Russia seeks to pull Asia into hybrid war against Western states, Ukraine warns
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (photo: Getty Images)
Russia has intensified efforts to justify its aggression against European countries and tries to draw Asian states into a hybrid confrontation with Western countries, according to Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
Threats toward Europe, statements about 'Asian NATO'
As the Center says, during hearings on Eurasian security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the United States of allegedly creating an "Asian NATO."
The Russian minister also resorted to open intimidation of European leaders, claiming that the West is supposedly forming an attack group against Russia.
"Armed conflict with Russia has always ended badly for Europe," Lavrov threatened, adding that the war must end with the elimination of threats from the western direction for the long-term historical future.
Purpose of Kremlin's manipulation
The Center for Countering Disinformation explained that such statements are an attempt to conceptually reframe Russia's war of conquest against Ukraine and present it as the first stage in building a new world order.
In this way, the Kremlin seeks to sow fear among European elites, forcing them to abandon support for Kyiv.
At the same time, Moscow manipulates the concerns of Asian countries by promoting the idea that only Russia can protect them from the supposedly destructive actions of the West.
The main goal of the Russian leadership is to create the illusion of a global coalition to blur its responsibility for violating international law and secure additional support for a war that has already significantly drained Russia's resources.
War statements, Kremlin's plans
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted during a press conference that the war in Ukraine was allegedly coming to an end. However, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stressed that there are no signs behind Putin's remarks that the Kremlin genuinely intends to stop its armed aggression.
Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed what he called the real reason behind such statements by the Russian leader. According to him, talk of a quick end to the conflict is merely an attempt by the Kremlin chief to distract the international community from Russia's weakness.
At the same time, Russian internal propaganda has already begun to adapt to new realities. According to media reports, Moscow is actively searching for a so-called "image of victory" in order to effectively "sell" a future peace agreement with Ukraine to the Russian public amid a deep economic crisis and growing war fatigue.
