This week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken paid an unexpected visit to Kyiv. Based on this, Strana came up with a conspiracy theory about the United States forcing Ukraine to implement the political part of the Minsk agreements and make concessions to Russia. Never mind that this theory contradicts the United States’ actual steps and direct statements. In a context of a possible Russian invasion, pro-Russian media follow Russian propaganda verbatim, arguing that Ukraine is preparing an offensive on Donbas and that Moscow merely has to protect itself. This week, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against two OPFL members. This resulted in pro-Russian media insisting: “Here we go, another proof of “external governance.”
VoxCheck analyzes how Russian narratives get into Ukraine’s information space as part of a joint project with the Center for Strategic Communications. Read the previous publications here.
Fake news: the U.S. is forcing Ukraine to implement the political part of the Minsk agreements and make concessions to Russia
Pro-Russian websites Vesti and Strana wrote that the Americans would force Ukraine to comply with the political part of the Minsk agreements. Vesti only mentioned it mentioned, citing the pseudo-expert Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi, known to have been spreading pro-Russian messages and promoting Medvedchuk for years. But Strana came up with a large-scale information campaign. Over the week, the website published at least ten articles about the United States forcing Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. Half of them argued Zelensky had personally confirmed that.
An anonymous source in “Ukrainian diplomatic circles” allegedly got the word out about Anthony Blinken’s “true goal” in Ukraine. The media outlet then duplicated this fake news in at least ten other articles. Strana developed a whole new theory around this unverified message, adding to it even more vague “arguments.”
For instance, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Washington wants a peaceful solution to end tension between Moscow and Kyiv. “So, we are to understand that he will tell Zelensky to go out and implement the political part of the Minsk agreements,” Strana wrote. But who is there to understand what Blinken never said?
Or, according to Strana, Blinken said in his interview with Voice of America that there was no need to revisit the Minsk agreements. Here is what the Secretary of State said:
“I don’t think there’s any need to renegotiate… and there are a number of very clear steps that both of the parties have to take. Many of those steps Ukraine has either implemented or begun to implement. It’s equally fair to say that Russia has done virtually nothing in terms of the steps required of it in the Minsk Agreement. So the first question is whether Russia is serious about resolving the Donbas through the Minsk process. If it is, I think that’s the best and right now really the only way forward.”
Here is another piece of Strana’s manipulation and attempts to attribute words to the Secretary of State that he’d never spoken: “It is worth recalling here that the Ukrainian government officially stated its unwillingness to implement the political part of the agreements insisting that it be reviewed. In other words, by making those statements, Blinken advised Kyiv to change its position on these issues.”
By the way, Blinken emphasized that Russia had hardly implemented any step of the Minsk agreements. Not only did Strana ignore this, but it also wrote that Kyiv was “sabotaging” the Minsk agreements.
Furthermore, it also argued that Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed being under U.S. pressure to implement the Minsk agreements in his video address on January 19. In truth, Zelensky said the purpose of reports about an imminent Russian attack was “to weaken Ukraine, forcing it to concede and creating a background to make our ‘no’ sound weaker.“ According to Strana, the President openly confirmed that the U.S. was forcing Kyiv to comply with Minsk II. And it kept reiterating it. However, Zelensky made no mention of the Minsk agreements. Therefore, any such “confirmation” is a fabrication.
Russian media RIA Novosti, TASS, and Lenta.ru cited statements by Russian politicians calling on the United States to make Ukraine implement the Minsk agreements. They also argued that Ukraine was building up troops and deploying heavy weapons in Donbas.
What’s the reality?
If we put aside Strana’s conspiracy theories, it leaves us with no facts to confirm the U.S. requirements to implement the Minsk agreements. The United States has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine is complying with the Minsk agreement and that Russia is not.
At the OSCE ministerial meeting in December 2021, Anthony Blinken delivered remarks in which he listed the points of the Minsk agreements broken by Russia: “ceasefire unimplemented by Russia, withdrawal of all heavy weapons unimplemented by Russia, allowing OSCE monitoring unimplemented by Russia, pass special status law implemented by Ukraine, pass amnesty law in progress, all-for-all political prisoner exchange unimplemented by Russia, ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance based on an international mechanism unimplemented by Russia, restoration of socioeconomic ties unimplemented by Russia. I could go on.”
In addition, the United States is now actively supporting Ukraine in the face of new potential Russian aggression, supplying weapons and threatening to impose sanctions on Russia. There is no logic in getting Ukraine to concede to Russia like that.
The White House has previously called reports about the U.S. putting pressure on Ukraine to grant the occupied Donbas some autonomy false.
Fake news: Armed Forces march on Donbas
Pro-Russian Strana and Vesti relayed fake news from Russia and the pseudo-republics about the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly preparing a provocation in Donbas. Most articles were based on reports from Russian officials. There is a fine line between citing and disinforming. It depends on how many articles are published on the website, whether the media provides the right context and the Ukrainian side’s position for balance. They also sometimes place quotations in parentheses.
