FAKE NEWS: The US is ready to fight in Donbass to the last Ukrainian

The US is pushing Ukraine towards an escalation of the conflict in Donbass, the leader of one of the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine says. The statement is part of the narrative that seeks to undermine the partnership between Kiev and the West. The West is being portrayed as responsible for the war, despite the fact that Russia is the one that launched aggressions in the region.

 NEWS: “The United States is ready to fight to the last Ukrainian! In the meantime, we need to strengthen quarantine measures at contact line checkpoints due to the extraordinary increase in morbidity in the adjacent territory controlled by Kiev, "Pasechnik said.

In his opinion, “it’s no coincidence that Blinken, after meeting with Zelensky, only talked about increasing military aid.”

"For example, there has been no talk of vaccines and medicines. Certainly, the United States is not interested in the health of Ukrainians. We see perfectly what the "concern" of the United States for both people of Donbass and Ukraine is all about," Pasechnik added.

NARRATIVES: 1. The US promotes an aggressive and anti-Russian policy in Ukraine. 2. The situation in Ukraine is controlled by the USA. 3. The war in Ukraine is led by the United States. 4. The US uses the Ukrainians in the war in Eastern Ukraine.

LOCAL CONTEXT / ETHOS: Leonid Pasechnik is the leader of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic", which is controlled by Moscow. "LPR", as well as "DPR" - the separatist republic of Donetsk - emerged after 2014, when, after the takeover of power by pro-Europeans, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine launched an armed insurrection with support from Moscow, which provided weapons and even personnel. After a period of intense fighting, the intensity of the conflict has decreased significantly, but clashes are regularly reported in the region and ceasefire agreements are violated. Russian military personnel, recruits from the local population as well as mercenaries that Russia uses in the conflicts in which it is involved are said to be directly participating in the Donbass hostilities.Russia is trying to hide its presence in the Donbass and have Ukraine speak directly with the separatists' representatives, which is also demanded by the latter.On the other hand, in April, Russia mobilized significant troops, of 80 to 100 thousand soldiers, along the eastern border of Ukraine, giving rise to fears that it was preparing for a war with the neighboring country. All the while, the pro-Kremlin press, as well as Russian officials, have accused Kiev of provocations along the line of contact, and the West for inciting Kiev.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the narrative is to present Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations as unsustainable and to portray Kiev's relationship with the West as one of subordination. False narratives seek to invent another cause of the war - it was triggered because the West wants to harass Russia - ignoring the fact that Russian aggression was the one that led to the outbreak of the conflict.

WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: Blinken has only given assurances that the United States supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the war, the United States has provided financial, political, and defense assistance to Ukraine, but there has never been a question of Washington getting involved in the conflict, and the equipment provided was meant to strengthen Kiev's defense, not its attack capability. Moreover, during the Russian concentration of troops in April, Washington postponed the sending of a battleship to the Black Sea precisely in order not to increase tensions. Grain of truth: Anthony Blinken's visit to Kiev took place on May 6. The US Secretary of State met with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Blinken said the United States saw the Russian threat as one of the main threats facing Ukraine.