A story on Russian state media channel RT claimed in its headline that the “US & NATO preparing for ‘invasion’ of Crimea.”
The Deputy Speaker of the Kremlin’s Crimean parliament, Efim Fiks, repeated Russian government narratives that blame NATO without any evidence of aggressive action, falsely stating that “NATO, together with the United States, is doing everything to bring its armed forces closer to the borders of Russia. This can be seen as preparation for an armed invasion of the territory of the Russian Federation.”
NATO is a defensive organization which has not engaged in any offensive action. There is no evidence that NATO has any intention of “invading” and reversing the illegal occupation of Crimea.
In an email to DisinfoWatch on January 3, 2021, a NATO spokesman stated that:
“Claims that NATO poses a threat to any nation are false. In response to Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, including its illegal annexation of Crimea, NATO has increased its presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. Three NATO countries border the Black Sea so what happens in the region is of importance to the Alliance. NATO does not pose a threat to Russia, and NATO has no plans to invade Crimea. NATO’s posture is strictly defensive. I also stress that NATO fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Crimea is the territory of Ukraine.”
NATO’s position stands in stark contrast to the actions of the Russian government, which in 2008 attacked and illegally annexed parts of Georgia. In 2014 Russia invaded and illegally annexed Crimea and it continues to support, facilitate, and participate in the armed aggression in Eastern Ukraine. Among the litany of its aggressive actions, Russia’s illegal occupation in Ukrainian territory played a role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, a civilian passenger jet. The Netherlands is suing Russia for its role in shooting down MH17.
The Russian government has also engaged in the rapid militarization of the Arctic and space as well as a massive buildup in Russia’s Western Military District.
Articles like the one from RT and others like it contain highly charged and aggressive rhetoric that is aimed at stoking fear in Western audiences and provoking doubts in the Western defence alliances that protect them.
The RT article also contains the false claim that Crimea was “reabsorbed into Russia” – when in fact, the Russian Army, at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, invaded and illegally annexed Crimea after staging a referendum, the results of which are widely regarded as being falsified by the Kremlin.
