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DISINFO: Russian armed forces returned from Crimea to their sites

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

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Ukrainian statehood Eastern Ukraine Military security threat Sergey Shoigu

DISINFO: Russian armed forces returned from Crimea to their sites

SUMMARY

Last April, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that “the Russian armed forces have returned from the Crimean peninsula to their permanent deployment sites, after they conducted periodic maneuvers".

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russia’s military presence in and around the border with Ukraine.

Significant amounts of Russian heavy armament and equipment are maintained in the regions near the Ukrainian border after Moscow deployed them towards the end of March 2021, which was described as “the largest such buildup” since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

Until this day, several reports are pointing out the presence of Russian troops on the bordering area despite declaring its withdrawal on 22 April 2021, and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu affirming that “they would return to their bases by May 1 2021”.

On the 5 May 2021, Senior American Defense Department officials said that close to 80,000 Russian troops remained near various strips of the country’s border with Ukraine and that Russia has withdrawn only a few thousand troops. And this was reflected also by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg words that “Russia has kept a lot of weapons…and equipment”.

Moreover, on 2 June 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian Federation has withdrawn only about 10,000 troops from the border with Ukraine while indicating that “Russia has also increased the number of aircraft and military equipment along Ukraine's borders and in occupied Crimea”

See similar disinformation cases alleging that Ukraine must continue the war in Donbas, otherwise, it won't receive financial support from the West; Ukraine no longer hides preparations for war against Russia and Donbas; the US provokes Ukraine into war with Russia; that Kyiv’s ready to launch an offensive in Donbas with Biden’s approval, and that Washington orders Zelenskyy to raze Donbas to ground.

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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