Russia spreading disinformation to present Ukraine as aggressor, alleges US
Jan 20, 2022
Washington [US], January 21 : Amid the rising tension between Russia and Ukraine, the United States has issued two fact sheets alleging that Moscow is spreading disinformation to paint Kyiv as the aggressor in the relations between the two countries.
This comes as the US is alleging that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. While denying these claims, Moscow is pointing instead to the actual threat posed by NATO's military activity in the region.
"The Department of State, working with the US interagency, is aware of several Russian military and intelligence entities that are engaged in information confrontation targeting Ukraine. These activities include the spread of disinformation and propaganda attempting to paint Ukraine and Ukrainian government officials as the aggressor in the Russia-Ukraine relationship," the US State Department said in a fact sheet.
It also alleged that Russia has "fabricated a set of false narratives that its disinformation and propaganda ecosystem persistently injects into the global information environment."
The narratives act like a template that enables Moscow to adjust them "with a complete disregard for truth as it shapes the information environment to support its policy goals," it added.
On Wednesday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv.
The officials discussed the US' and the international security assistance to Kyiv. Blinken also underscored Washington's commitment to diplomacy alongside its readiness "to impose severe costs for further Russian aggression against Ukraine."
Ahead of the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, UN chief Antonio Guterres hopes the upcoming meeting will lead to defusing tensions around Ukraine.
The two will meet in Geneva on Friday to follow up on last week's diplomatic engagements regarding Russia's security proposals.
"He [Guterres] continues to call for dialogue. We do have the upcoming meeting, ... and we hope that would lead to de-escalation," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing.
