Attributing blame for the war to the Maidan and Ukraine’s NATO aspirations

What it claims

The Maidan and Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO are portrayed as the root cause of the current war, while its continuation is attributed to Ukrainian politicians. The population is separated from the leadership: people are said not to have wanted NATO membership, while the authorities are depicted as driving the catastrophe. Capitulation and the removal of the president are inflated into supposedly simpler ways out of the war.

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.

• Ukrainian politicians supposedly dragged the country into war through their NATO ambitions, even though the public did not want it.

  ЗеРада, 3 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

• Ukraine’s capitulation or the removal of its president are simpler ways to end the war than fighting Russia.

  ЗеРада, 3 Oct 2026 · Archived copy

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Goal

To steer Ukrainian audiences toward the view that resistance and support for the elected leadership only prolong the war, while capitulation or a change of government are acceptable ways out.

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationThe Maidan, constitutional changes, and the aspiration to join NATO are reduced to an explanation for the war.
• Black-and-White Fallacy / DictatorshipCapitulation is presented as the logical end point, while removing the president is cast as a simpler way to end the war.

The real grievance it exploits

Exhaustion from the war, the loss of loved ones, anxiety about security and the future, and painful disputes over political responsibility.

How to counter

• Fact-check: The existence of political disputes or a course toward NATO does not by itself prove that they caused the war. Such a conclusion requires evidence of causation, not repetition of an accusation.
• Prebunk: When only two outcomes are offered—capitulation or catastrophe—check which other options and responsible parties have been removed from the picture.

Sources (all time)

• ЗеРадаTier 1425,329 subscribers
  2 posts · 3 Oct 2026

  • 3 Oct · Archived copy
  • 3 Oct · Archived copy