American and Russian Propaganda War over Ukraine (1)

The Ukraine crisis continues to occupy the world agenda. When we look at the developments in the last week, there has not been any noteworthy development that will dampen the crisis.

In the face of Russia's military build-up, Ukraine has started to deploy its own military units in areas close to the Russian border as a countermeasure. Meanwhile, the Kiev administration sought to prevent the development of a situation against it by asking the Western countries to remain “solid and cautious” during their negotiations with Russia. In this context, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in his meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, emphasized that steps should be avoided that would raise concerns among the Ukrainian people and destabilize the financial stability in the country. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Le Drian are scheduled to visit Ukraine together on 7-8 February 2022.

On the other hand, US officials also called for increased diplomatic initiatives to avoid a hot conflict. Meanwhile, Putin, who had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron for more than an hour, reiterated that there was no plan of attack. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to meet with Putin ahead of his visit to the region.

Despite this, western countries continue to increase their NATO forces stationed in eastern European countries to show that they stand by Ukraine in case of a possible attack by Russia. France is also preparing to send hundreds of soldiers to Romania. While US President Joe Biden announced that a small number of soldiers will be sent to Eastern Europe, Britain is preparing to double the number of soldiers, weapons, warships and aircraft in the region.

…….

In this environment, the Russian presence in the Donbas region continues to stand before us as a simple fact. Although Ukraine and Russia seem to be the addressees of the emerging tension, the arm wrestling between Washington and Moscow, which continues their search for control of Ukraine, determines the main agenda. While the world is curiously waiting for the end of this tension, according to pessimistic scenarios, important events are taking place between the parties that may even trigger a Third World War. In this context, the relevant persons in both capitals; By using different methods at various levels, it has sought to explain its positions to the world and to defame the other side.

Let's take a look at the positions of Washington and Moscow together under the headings of "American claim" and "Russia's answer":

American Claim - 1:

The Putin regime is trying to interpret the issue from its own perspective, blaming Ukraine, which lost Crimea as a result of Russian attacks and became the victim of these events. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and almost severed the Crimean peninsula from this country. While more than 100,000 Russian soldiers are being held on the border with Ukraine in Donbas, President Putin does not hesitate to threaten Ukraine with military measures if Russian demands are not met.

Russia's Answer - 1:

It is the United States and NATO that should be blamed for the unstable situation in Ukraine. If they had not supported the Ukrainian coup plotters who overthrew the elected Ukrainian president and nationalists in February 2014, the current situation of instability would not have developed. After the coup in Ukraine, the residents of Crimea and Donbas, who saw that their security and future were in danger, did not want to live under the government established by the followers of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych. As a result of this, Crimea chose to unite with Russia again. Donetsk and Lugensk regions declared their independence. Instead of accepting this, Kiev preferred to ignite a civil war in the Donbas region, causing this situation to continue until today.

American Claim - 2:

While there was no military build-up on the Ukrainian side, Moscow initiated the current crisis by placing more than 100 thousand Russian soldiers on the border of this country. Russian soldiers and intelligence sources act with the desire to create such a perception by accusing Ukraine and Ukrainian government officials of being "aggressive" regarding the Russia-Ukraine relationship. The Russian government is trying to mislead the world public opinion and to persuade its citizens in this direction for the Russian army to attack Ukraine, with its statements stating that the attitude of Ukraine may cause a global conflict. Russia is trying to make others pay for its aggression. However, it is Moscow's responsibility to settle this crisis peacefully and stay within diplomacy. Moscow attacked Ukraine and as a result annexed Crimea. Now in eastern Ukraine 

continues to ignite the fuse of the conflict. Russia applies the pattern it knows and does things against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries in the region. In 2008, it occupied some parts of Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia). Despite his promises, he has refrained from withdrawing his troops from Moldova since 1999. Without the consent of the Moldovan Government, the Russian military presence continues to exist on Moldovan territory.

