The US aid to Ukraine only means destruction, bloodshed and increasing Kyiv's debt, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.
NEWS: Without hiding it from the world, the US applies the classic scheme of bringing a colony to its knees. The scheme provides that the lion's share of the billions allegedly allocated for Ukraine will remain in the USA and enter the pockets of the military industry [...].
It is absolutely tragic for Ukraine that by receiving just lethal weapons, which will only bring death and destruction, the state suddenly increases its debt, which it will never be able to pay. The Ukrainians are trying to sooth themselves with dreams of the "Russian assets" that the West would seize at some point.
Asset forfeiture is like a piracy certificate, issued by the White House in accordance with the Anglo-Saxons’ looting traditions. In the past, Western states would issue certificates to pirates to allow them to rob foreign merchant ships. Now the House of Representatives can give Biden the right to steal the assets of sovereign states, primarily Russia [...].
Sending additional ammunition to Ukraine will only add to the destruction. The celebration organized by the Congress people for the Ukrainian Nazis on Hitler’s birthday will not be a long one. The financial package will be burned, just like the others, in the Ukrainian steppes, bringing tears and bloodshed and more unpayable debts.
NARRATIVES: 1. US military aid means more destruction, casualties, debt and war. 2. The US supports the Ukrainian Nazi leadership; 3. Seizing Russian assets is illegal and an international crime.
SOCIAL CONTEXT/ETHOS: On April 20 this year, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed the $95 billion legislative package that provides security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, despite opposition from some hardline members of the party. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted shortly after learning the news that the Americans had approved the important military aid to Ukraine ($60.84 billion): "The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding , will save thousands and thousands of lives and help both of our nations become stronger. Just peace and security can only be attained through strength. We hope that the bills will be supported in the Senate and sent to President Biden's desk. Thank you, America."
The decision came at an almost dramatic moment for Kyiv’s military forces, which are facing an ammunition and weapons crisis and losing ground to Russia on the battlefield. The approval of the bill marks a significant change in the political attitude towards Ukraine with the resumption of American support , according to Western media. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the passing by the US House of Representatives of a significant new aid package for Ukraine, saying Kyiv is using weapons supplied by allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities.
PURPOSE: To present an act of support for Ukraine's defensive efforts against Russia as a bellicose gesture that will cause destruction, bloodshed and tears.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The military package offered to Ukraine by the US is not intended to expand the war or cause more casualties. On the contrary, the ammunition crisis facing the Ukrainian army has generated an increase in the number of casualties and destruction caused by the Russian troops. In Kherson, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kyiv, but also in a number of cities in the west and center of the country, many more civilian and energy infrastructure targets have been destroyed since the Ukrainian defense has been facing a severe shortage of ammunition and missiles. The aid provided by the West is saving human lives in Ukraine, including those of the soldiers. Moreover, by strengthening the air defense system, Kyiv was able to successfully defend itself against multiple Russian drone and missile attacks on its energy system during the winter period of the second year of the war. Stopping all military support for Ukraine will not mean the establishment of peace, but the increase in the number of victims, the occupation of new localities by Russia and the start of the machine of persecution against civilians. In the occupied zones, Russia has set up torture chambers, deported children and committed other war crimes.
The American support for Ukraine is not one in favor of the "neo-Nazi" leadership in Kyiv. To make it an argument in the eyes of public opinion, they highlight the coincidence of the vote on the military aid for Ukraine being held on the birthday of Adolf Hitler. In reality, it is about strengthening the military capabilities of a state that has the right to self-defense, according to the UN Charter. The Ukrainian leadership is not a "neo-Nazi" one. The Ukrainian political elite emerged following the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections, recognized by the international community as free and democratic.
Both Russian politicians and the state media in Moscow label any elements of national-linguistic or cultural revival in the post-Soviet space as Nazi or neo-Nazi. Basically, narratives of this type equate nationalism and/or assuming a national identity with Nazism. Ukrainian nationalist movements are called Nazi because they persistently promote in the public space the idea of breaking ties with the geopolitical traditions of the "Russian world". Without bringing any argument to support the false claims of Nazism in Ukraine, both the Russian media and high-ranking politicians in Moscow want to trigger negative emotions in the collective post-Soviet psyche. It should be noted that Ukraine has a “Law on the condemnation of totalitarian Communist and Nazi regimes and their symbolism” , while Russia is seeing a rehabilitation of Stalinism. Russian history textbooks highlight Joseph Stalin's major role in strengthening the Soviet Union, and describe his crimes as "a historical necessity."
Freezing the assets of the Russian Federation cannot be considered an act of piracy or an international crime. Russia has brutally violated the norms of international law by invading Ukraine. According to experts in international law, the freezing and confiscation of some assets can take place based on the UN Charter as a reaction to the violation of international law by one of the states and to identify compensations for the damages caused to the affected states. Freezing the assets of a state condemned by the UN General Assembly for armed aggression cannot be compared to an act of piracy or robbery. The Russian media brings up the subject of a state’s sovereign rights in order to try and manipulate public opinion. On the one hand, the West is accused of violating Russia's sovereign rights by confiscating some assets, while on the other, Ukraine's sovereign right not to be attacked by a neighboring state is not recognized.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: One difference from the original bill is that the funds from the financial aid component will reach Kyiv in the form of loans, instead of grants. The military component, however, remains non-refundable and, in addition, allows the inclusion of ATACMS long-range missiles in the military aid to Ukraine. A large part of the funds allocated by the US will be used for the production of weapons and ammunition and their supply to Ukraine.
Veridica has dismantled a series of false Russian narratives regarding the nature of the war in Ukraine. According to them, the capitulation of Ukraine and its reunification with Russia is the only viable peace plan. Russian propaganda claims that peace can be achieved only by annexing Ukraine. In February this year, the Moscow newspapers wrote that the Ukrainians and the West were making the same mistakes on the front as Hitler did and, like him, would lose the war.
