Beware of false narratives about Ukraine leading up to Russia’s invasion

Aaron Maté, a writer for Grayzone, a website known for conspiracy theories, has gained popularity among the far-right fringe of the MAGA movement recently, which seems to prefer to “Make America Guilty Again.”

Maté has published an article on Ukraine on RealClearPolitics that is gaining traction, despite being filled with errors.

His main claim is that the Obama-Biden administration’s intervention in Ukraine led to the war between Russia and Ukraine, a claim that aligns with Russian propaganda.

However, the truth is that the Maidan protests in Ukraine were led by democratic, pro-European politicians and ordinary citizens, not by far-right groups as Maté suggests.

The violence that occurred during the protests was likely orchestrated by Russia’s security services and their Ukrainian allies, rather than by far-right forces.

Contrary to Maté’s claims, the events in Ukraine were not a far-right coup, but rather a response to President Yanukovych’s abandonment of his office by a constitutional majority of Ukraine’s parliament.

Maté’s reliance on sources like Andriy Telizhenko, who has a history of changing allegiances, further undermines his credibility.

While Ukraine has faced significant outside intervention, it has been primarily orchestrated by Russia, not the United States as Maté suggests.

In reality, Ukrainians are shaping their own destiny and resisting Russian aggression, despite attempts to whitewash Putin’s role in the conflict.

It’s unfortunate that RealClearPolitics has given a platform to such distortions and attempts to justify Putin’s actions, especially given Ukraine’s history of democratic movements and resistance to outside influence.

Adrian Karatnycky, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, is the author of a new history, “Battleground Ukraine: From Independence to the War with Russia.”