The disinformation is based on a video message from the Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, published on February 26, 2024. Budanov recalled that Russia's war against Ukraine began not in 2022, but ten years ago - with a carefully planned Russian military operation to seize Ukrainian Crimea.
This disinformation story is a distorted reference to a New York Times report, the content of which is being disingenuously twisted to support pro-Kremlin justifications for the invasion.
The original NYT article explains how contacts between the US and Ukrainian intelligence services started in 2014 but only deepened in 2016, two years after Russia's aggression had started with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the engineering of an armed conflict in Donbas.
The claim is false. No Spanish outlet has pointed to any Ukrainian involvement in the death of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter in August 2023 and was shot in his apartment in the Spanish coastal town of Villajoyosa on 13 February 2024.
This disinformation story is a distorted reference to a New York Times report, the content of which is being disingenuously twisted to support pro-Kremlin justifications for the invasion. The original NTY article explains how contacts between US and Ukrainian intelligence started in 2014 but only deepened in 2016, two years after Russia's aggression had started with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the engineering of an armed conflict in Donbas. According to the NYT article, the network of CIA bases was also established on that second date.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about EU disintegration and a looming economic collapse of western countries' economies. As our past analysis explains, the 'imminent collapse' narrative is often used in pro-Kremlin outlets in relation to the EU, European countries, or capitalism and the purpose it to erode public trust and confidence in society, thus weakening morale in Western societies.
The NATO-Ukraine Council issued a statement on 24 February 2024 to mark 'two years of Russia's brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and ten years since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and initial military intervention in the Donbas.' This statement contains no disinformation because Russia has really committed these and other crimes in Ukraine.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine, the Maidan protests and encircling or destabilising Russia. All these allegations have been repeatedly debunked.
We debunk an ongoing theme in the Russian disinformation and propaganda campaign: That Ukraine is sending children to fight on the frontline. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Russia's responsibility for the global food crisis comes as a consequence of the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine: naval blockade of Ukrainian posts, bombardment of transport infrastructure and shelling of farming regions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.
The claim that the Belarusian opposition is planning to change the country's borders is baseless. After the violent crackdown of the 2020 protests by Lukashenka, tens of thousands of Belarusians moved to Poland in order to avoid repressions. The claim that Belarusian opposition groups and associations operating in Poland are planning a military attack on Belarus is unfounded.