Russian troops undergoing training exercise. Image courtesy Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence
As approximately 100 diplomats walked out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in protest on March 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attempted to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by claiming that Ukraine’s so-called “fascist” government sought nuclear weapons that could threaten the very Russian state itself. Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin, have repeatedly accused Ukraine’s government of seeking weapons of mass destruction (WMD) with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear capabilities. These narratives have been spread on Kremlin-friendly media channels and online to rationalize the country’s invasion.
Even though specific claims about Ukraine seeking WMD are blatant falsehoods laced with inconsistencies, they should not be dismissed as inconsequential; they muddy the waters, making the truth more difficult to discern. Consequently, such false claims are wholly consistent with the aims of Russia’s broader disinformation strategy: to undermine global nonproliferation norms and institutions. Furthermore, US and allied intelligence suggests that Russia could take drastic action to follow up on its deceptive claims about Ukraine’s intentions, perhaps even preparing to use chemical weapons in a “false flag” attack after which...
The President of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora, South Africa, Dr Olusola Agbeniyi, has asked the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to desist from making what he described ...