DISINFO: Russia's operations in Syria were a response to the West's operations in Ukraine
SUMMARY
Syria was our response to the West for its operations in Ukraine, which led to the 2014 coup d'état and the rise of a Russophobic regime in Kiev. In response, we established our presence in Syria, established two military bases there, and created a threat to NATO's southern flank. This is definitely a success.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Western intervention in Ukraine during and after the 2014 Euromaidan protests. The claim was also neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.
First, there was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014; The demonstrations which began in Kyiv in November 2013 – called "Maidan", or "Euromaidan" – were a result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych's last-minute U-turn when, after seven years of negotiation, he refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and halted progress towards Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU.
Second, the demonstrations were not provoked from outside but were a spontaneous gathering of broad segments of Ukrainian society. Ukraine, being an independent country, guarantees its citizens the freedom of assembly which is directly mentioned in the Ukrainian constitution. Moreover, the right of people to protest is an obligation of the country, which Ukraine adheres to in accordance with international standards of human rights.
Therefore, claiming that the Russian intervention in Syria was a response to Western intervention in Ukraine is not only unsubstantiated, but also depicts Russia's intervention in Syria as retaliatory which conflicts with the official Russian claims that their involvement in Syria was a result of a formal request from Assad, and with claiming that Russia respects the sovereignty of all states.