Propagandists are spreading messages on anonymous Telegram channels mocking Ukraine's decision to renounce nuclear weapons after the collapse of the USSR. They claim that Ukraine never actually owned the nuclear arsenal, asserting it was the property of the USSR and could only be controlled by Russia as its successor state. These messages portray Ukraine as a country lacking the resources to maintain nuclear weapons, and accuse it of greed and exploitation of the USSR’s legacy. The narrative emphasizes Ukraine’s betrayal of its own interests under pressure from the U.S. and Russia, reducing the Budapest Memorandum to empty promises.

This message is actually manipulative and built on distorting the facts, in particular regarding Ukraine’s nuclear status and the history of its disarmament. In reality, the nuclear arsenal in Ukraine after the USSR's collapse was the largest in Europe and the third largest in the world. The weapons were stationed on Ukrainian territory, which legally became part of Ukraine’s assets following its independence in 1991. Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances and guarantees of territorial integrity from Russia, the U.S., and the U.K. It was Russia that violated the terms of the memorandum in 2014.

Ukraine had the technical capability to maintain the arsenal, as nuclear component manufacturing facilities were located within its borders. However, the weapons' operational control systems were indeed dependent on Russia. Claims that nuclear weapons “never belonged to Ukraine” are false, as after the USSR’s dissolution, each of the newly independent states inherited part of its assets.

Russia seeks to diminish Ukraine’s significance as an independent state and undermine its international commitments by promoting narratives of ingratitude and the illegitimacy of Ukraine's independence. This is a typical attempt to discredit Ukraine on the international stage and justify aggression.