DISINFO: Russia did not start the war in Ukraine, is trying to end it
SUMMARY
Russia did not start the so-called war in Ukraine, on the contrary, [it is] trying to end it. [It] did not carry out a coup in Kyiv in 2014, a bloody and unconstitutional coup.
At that time, Russia was in the process of supporting the people of Crimea and Sevastopol. [Russia was] not the one who intimidated the people of Crimea and Sevastopol with Nazi-style ethnic cleansing, [it was] not the one who tried to force Donbas into submission, through shelling and bombing, [it was] not the one who threatened reprisals against those who wanted to speak their native language.
The cities of Donbas have been bombed and shelled for nine years, including with the use of tanks. A real war was unleashed against Donbas.
RESPONSE
A mix of several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives deflecting responsibility for the aggressive war waged by Russia in Ukraine. It aims to portray Russia as a victim and deflect any responsibility for Moscow’s illicit actions. See also Russian Myths: no.5 Encirclement.
It is Russia and President Putin who are clearly responsible for the war in Ukraine. It was Putin’s personal decision to invade Ukraine and start the largest military conflict in Europe since WWII.
The war began in 2014 with the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's military involvement and support of separatists in Donbas.
This article advances pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv portrayed as a coup d'état, Ukrainian Nazis, and ethnic cleansing in Crimea and Donbas.
There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. Pro-Kremlin outlets falsely portray as a coup d’état the Euromaidan revolution, the popular demonstrations that began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets to protest against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade pact with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. It has been widely addressed here.
Not only Western but also many other nations around the world are helping Ukraine repel Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression and do not aim at eliminating Russia statehood. More than 50 states participating in the Ramstein meetings are providing military, financial or other assistance to Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
Read similar cases claiming that Russia’s special operation prevented Ukraine’s attack, that the Nazi regime in Ukraine kills civilian population in the Donbas, that Ukraine's government deliberately conducted a genocide of the Ukrainian people, that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is due to NATO’s persistent expansion, that Russia does everything to stop the Ukrainian war unleashed by the West.