NATO is threatening Russia and is rallying a sizable force close to its borders, the Kremlin-linked media claims. In fact, NATO is merely consolidating its eastern flank, in response to Russia’s threats, whereas the troops the Alliance has mobilized represent a fraction of the over 100 thousand troops Moscow has massed.
NEWS: “NATO announced it would send more warships and aircraft to Eastern Europe while describing itself as a defensive alliance, although no one has ever threatened any NATO member state. On Monday, NATO made an important announcement, namely that NATO allies will put their forces on standby and send additional battleships and fighter jets to NATO’s military bases in Eastern Europe, consolidating the deterrence and defense of its Allies. The reason invoked by NATO is that Russia “continues its military build-up around Ukraine” […] “I welcome Allies contributing additional forces to NATO. NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance. We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defense”, Stoltenberg said [….] Their presence makes clear that an attack on one Ally will be considered an attack on the whole Alliance. There were no NATO forces in the eastern part of the Alliance before 2014”, a NATO press release further reads. This show of force is unwarranted, given that no NATO member state has been threatened!”
NARRATIVE: NATO is an offensive and aggressive alliance that is getting ready for war, although no one ever threatened any of its members.
BACKGROUND: The deterioration of the security climate around Ukraine’s borders starting 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and supported separatist fighters in the conflict in Donbas, has inevitably led to NATO member states raising their level of alert, all the more so as Russia has intensified its activities in the Baltic and Black Seas. In this context, we should not forget that, right before attacking Ukraine, Russia launched a cybernetic attack on Estonia and a conventional war against Georgia, a country that, much like Ukraine, has its own Euro-Atlantic ambitions.
Countries on the Alliance’s eastern flank have in particular enhanced their military capabilities against the backdrop of Moscow’s growing belligerence, as well as with regard to direct threats made by Russian officials. At the same time, these ex-communist or ex-Soviet states, which have also experienced Moscow’s aggressions over the course of their history, have repeatedly called for the consolidation of NATO’s presence on their territories.
In the last year, Russia has displayed a dissuasive aggression, by means of carrying out dozens of combat drills and military exercises close to Ukraine’s borders. Right now, over 100 thousand Russian troops are stationed in the area, in addition to heavy military equipment.
Apart from the developments on the ground, on December 17 the Russian Federation submitted to the USA a list of requests. Moscow’s demands include the withdrawal of American bases in Eastern Europe. Moreover, last Friday, Russia explicitly referred to Romania and Bulgaria, two countries that joined NATO some 18 years ago, arguing NATO should pull out its forces from these countries.
Despite the fact that it has deployed a sizable force in the area, ready to invade Ukraine, Moscow is playing the victim, falsely claiming it will soon become the target of NATO’s aggression.
This self-victimization tendency has also been identified by the United States Department of State, which has recently published a list of Russian false narratives.
“Russian government officials falsely portray Russia as a perpetual victim and its aggressive actions as a forced response to the alleged actions of the United States and our democratic allies and partners. To further these claims, Russia turns to one of its favorite labels to attempt to hit back: Russophobia”, the US government source writes, quoted by G4Media.ro.
As regards Romania, one of the constant threats coming from Russia refers to elements of the anti-ballistic missile shield hosted in Deveselu. Since then, several Russian officials claimed that Romania will become a target of Russian missiles, although the anti-ballistic system in Romania is using SM-3 missiles, without any explosive charges and merely using kinetic force. Russian propaganda claims that these missiles can always be replaced with cruise missiles.
PURPOSE: To depict NATO as an aggressive military alliance that is preparing for war without a sound reason. To fabricate justifications for Russia’s aggressive policy, described as an act of defense. To shift public focus away from Russia’s military build-up outside Ukraine’s borders.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Based on its statute, NATO is a defensive alliance whose mission is to protect its member states and respond in the event of an attack on any of them. It is the sovereign right of every country to accept the deployment of foreign forces on its territory, as well as NATO’s right to move its forces wherever it wishes, as long as countries hosting these troops have expressed their consent. The consolidation of NATO’s eastern flank is the result of Russia’s aggressions in the region, and is merely a pre-emptive response. One recent example was provided by the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, who said that NATO’s eastern flank should be consolidated as soon as possible, after Russia named Romania as one of the member states NATO should quickly withdraw from. In fact, even the claims submitted to the West in the context of the Ukrainian crisis can be considered a violation of the sovereignty of countries that joined NATO after 1997.
Furthermore, Russia had threatened countries on NATO’s eastern flank in the past. Besides, Russian forces are vastly superior to the national armies of countries on the eastern flank of NATO, whereas the international forces dispatched by the Alliance to these countries pose no threat to Russia, their mission being to serve as a deterrent. Right now, NATO has so far four multinational battalions stationed, tantamount to roughly four thousand troops, stationed in Poland and the Baltic states. Adding to that are smaller units and regiments of the United States. In response to Russia’s show of strength, president Joe Biden is considering deploying an additional 8,500 troops to the region.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The USA, France, Netherlands and Spain have already expressed their intention to deploy additional troops and military equipment to Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic states.
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