Message Ukraine could have avoided war if it had adhered to the Minsk agreements
This thesis is spread by anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric. Reports say that if Kyiv had adhered to the Minsk agreements, there would not have been a full-scale war. Ukraine allegedly wanted to “cede” the Donbas and provoked Russia to invade at the direction of “Western curators”. More messages on this topic on the telegram appeared after the statements of the press secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anatolii Hlaz. He stated that the Minsk agreements allegedly “fulfilled their role well”, namely, they helped “stop the escalation of the conflict”.
By spreading such messages, Russian propaganda is once again trying to shift the blame for the invasion from Russia to Ukraine. Like, if Ukraine did not break promises, everything would be fine. Thus, Russia is changing reality. However, it was Russia that repeatedly violated the Minsk agreements and attacked Ukraine. In addition, the Minsk agreements did not stop the escalation, but only postponed it for a while.
Recently, Viktor Medvedchuk, accused of high treason, a former People's deputy of the pro-Russian “Opposition platform - for life” party, spoke on the topic of the Minsk agreements on the air of the Belarusian state television. In particular, Medvedchuk repeated the narratives that he had been spreading in recent years. Like, Ukraine “bombed the Donbas” and in every possible way evaded the reintegration of the territories “for the sake of votes” in the elections. At the same time, he presents himself as the only possible mediator for the success of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. And he claims that nothing happened with Minsk through his mediation as he had no influence on its execution.