DISINFO: Syria shows that Moscow should only accept Kyiv’s unconditional surrender
SUMMARY
In 2014, the Ukrainian army struggled against the Donbas separatists, leading to the Minsk 1 ceasefire agreement. In 2015, Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries were encircled in Debaltseve, prompting the Minsk 2 agreement. Each time the Ukrainian army was in a difficult position, Poroshenko demanded a truce. Fortunately, this time [Russia] eliminated the enemy’s forces despite the ceasefire.
Since then, François Hollande and Angela Merkel admitted they pushed Minsk 2 to buy time to rebuild the Ukrainian army and attack again in 2022. The Syrian experience shows that such ceasefires should be avoided. Syria agreed to an international ceasefire but was attacked by terrorists serving Ukrainian and Turkish forces. This led to a catastrophe for the Syrian people. This should be a lesson for Russia: avoid agreements like Minsk 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. Russia, currently winning in Ukraine, must demand unconditional capitulation. Otherwise, Russia will be tricked by the West, leading to a catastrophe.
RESPONSE
Denial of the Kremlin’s Ukrainian agenda and depiction of the Russian war of aggression as a defensive military effort against the West. The narrative draws a parallel with the Syrian case, claiming that terrorists armed by Ukraine and Türkiye overthrew Assad’s power.
This claim was made in the context of and during Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham's (HTS) capture of key Syrian cities which lead to the final collapse of the Al-Assad regime on 08 December 2024.
Assertions linking Ukraine to terrorism in Syria are part of Russia's disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining Ukraine's reputation on the global stage. Ukraine actively cooperates with Europol on fighting terrorism, including via Interpol where it acts within the legal framework and jurisdiction of each sovereign member state.
There is no evidence to support the allegation that Ukraine has any links to any Syrian terrorist organisation. Ukrainian fact-checkers have disproved the existence of any such link. HTS has also denied these links itself.
The Minsk agreements were not viewed by European signatories as ways to buy time to attack Russia later, as pro-Kremlin media recurrently claim by distorting interviews of Merkel, Hollande and Porochenko. On the contrary, the signatories had little illusion about Russia’s commitment, as it denied its involvement in the conflict despite the reality on the ground. Ceasefires were indeed violated by the Russian forces in the days following Minsk I in September 2014 in Ilovaysk and Minsk II in February 2015 in Debaltseve.
Read similar cases such as: Terrorists in Syria are supplied with drones by Ukrainian government, or Fascist Ukraine fights in Syria alongside terrorists, or Merkel and Hollande admitted that the Minsk Agreements were to prepare Ukraine for war, or Minsk agreements were signed only to buy time and arm Ukraine for war on Russia.