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DISINFO: NATO exercises have a clear anti-Russian focus

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

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Military exercise Anti-Russian NATO security threat Encircling Russia

DISINFO: NATO exercises have a clear anti-Russian focus

SUMMARY

The United States and its NATO allies are deploying troops to the borders of Russia, and their main combat potential is concentrated in the Black Sea and Baltic regions.

Every year in Europe, NATO conducts up to 40 major operational training events with a clear anti-Russian focus.

RESPONSE

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO allegedly pursuing a belligerent and hostile agenda against Russia.

Every country has the right to conduct exercises, but it is important that they are conducted transparently and in line with international obligations.

NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. During the Warsaw summit in July 2016, NATO has made it clear that:

"The Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia".

NATO's exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia – or any other country. Exercises are designed to ensure that NATO forces are trained, able to operate together and ready to respond to any threat from any direction.

For more information about NATO-Russia relations and disinformation narratives about NATO, see here and here.

See other examples of disinformation about NATO in our database, such as its never-ending provocations, its attempts to block Moscow in its sphere of influence, that Military exercises, like Defender 2020, are directed against Russia, that the Sea Breeze exercises are directed against Russia, or NATO exercises in Estonia are an unfriendly message addressed to Russia, that NATO’s politicians use Defender Europe 2020 as an opportunity to escalate tensions with Russia, that NATO maneuvers in Europe are organised to create zones of tension for Moscow.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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