Pro-Kremlin disinformation: Putin wanted to avoid the war; Ukraine indiscriminately shelled Belgorod

In the last week of July, Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation published a list of anti-Ukrainian fake news and manipulations that pro-Russian actors and influencers promoted in the Western media. We have identified the top three media disinformation and manipulations.

‘Putin did everything to avoid war with NATO’

According to American analyst Patrick Henningsen, “They (Ukraine and its allies, ed.) sabotaged the Minsk accords to buy time to arm Ukraine in preparation for the war that was coming. While they may not have known war was coming, the US, Washington, London, and Brussels were preparing for it, he asserted. “Otherwise, why would they be pumping so much military aid and support and then amassing Ukrainian troops along the Donbas line of contact?”

This manipulation has been debunked many times. Henningsen’s statement is a distortion of the facts. Actually, Russia violated the Minsk agreements with its aggressive actions. In February 2022, Putin’s troops gathered at Ukraine’s borders and launched an invasion. Ukraine’s allies provided military assistance to protect Ukrainian territory from the Russian army’s assault.

McGregor’s statement on Putin

Former US Secretary of Defense Douglas McGregor stated that Putin was neither an impulsive individual nor a dangerously unbalanced maniac. He described Putin as someone who had made every effort to avoid conflict with the United States and NATO.

McGregor claimed that Putin had endured numerous insults and violations, including breaches of his red lines, yet he was desperate to prevent the war. In contrast, McGregor criticized the United States for its ongoing escalation.

This stance aligns with the statements made by the Kremlin and Putin’s propagandists. But it does not match with the actual situation. Such statements seem to be an attempt to justify Putin’s aggressive actions. In fact, Russia has violated international law by invading Ukraine, carrying out military aggression against Ukraine, and striking cities and civil infrastructure with cruise missiles, while the US and EU allies are helping Kyiv to repel this aggression.

‘Ukrainians indiscriminately shell Belgorod’

Retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski stated: “It was a story they could grab onto, and it ended very badly for NATO and the United States. In fact, having a pro-Ukrainian position is an incredibly unpopular thing to do.” 

Kwiatkowski is trying to discredit and reduce Western military assistance to Ukraine. In fact, the support of partners is a key factor in Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian military aggression.

Former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter stated: “The Ukrainians are also indiscriminately hitting civilian targets, just firing their HIMARS and Vampires. They’re hitting Belgorod; they’re hitting villages in the vicinity of Kursk. And this is a direct continuation of what the Ukrainians have been doing in Donbas—terrorist acts, violations of international humanitarian law, strikes on purely civilian objects.”

Ritter is retransmitting Russian propaganda to demonize the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In reality, the Ukrainian military operates within the framework of international humanitarian law, prioritizing the defense of its territory against Russian aggression and targeting Russian military facilities in the aforementioned Russian regions from which Putin’s troops launch attacks on Ukraine.

Simultaneously, Russia consistently targets civilian targets in Ukraine, a practice that violates international law, as ample evidence demonstrates. However, pro-Kremlin commentators, including Ritter, omit these facts.

Russian and pro-Russian propaganda actors appear to be concentrating their efforts on persuading Western audiences that Russia is not to blame for the war it initiated, instead placing the blame on Ukraine.