This week, at least six news stories were published on Strana’s website about the Russian Federation and the so-called DPR and LPR reporting provocations by the Armed Forces. None of the allegations by the Kremlin and the “republics” it controls contain any evidence of a “provocation” on the part of the Armed Forces. But Strana does not mention this, even though it regularly does so when it wants to arouse doubts among readers.
However, Strana commented on Biden’s statement about “little green men” (Russian militants): “According to Biden, Russia has a long history of using other aggressive means that do not include military action, i.e., military tactics, so-called attacks from the “gray zones,” and when Russian soldiers do not wear uniforms – the so-called little green men.” He did not provide evidence for such allegations.”
“Little green men.” Biden talks about “polite people” from Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to explain what his words about a minor incursion into Ukraine really mean that would call for a weaker response from the United States. He mentioned “green men,” also known as “polite people.”
Another thing is that they often use manipulative context in such news items. For instance, in the article “We won’t tolerate it,” Russia has warned of a harsh response to the Armed Forces’ offensive on Donbas.” Here is what they provided as context:
“It will be recalled that in late December, Pushilin said there were chemical weapons on Ukraine’s territory and no guarantees that Kyiv would not use them in Donbas.
Earlier, Strana had reported that “the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, talked about thousands of Armed Forces troops near the line of contact and Kyiv’s constant supplies of military equipment to the DPR border.”
The article provided no commentary from the Ukrainian side. Nor did it make any mention that the fake news story about “chemical weapons” had been debunked many times.
There was a similar picture in some articles on Vesti, containing only one-sided accusations in the background.
“Analysts say the statement was made against a backdrop of reports from self-proclaimed republics about a threat of attack.
“LPR’s people’s militia” says Ukraine is preparing for an offensive in the JFO area, strengthening assault forces.
“DPR’s people’s militia” also says that the Ukrainian military is preparing for the Donbas offensive. They say leave has been suspended for service members in some units, and officers have orders to remain in places of temporary deployment. They are also strengthening their assault forces. Forty special forces members trained by UK instructors have arrived in the area of Avdeyevka.
Back in December, Peskov said: “Military action is still highly likely in Ukraine. This is a matter of special concern to us. Overall, we see quite aggressive rhetoric by Ukrainian authorities. We are observing an increase in the intensity of provocative actions at the line of contact.”
Vesti: “The Kremlin spoke out about Ukraine’s attack on Donbas.”
Let us look at whether they use relevant quotes to produce news stories. For instance, the news piece “Biden’s threat to ban Russian banks from conducting transactions in US dollars might result in a civil war in Ukraine, says the Kremlin” had no value being just an unnecessary reminder of a “civil war” (Peskov was quoted as saying: “they might start a new civil war in their country”).
Strana is openly disseminating Russian propaganda messages in its articles, arguing that Ukraine is preparing a provocation, not Russia building up troops. “Those in Washington and London understand the prospects very well, hiding behind false stories of being “unaware of Putin’s plans.” But they do know that Russia will openly step into conflict using its entire military machine in response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ offensive on Donbas. And that is what they are counting on.”
The Russian propaganda apparatus has been telling us for several months that Russia will not attack, and Ukraine is preparing an offensive, while Russia must protect itself or Donbas’s “Russian population.” Here are just a few examples from the Russian media:
- RIA Novosti: “Ukraine is ready to attack Donbas, says Pushilin”
- RIA Novosti: “The Kremlin says there is a high threat of provocation by Kyiv in Donbas.”
- RT: “The Kremlin says there is a high threat of provocation on the part of Ukraine in Donbas”
- TASS: “Peskov: Kyiv’s concentration of the Armed Forces along the line of contact speaks of their preparations for an offensive.”
- Regnum: “Peace through force”: provocations of Ukraine and the U.S. in Donbas – all news.”
- Lenta.ru: “Chief of the Russian General Staff promised to stop Kyiv’s provocations in Donbas.”
Opinion poll results suggest that this propaganda is effective. According to Russia’s Levada Center, 50% of Russian respondents believe that the United States and other NATO countries initiated the deteriorating situation in eastern Ukraine. 16% think it was Ukraine that started an escalation, 3% believe it was the “DPR” and “LPR,” and 4% believe it was Russia.
What’s the reality?
Russia is inventing its “casus belli”- a formal pretext for war. Russia provoked the current crisis, deploying over 100,000 troops and military equipment at Ukraine’s border. Since Ukraine did not do anything like that, Russia had no “threat” to protect itself against. Therefore, Russia is now trying to invent it. Russian military and intelligence agencies are disinforming the world to portray Ukraine and Ukrainian officials as aggressors. The US State Department reminds that Russia used the same pattern to occupy part of Georgia in 2008. It also did not withdraw its troops and ammunition from Moldova, where they have remained without the government’s consent.
Whenever Russia produces an escalation, it seeks pretexts to accuse Ukraine of aggression. For instance, this was the case in April 2021, when Russian troops moved along the Ukrainian border. There is no reason to say that Ukraine is preparing a scenario for Donbas involving force. Ukrainian officials, including the President, have repeatedly denied this.
Fake news: U.S. sanctions against “fighters with external governance.”
