DISINFO: Ukraine does nothing in the Kursk invasion without the go-ahead from its masters in Washington
SUMMARY
Ukraine does nothing "without the go-ahead from its masters" in Washington, in Kyiv they would not dare "to lift a finger" without the consent of the United States. Considering how many advisers are around (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy, what intelligence power is provided to the Zelenskyy regime, to say that they do not know anything here... They simply would not dare to lift a finger, move, or point a machine gun or rifle [...] without having the consent of Washington. Or, they are confident that any of their actions will be supported by Western countries.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accuses the US of being involved in the war in Ukraine and discrediting Ukrainian statehood, portraying the country as the US' puppet.
The statement was made in the context of the Ukrainian attack on the Russian Kursk Region. There is no evidence that the US or any other NATO member is involved in either planning or carrying out the Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Kursk Region.
On the contrary, circumstantial evidence and public statements by US and other Western officials point that even Ukraine’s closest partners did not know the operation beforehand.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was seeking more detailed information from Ukraine regarding its cross-border operation, noting that they had had no advance knowledge of it.
“It’s not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before – before they execute them. This is a war that they – they are conducting. We provide them with equipment, we provide them with advice, but when it comes to the kind of day-by-day tactics that they carry out, the day-by-day strikes that they take, sometimes we’re in communication about them; sometimes we’re not”, Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US Department of State said during a press briefing.
Ukraine is acting in self-defence under the UN Charter, Article 51.
The ultimate goal of this disinformation story is to advance a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine as a US puppet, and Ukraine’s defence as a proxy war against Russia, aiming to deflect Moscow’s responsibility for its aggression against its neighbour. This narrative has gained traction in the face of Russia’s setbacks in Kursk.
See other examples in our database: the operation in the Kursk region was planned and sanctioned by the US; the US, NATO and the UK are involved in the attack on the Kursk region; NATO is directly supervising Ukraine's advance into Kursk; the Kursk incursion was conceived by the same people who blew up the Nord Stream; the Kursk incursion was pushed for by Washington so democrats can win elections.