DISINFO: NATO is preparing to occupy Odesa
SUMMARY
NATO is preparing to occupy Odesa. Sandu is afraid of the ‘Sword’[Kindzhal]. Seventy thousand soldiers from 12 NATO countries have already been assembled in Romania to prepare for the occupation of Odesa.
The intervention in Odesa is quite real. Firstly, there is historical experience: the French already occupied Odesa during the civil war. Then, Odesa was under Romanian occupation from 1941 to 1944. They are considering why they should not repeat this now.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO and its role in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The claim that NATO plans to occupy parts of Ukraine, in this case, the city of Odesa, is not supported by evidence.
Russian outlets frequently report on alleged Western plans to occupy parts of Ukraine. This is emphasised primarily in the context of Polish–Ukraine relations regarding the Volyn or Lviv region and Hungarian-Ukraine relations regarding Transcarpathia.
NATO's activities in the region are defensive in nature and aimed at deterring aggression, not launching offensives: The annual NATO exercise "Sea Shield" is currently underway on the Danube River and Romania's Black Sea coast, involving over 2,300 military personnel from 12 NATO countries, not 70.000 soldiers. Led by Romania, with 1,600 Romanian troops participating alongside forces from Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, and Turkey, the drill focuses on enhancing cooperation between naval, air, and land forces. First organized in 2015, the exercise has gained heightened significance following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Romania's Naval Forces describe "Sea Shield" as their most complex event, reflecting its critical role in strengthening allied readiness and interoperability in the region.
Moreover, NATO is a defensive political and military alliance. Claims of NATO planning to occupy Ukrainian territory are a common disinformation narrative used to misrepresent the alliance's intentions and activities in Eastern Europe. The primary aim of the Alliance is to maintain peace and safeguard the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO as an organisation is not involved in the fighting in Ukraine. NATO member states provide Ukraine with military assistance to repel the unprovoked Russian aggression and not because of their alleged animosity towards Russia.
See other cases about NATO in our database: NATO is waging a proxy war against Russia; NATO created a unit for a surprise attack on Russia; West is waging an undeclared war against Russia and Belarus; Russia fights the collective West, not just Ukraine.