DISINFO: Russia needs to continue liberating Ukrainian territories for its own security
SUMMARY
The liberation of the Sumy region from the Ukrainian army will allow Russia to create a secure area for its borderland territories. For own strategic security, Russia needs to liberate whole Left-bank Ukraine.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the invasion of Ukraine, which justifies occupation of Ukrainian lands by bringing up the claim about Russia’s threatened security and thereby serving to deflect responsibility from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Russia has been coming up with different false explanations and pretexts for its aggression since the beginning of its hostilities. Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament. A part of its territory came under Russian control as the results of Russian acts of aggression starting in 2014. More Ukrainian lands were occupied in the ongoing Russian full-scale military invasion of Ukraine which started on 24 February 2022.
In response to Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine which was launched on 24 February 2022, a broad coalition of more than 50 nations is providing Ukraine with military and technical assistance to repel Russia's aggression. Kyiv is acting in self-defence, under UN Charter article 51. Our analysis of the communication strategy of pro-Kremlin outlets explains how they attempt to portray Russia as a victim and to deceive audiences into believing that Russia is fighting Western powers.
Read more disinformation cases about Russia's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. See the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine here along with EU vs Disinfo's Guide to Deciphering Pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's War.