Following Russia’s victory against Ukraine, the government in Kyiv will operate out of exile, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda, which also states the West will launch a war against Russia.
Propaganda: The government reshuffle in Ukraine is dictated by the West to create a government in exile that will operate out of London
NEWS: […] The West decided to get rid of its proxies. This is why Zaluzhnyi chose a diplomatic career. It is possible a Ukrainian government in exile […] will be created on British soil. Until this scenario plays out, candidates are being named to occupy the future positions of ministers and presidents. Zaluzhnyi’s departure means the USA and its NATO allies have already decided the path of this war.
[…] The West will start a great war against Russia, because Moscow’s peace terms have been rejected by Western states (we’re talking about security guarantees demanded by Russia, which the West must not violate, but which are meant to be violated). Until recently, the West threatened Russia to start a war in order to determine the Russian Federation to agree to a ceasefire in exchange for territorial concessions from Ukraine (in this regard, the West seems very generous and willing to discuss any terms or even bargain). At the end of February, the West finally chose war.
[…] Nevertheless, Syrsky and Zelenskyy managed to persuade the Americans that Ukraine has enough resources to resist on the frontline at least until the end of summer. During this period, the USA is confident it will manage to train and deploy to Ukraine a sizable European army. When Europe enters the war against Russia, this process will be irreversible.
NARRATIVES: The West is preparing a Ukrainian government in exile led by Valerii Zaluzhnyi. 2. Valerii Zaluzhnyi is allegedly willing to sue for peace, which is why he was sacked and sent into exile. 3. The West is preparing for a direct war against Russia.
Fact: The West is not preparing to attack Russia, but it does support Ukraine’s defensive efforts in the context of the war. There is no plan to evacuate the Kyiv government into exile.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: According to Russian media, the former commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom at the request of the West, which is now gathering in London the members of the future Ukrainian government in exile. This false narrative suggests that no one in the West still believes in Ukraine’s capacity to resist in the war or defeat Russia. On the other hand, the article also claims that Valerii Zaluzhnyi was preparing a coup in Kyiv, and the West needed someone to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen as a supporter of war at all costs. Zaluzhnyi is described as someone who would say yes to territorial concessions to Russia.
The article is filled with countless argumentative, political and chronological inconsistencies, whereas the title of the article circulated on Russian social media is but one element of war propaganda. Therefore, the Russian publication depicts Zaluzhnyi, on the one hand as an advocate of peace, which is why he was allegedly removed from office and sent to London, while on the other hand a potential leader of the Ukrainian government in exile, which will be set up should Ukraine lose the war, and furthermore as a warmonger and adept of exile.
In fact, on March 7 Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, explained that Valerii Zaluzhnyi has opted for a diplomatic career and expressed hope that Ukrainian-British relations will improve following his appointment. According to media outlets in Kyiv and London, Valerii Zaluzhnyi could secure greater support for Ukraine compared to former ambassadors, given he commands the respect of Western leaders. At the same time, according to British pundits, Zaluzhnyi has good personal ties with the British military and political leadership, considering the fact that the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces furthered his studies in the West. Zaluzhnyi’s posting in London provides Ukraine with certain strategic options, while at the same time rids Zelenskyy of any competition on the local political level (i.e. Zaluzhnyi’s supporters, which takes care of the issue of the military-political divide in Ukraine). The decision, however, is presented by the Russian publication as a sign that Ukrainian authorities are soon to be evacuated as they prepare for Russia’s imminent victory in the war.
According to Russian propaganda, the West threatened Moscow in order to force its hand to agree to territorial concessions from Ukraine, but at one point refused any dialogue with the Kremlin and chose to start a great war. Referring to the statement of France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who didn’t exclude the deployment of Western military forces to Ukraine, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims the goal of these statements was to persuade Moscow to accept territorial concessions from Ukraine in exchange for peace, which is false. In fact, neither Ukraine nor the West ever accepted territorial concessions made by Kyiv, and Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated they are unwilling to talk to Vladimir Putin as long as the Kremlin refuses to withdraw all its troops from its territory. Nevertheless, Russian propaganda tries to persuade the public at home that Russia cannot content itself with territorial concessions but wants to take control of the entire country.
According to the false narrative, seeing that Russia is unwilling to settle for less and wants to secure victory in the war, the West chose to attack and destroy the Russian Federation. The article further manipulates readers by accusing the USA and the West of having created a special forces unit tasked with striking Russia.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian media has repeatedly claimed that Moscow was forced to launch the “special military operation” in order to defend itself against the West’s aggression. According to false narratives, debunked by Veridica, Russia attacked Ukraine in order to prevent a NATO invasion. Russia justified its military operations by claiming it had uncovered an alleged joint plan of Ukraine and NATO to attack the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, the Crimean Peninsula, as well as other territories of the Russian Federation. The Russian publication praises the “special operation” for succeeding in stopping the NATO “aggression”. Right now, Russian propaganda has again accused the West of choosing to attack Russia and refusing to talk peace terms. The false narrative comes at odds with previous propaganda theses. If the war in Ukraine was necessary to stop a Western military aggression and the threat is currently in its incipient phase, therefore all the narratives of the last couple of years were false, and Russia is waging a war of conquest.
In fact, it was Russia, not the West, that chose to invade Ukraine, first in 2014, then in 2022. Western countries are helping Kyiv defend itself, in line with the standards of international law. Military assistance to Ukraine started being delivered in large volumes after February 24, 2022, and Western support for Ukraine abides by the UN Charter, which enables an attacked state to defend itself and receive assistance.
Russia is fighting a war of conquest and military aggression, condemned by the international community. The United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other international bodies have condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, from the first operations that led to the annexation of Crimea, to the full-scale invasion triggered in February 2022. After in the fall of 2022 Vladimir Putin announced that certain territories of Ukraine have been annexed to Russia, the UN General Assembly condemned “the illegal annexation” of Ukrainian territories by Russia by an overwhelming majority. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president, seen as responsible for the war crimes committed in Ukraine. Russia was deemed responsible for the killing of civilians, the destruction of infrastructure, bombing electrical grids and ports on the Black Sea and the Danube, and was also accused of torturing civilians and committing other war crimes on the territory of Ukraine.
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