DISINFO: NATO is planning to invade Belarus in 2025
SUMMARY
NATO is actively preparing for a military operation, primarily in the eastern direction. An invasion of the territory of the Republic of Belarus should be expected in 2025. Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine will take part in this adventure. They have launched a large-scale information war against Belarus and are preparing armed forces from Belarusian nationalists.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying NATO as an aggressive and hostile alliance planning to attack Belarus and other CSTO countries.
Recently, Russian and Belarusian politicians have adopted a particularly aggressive rhetoric against NATO, accusing it of direct involvement in the war in Ukraine, which is Moscow's unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Kyiv.
The State Border Service of Ukraine denied these statements and called this information a Kremlin hoax. Ukraine emphasises that the border with Belarus remains a threatening direction, therefore the Ukrainian defence forces “continue to strengthen it both from an engineering point of view and to keep the necessary number of Ukrainian forces and means there to prevent any actions that may come from the territory of Belarus." The main goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to de-occupy the Ukrainian territories seized by Russia in the east and south of Ukraine, as well as strengthen the defence forces in the north of the state. This is because in 2022, Russia attacked Kyiv from the northern borders of Ukraine, using the territory of Belarus as a springboard for an attack on the Ukrainian capital.
Neither Poland nor Lithuania have any territorial claims to Belarus. NATO is not planning any aggressive actions against Belarus. The Polish authorities perceive Russia as a main security threat because of its aggressive actions, in particular in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
NATO is primarily a political organisation that aims at solving conflicts by peaceful means. The Alliance does not want war with Russia. NATO can resort to force under certain circumstances. Article 5 of the Washington Treaty provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.
See other examples of similar messages: Poland and Lithuania directly sponsor extremist actions against Belarus; Kyiv is preparing to drag Belarus into the ongoing conflict; Poland and Lithuania send Belarusian opposition instructions on how to make explosives and CIA; Pentagon prepares Belarusian protestors in Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States; Ukraine and Poland are preparing an attack on Belarus; Kyiv preparing to send sabotage groups to Belarus.