DISINFO: The West forced Russia to attack Ukraine
SUMMARY
Despite all attempts to reset relations with the West, it was absolutely clear that no one wanted to see Russia as an independent country in the wake of the Russo-Georgian war, no one wanted to talk to it on equal terms. The choice was to be either among the grass-root or unwelcome. All this culminated in 2014, when Russia was compelled to launch its special military operation.
RESPONSE
(The speaker confused 2022 with 2014 and obviously mistook the invasion of Ukraine which Russia launched on 24 February 2022 and which it is calling ‘a special military operation’ for Russia’s 2014 attack on Ukraine when Russian troops illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Both instances of Russian aggression will be addressed in this debunk).
A recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing the European Union, the United States and their allies of following Russophobic policies and infringing on Russia’s interests. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
More normalised neighbourly relations started being established between Western nations with the former Soviet Union from the the era of perestroika reforms till its demise (during 1986-1991) These ties felt to strengthen as Russia proceeded on the democratic path under President Boris Yeltsin’s rule and in the early years of Putin’s stint. Russia was later accepted as a full member of G7, transforming it into G8. EU supported Russia becoming a member of the WTO.
A big crack between Moscow and its partners in the US, the EU and other G8 member states appeared in 2008 when Russia sent its troops to invade Georgia and occupied large parts of its territory. Western nations were trying to bring Russia back into the security architecture, but all in vain. In another spiral of violence, Russia in 2014 attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed the peninsula of Crimea. Moscow also instigated a separatist revolt in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the east of Ukraine. Any international attempts to broker a peace deal were dismissed by Moscow-backed Illegal armed formations in the East of Ukraine.
Kyiv began developing close relations with NATO in the wake of Russia’s 2014 aggression, the goal being to enhance the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This cooperation was not aimed against Russia. Ukraine did not intend to attack any country including Russia, contrary to Kremlin propaganda. In late 2021 and early 2022, Western nations were trying to conduct a constructive dialogue with Moscow on all disputed issues including security guarantees. Russia put forth excessive demands, so the EU and the US had to decline them. Russia opted for a policy of confrontation, which is why these discussions achieved no breakthrough.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which broke out on 24 February 2022, was completely unprovoked and unjustified. Days before the aggression, Putin had offered several reasons for launching aggression, including the necessary to help non-government-controlled territories in Eastern Ukraine from a genocide, Ukraine’s alleged desire to obtain nuclear weapons and Kyiv’s possible membership of NATO. These were only pretexts because Putin had seemingly taken the decision to invade Ukraine long before. Despite numerous attempts by EU leaders to stop the war and reach a fair peaceful settlement within Ukraine's internationally recognised borders of 1991, Putin turned down all of them.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that The West unleashed a cold war against Russia in 2014, that Russia's military operation against Ukraine provoked by Western states, and that The West did not want peace, it prodded Ukraine into war.