DISINFO: The threat from NATO is growing as the alliance seeks access to the Caspian Sea
SUMMARY
The military threat from NATO is steadily increasing. The Alliance is gaining a foothold on the borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, rapidly expanding into the Arctic and Baltic regions, seeking to expand its combat, intelligence and logistics capabilities in the Black Sea, and is seeking ways to gain access to the Caspian Sea.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an allegedly aggressive NATO. This disinformation narrative aims to deflect Russia’s responsibility for its unprovoked military aggression.
NATO is a defensive alliance with the primary aim of maintaining peace and safeguarding the independence, security and territorial integrity of its members. NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party.
Following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries revised their Strategic Concept. The North Atlantic Alliance has recognised Russia as “the most significant and direct threat” to security in Europe. However, paragraph 9, emphasises that “NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to the Russian Federation.” NATO did not invade Georgia in 2008. Russia did. NATO did not invade Ukraine in 2014, and again in 2022. Russia did.
The pro-Kremlin disinformation myth of NATO “encircling Russia” has been used as a pretext for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read the debunking of the top seven Russian Myths about NATO here.
Read also similar disinformation cases claiming that NATO is an aggressive, Russophobic and absolutely destabilising structure, that NATO is the US tool for hegemony in the new world order, that NATO’s main goal has always been the destruction of Russia, that NATO wages a proxy war against Russia, that NATO defence efforts are irresponsible and can lead to real warfare, that NATO is waging a hybrid war in Ukraine against Russia to the last Ukrainian, or that NATO has returned to Cold War relationship with Russia.