Pro-Russian sites Strana, Klymenko Time, Mignews, «112» (here and here), NewsOne (here and here), «Zik» (here and here), First Independent, and Znaj.ua wrote about U.S. sanctions imposed against four Ukrainians for helping the FSB to destabilize Ukraine. Sanctions were imposed against Taras Kozak, Oleh Voloshyn, Volodymyr Oliynyk, and Volodymyr Sivkovych. Kozak and Voloshyn are incumbent MPs from OPFL. The websites regularly promoting Medvedchuk and his party exploded, quite expectedly, with criticism of sanctions against the “fighters against external governance in Ukraine.” The sanctions themselves were called an act of “international terror.”
Strana commented: “Washington has once again made it clear that it intends to control not only the external but also the internal situation in Ukraine.” The media outlet published several articles attempting to convince readers of the sanctions’ absurdity:
- Strana: “We wonder how the Americans explain why they imposed sanctions against Ukrainian citizens. NKVD trials of the 1930s and conspiracy theories around the globe are quietly envious of such an “evidence base.”
- Strana: “The claims addressed to them could be united by the words “connection to Russia.” The US Treasury Department’s wording has a style of its own that would be the envy of the protocols of Stalin’s “troikas.”
“Retaliation for the Derkach tapes and criticism of Zelensky. The US explained why they imposed sanctions against Ukrainians.”
Screenshot: Strana
Russian websites «TASS, Life, USA.one, and RossaPrimavera also came up with headlines saying that MP Voloshyn linked the US sanctions against himself to the fight against Ukraine’s external governance.” By the way, this is not the first time that the Russian media has written about US sanctions as proof of “external governance.” A year ago, when sanctions were imposed against Andriy Derkach’s entourage, the state news agency RIA Novosti wrote: “Washington has officially confirmed the fact of Ukraine’s external rule.”
What’s in reality?
The US State Department explained why Taras Kozak, Oleh Voloshyn, Volodymyr Oliynyk, and Volodymyr Sivkovych came under US sanctions: they “act at the direction of the FSB and support Russia’s destabilizing and dangerous influence operations, which undermine not just Ukraine but also the fundamental principles of democracy.” Russian intelligence services, mainly the FSB, have been recruiting Ukrainian nationals in key positions to gain access to sensitive information.
Suppose sanctions are an “act of international political terror,” as OPFL puts it. In that case, they should say the same about Russia, with whom they want to be brothers so much since the Kremlin’s sanction lists comprise 922 Ukrainian nationals. At the end of August 2021, the Russian Federation also imposed sanctions against OPFL MPs Serhiy Lyovochkin and his sister Yuliia. The party did not refer to this as “terror” or actively comment on it.
According to an OPFL statement disseminated by pro-Russian websites, sanctions are a manifestation of Ukraine’s “external governance.” Zelensky allegedly asked to impose them against his political opponents, being “completely under U.S. control.” At the same time, the ex-chair of OFPL’s political council, Yevheniy Murayev, said Viktor Medvedchuk had lobbied to include him in Russia’s sanctions lists after he opposed Medvedchuk’s joining the party (sanctions against Murayev were imposed back in 2018). Here is a rhetorical question: is such a struggle between opponents not “external governance” for OPFL?
And a little more about “governance.” Or, more precisely, about the collaboration of pro-Russian media in Ukraine and Russian propaganda. The news pieces are about the possibility of forming a trilateral alliance of the UK, Ukraine, and Poland. The first screenshot is from Strana, citing Konstiantyn Bondarenko (a political expert mentioned among the experts in the hacked e-mails of Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov). “It will not do Ukraine any good. We still get to play the role of cannon fodder in the great remaking of Europe and the world.” This is a comment published by RIA Novosti in tune with the propaganda.
“The great remaking of Europe.” Why does London talk about a “trilateral union” of the UK, Ukraine, and Poland?
Against a backdrop of their being busy supplying weapons to Ukraine, the UK started talking about forming the so-called trilateral union of Kyiv, London, and Warsaw. “
Ukraine is cannon fodder. The UK’s plan to remake Europe is now known.
Political expert Bondarenko: Britain plans a high-scale anti-Russian remaking of Europe.
Our methodology
VoxCheck analysts monitor the websites and social networks of the Ukrainian pro-Russian media every day to identify the main news or topics of the week that get the most airtime and attention in the news feed. We identify the key narratives of the past week and analyze their origins.
We monitor media outlets such as Strana, Klymenko Time, Vesti, Ukrainian News, Podrobnosti, Apostrof, From.ua, Golos.ua, KP in Ukraine, Znaj.ua, Telegraf, 112.ua, Zik, NewsOne, Politeka, Mignews, Glavred, Antikor, Rupor, TV channels Nash, First Independent, etc. We do not claim that these outlets deliberately spread Russian propaganda. Their content, however, contains elements of Russian disinformation.
VoxCheck searches for fake news stories and manipulations to debunk them. The “click and check” method lies at the core of our fact-checking. Anyone can check our argumentation and sources. Fact-checking can only be based on open data with relevant links. A fact-checked article can only be published if signed by two editorial board members.
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The author doesn`t work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have no relevant affiliations