Russia's Answer - 2:

The Kiev authorities and the collaborationist West are trying to portray Russia as a party to the conflict and turmoil in Donbas. However, within the framework of the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk administrations are defined as the parties to the conflict. Russia took part in the Contact Group determined in accordance with the Normandy format and also acts as a part of this group together with Germany and France.

The USA and NATO countries have endeavored to complete their military build-up in Ukraine out of sight without attracting the reaction of the international community, and meanwhile, they continue to display an attitude of accusing Russia. The Ukrainian armed forces, together with NATO soldiers, have increased their mobility in the regions close to the Russian borders and are carrying out large-scale multinational military exercises. They conducted about 10 military exercises this year. With a law enacted by Ukraine on 14 December 2021, foreign military units are allowed to be deployed on Ukrainian territory in 2022. Ukraine allowed large-scale exercises in its country as part of this law. Thus, the way for the foreign military presence coming to Ukraine under the name of the exercise to be doubled, has been paved, and it is planned to deliver as much military equipment to Ukraine. These actions create a situation contrary to the OSCE consensus. However, the OSCE package of measures indicates the withdrawal of foreign troops from Ukrainian territory, but the current situation shows exactly the opposite. The claims that some parts of Georgia are "under the occupation" by the Russians and the statements such as "Moscow refuses to withdraw its troops from Moldova" are completely false. Abkhazia and South Ossetia gained their independence as a result of the aggressive policies of the Tbilisi administration. Russian troops are stationed in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The purpose of the presence of Russian soldiers in these two countries is to protect these countries against Georgian attacks, nothing more. The issue of the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from the Transnistria region of Moldova is also defined within the framework of the documents within the scope of the OSCE, of which the United States is also a part. Following the waning of the current conflict between Chisinau and Tiraspol, Russian troops in Transnistria will complete their withdrawal as envisioned by the OSCE.

American Claim - 3:

Russia has amassed more than 100 thousand soldiers on the borders of a country (Ukraine), which it has occupied before and some parts of which it still occupies, without providing any meaningful justification. After the 2014 crisis, the Russian soldiers positioned against Ukraine again pose a very clear threat to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition to the Russian military presence on the border, an active defamatory Russian propaganda campaign is being carried out by Russia to undermine the trust of its own people in the current Ukrainian government. Efforts are being made to create a favorable environment in Ukraine in order to influence the Ukrainian people, to cause them to revolt and to provide a reason for Russian soldiers to set foot on Ukrainian soil.

Russia's Answer - 3:

Russia conducts regular military exercises on its territory. It provides training to its soldiers with unplanned and sudden military inspections. Meanwhile, the United States continues to send its troops and means of attack to Eastern European countries thousands of miles from its own territory. This move of the USA causes a shocking effect on European security and strategic stability. USA; By sending military advisers and shipping weapons to Ukraine, it encourages Ukraine to take aggressive actions by the Kiev regime against its own citizens in the Donbas.

American Claim - 4:

The USA and Russia are among the countries that signed the Chemical Weapons Treaty. The USA, which sees compliance with this international agreement as a mandatory requirement, is a country that does not use chemical weapons. On the other hand, the Russian government has used chemical weapons twice in recent years against opposition groups, even on foreign soils, in order to destroy and suppress opposition to it. Instead of being the party that ignited the conflicts in Eastern Ukraine like the Russian side, the USA suffered from the aggression of Moscow in 2014. 

In order to help the people in this region, which is in the middle of nowhere, a total of $351 million in humanitarian aid has been given to this country. Moscow, through high-level Russian officials, continues to disinformation with deliberate false information and seeks to come up with justifications for its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Answer - 4:

We all know that American authorities are accustomed to using information based on disinformation to invade independent states. Colin Powell's famous excuse for the invasion of Iraq (the existence of weapons of mass destruction) is on everyone's mind, and the familiar Iraq example is more than enough to see how the US can come up with a false pretext to attack a country. The above-mentioned American aid can only be the size of a drop in the ocean, compared to the large-scale aid that the Russian Federation is giving to the residents of Donbas.

(To be continued)