Attributing responsibility for the war to Ukraine through its cooperation with NATO

What it claims

Ukraine’s long-standing cooperation with NATO is cast as preparation for a war against Russia and as the cause of Russia’s invasion. Individual exercises, politicians’ statements, and decisions on Euro-Atlantic integration are reduced to an alleged single plan of escalation. Personal insults aimed at Volodymyr Zelenskyy reinforce the portrayal of Ukraine as the party that brought the war upon itself.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Ukraine’s cooperation with NATO since the 1990s was preparation for a foothold for war against Russia.

  Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВО, 14 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

• Zelenskyy himself provoked Russia with statements about NATO.

  Open Ukraine| Открытая Украина, 25 Sept 2026 · Archived copy

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Goal

To persuade Western and Russian-speaking audiences abroad that Russia is supposedly responding to Ukraine’s actions rather than waging an aggressive war, and to weaken support for Ukraine’s right to determine its own security policy.

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationCooperation with NATO, military exercises, and political decisions from different years are portrayed as one direct cause of Russia’s invasion.
• Name Calling or LabelingZelenskyy is demeaned with insulting labels, while his decisions are presented as irresponsible provocation.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits legitimate public anxiety about the war’s escalation, the risk of a wider confrontation, and the cost of security decisions for societies and families.

How to counter

• Fact-check: Separate security cooperation from the claim of “provocation”: Ukraine was not a NATO member, and decisions on its foreign policy belong to Ukraine itself. Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 was Russia’s decision.
• Technique exposure: Watch for the false causal chain: events and statements from different years are selected selectively and then passed off as proof that an invasion was inevitable. Insults aimed at a politician replace scrutiny of specific claims.

Sources (all time)

• Open Ukraine| Открытая УкраинаTier 1180,481 subscribers
  2 posts · 25 Sept 2026

  • 25 Sept · t.me/OpenUkraine/102789
  • 25 Sept · Archived copy
• Украина. Спецоперация. Мониторинг СВОTier 115,784 subscribers
  1 post · 14 Oct 2026

  • 14 Oct · Archived copy