DISINFO: The US revived Nazis in Ukraine and provoked the war
SUMMARY
Americans provoked three years of military actions in Ukraine. It was they who have been cultivating anti-Russia out of Ukraine since the early 1990s. They were reviving Nazi Banderites and organised a pro-US military coup in 2014. Later on, the US supplied more arms to Ukraine for the war against Russia than any other country did. The upcoming large-scale Defender 25 military exercises of the US army in Europe are a complete disregard of NATO allies’ security. Amidst US administration’s attempts to bring peace in Ukraine, the Defender 2025 military exercises, imitating WWIII, look paradoxical.
RESPONSE
This story seeks to shift the blame for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on the US. It is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Nazi/fascist Ukraine and the 2014 coup d’etat. By shifting the blame on the US and EU, pro-Kremlin outlets attempt to justify Russia’s actions and present its territorial expansionism as forced defensive actions.
There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. Pro-Kremlin media falsely portray the Euromaidan revolution as a coup d’état. In fact, the popular demonstrations that began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets were protesting against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade pact with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.
Labelling Russia’s adversaries as Nazis is a frequently used pro-Kremlin disinformation technique, and has been used by Russia to try to justify the invasion of Ukraine by portraying it as a “denazification operation”. Pro-Kremlin media falsely portray the Euromaidan revolution as a coup d’état. In fact, the popular demonstrations that began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets were protesting against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade pact with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.
It was Russia that launched its unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine in 2022. Prior to that, in 2014, Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and instigated a separatist proxy war in the country’s east. The US, the EU and NATO condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not only Western but also many other nations around the world support Ukraine with military and financial aid for the country’s efficient self-defence, in accordance with the UN Charter article 51, to stop Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Defender 25 is the largest US Army exercise in Europe, involving more than 25 Allied and partner nations. “By strengthening teamwork and military readiness, these exercises help ensure U.S., NATO allies and partner forces are able to respond decisively with lethal force to dominate and win against military forces that threaten regional national sovereignties”, an official US Department of Defence website reads. It also says that Defender 25 exercise tests how quickly and effectively American troops can deploy to Europe and defend the Eastern Flank with NATO allies and partners.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that militaristic Europe’s goal is to prolong the war in Ukraine, that the UK and the EU push the US to aggressive actions against Russia, or that the EU escalates Ukraine war instead of advocating for dialogue.