to use them as a pretext for a possible invasion of Ukraine.
It is an established fact that Russian mercenaries fight with Moscow-backed armed formations in Eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself admitted that some Russian active-duty servicemen fight in non-government-controlled areas while they are "on holiday".
In the beginning of 2022, on 4-6 January, the EU High Representative Josep Borrell visited Ukraine, including Kyiv and the Stanytsya Luhanska check point - see his statement / blog here on the consequences of the war. The High Representative said, inter alia:
“I could eyewitness the consequences of the war in the Donbass region and hear and see how the conflict has dramatically affected the lives of thousands of people, with many destinies destroyed. ...
Russia is a party to this conflict, and not a mediator as it often claims. Our main interest, concern and purpose is to get Russia to de-escalate tensions.”
Read more disinformation narrative alleging that foreign mercenaries are fighting Donbas.