FAKE NEWS: Romania will deploy military forces under EU command to Crimea

Romanian troops are expected to take part in Ukraine’s military operation aimed at retaking Crimea.

NEWS: “It looks like after all, in its stubbornness, Ukraine won’t give up its “mad” plan of going global with its war against the Russian Federation. For the first time since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, it is ready to receive “the imports” it has been asking for. But this time it isn’t just military technique. And although the Romanian Army will not get directly involved in the liberation of Crimea, chances are our first military troops should be deployed to Ukraine.

It all started after German sources revealed that the European Union “plans on demonstrating its commitment towards the Eastern Partnership through missions aimed at providing military training to the Ukrainian Army”. Therefore, the European External Action Service is allegedly preparing missions to train Ukrainian officers. It’s exactly what the United States did in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas it has abandoned in the meantime… And since Brussels is already familiar with the overzealous authorities in Bucharest, the Romanian military withdrawn from Afghanistan will be most likely redeployed to Ukraine […]

The Government in Kiev has adopted the Action Plan for the enactment of the “Strategy for the deoccupation and reintegration of temporarily occupied Crimea”. The strategy proposed by the Ukrainian prime minister to “neutralize the Russian threat” is described as follows: “We are attracting the best experts and analysts from around the world in this matter. We are also working with our partners and within the framework of international organizations, so that the topic of Crimea is constantly on the world agenda”, Ziarul Național writes.

NARRATIVE: Romania will send troops to Ukraine under the West’s command, to help retake the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

BACKGROUND: Russia is carefully monitoring any support Kiev receives from the West. In the last year, the Russian army has made a number of demonstrations of military strength in the Black Sea and on Ukraine’s southern and eastern borders.

On October 3, the Die Welt German newspaper published an article citing an EU internal document, which discusses the possibility that the EU should provide military training to Ukrainian officers, in the context of Russia’s “ongoing military activity” outside the Ukrainian borders.

“A military mission would underscore the visibility and commitment to the countries of the Eastern Partnership initiative,” a cited working document from the EU’s diplomatic service (EEAS) reads.

Ukraine is facing constant military pressure from Russia. Alternately, states in eastern Europe, including Romania, have been expressing concern over Russia’s increased military presence in the region in recent years.

Also worth noting is that Ziarul Național has been publishing alarmist “fake news” regarding Romania’s intention to go to war with Russia on behalf of Ukraine, claiming Romania is being manipulated by the West in that respect. Veridica.ro has debunked a number of such articles published by this website in recent months.

PURPOSE: To create the illusion that Romania might venture into a regional war siding with Ukraine against Russia.

WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: First of all, this is an internal EU document, a “policy paper” more specifically, according to Radio Free Europe, which is tantamount to an analysis / assessment of the possibility or a hypothesis, not an EU decision to send military instructors to Ukraine.

Under the EU’s Eastern Partnership with states in its vicinity, the security component is at any rate stated as a defensive element.

Radio Free Europe further writes that the three EU Baltic states are especially pushing for the military training mission, in addition to Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, whereas Sweden and Finland have in turn expressed support. Therefore, we are talking about several European countries that have expressed a similar opinion.

“Those EU members share similar concerns with Ukraine about Russian military drills on their borders, including the Zapad-2021 military exercises in September and a massive Russian troop build-up near Ukraine in April that raised concern in Kyiv and the West over Moscow's intentions”, the EEAS document also reads.

On the other hand, a military training mission does not equate with a full-blown military campaign, it’s not an act of war. A few military advisors will never be able to attack a military power such as Russia. As a whole, the Romanian Army lacks the offensive capability, given the disproportionate balance of manpower and military technique, as well as the necessary logistics to launch individual large-scale operations in foreign territory.

GRAIN OF TRUTH: There is an EU diplomacy working document that is examining a number of opinions expressed by EU member states concerning how the EU should manage the hotbed of instability in Ukraine, which was triggered by Russia, both through the annexation of Crimea, and by providing support to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine”.

WHO STANDS TO BENEFIT: Russian propaganda, which is trying to induce the false idea of a Western aggression against Russia via Ukraine.