Tucker Carlson & sergey lavrov. kremlin disinformation. putin news. russian propaganda. russia today

American ex-television host and blogger Tucker Carlson has travelled to russia again - this time to interview russian Foreign Minister sergey lavrov. Last time, it was a two-hour interview with putin. Carlson claims that his mission is a "search for truth". However, if he were to be honest, he would say that his goal is to provide a platform for kremlin disinformation just before Donald Trump's inauguration. StopFake analysts have selected the top 5 fakes from lavrov, voiced in the interview with Carlson.

Fake No. 1: "We did not start this war"
sergey lavrov: "Putin has repeatedly said that we have launched an operation to end the war that the Kyiv regime has been waging against its people in Donbas. And in the latest statement, the president made it clear that we are ready for any development, but we really want a peaceful solution through negotiations based on respect for Russia's legitimate security interests and respect for the rights of people living in Ukraine who are still Russians and their basic human rights: language rights, religious rights, which were destroyed by a number of laws passed by the Ukrainian parliament".
The truth: is that in 2014 (at the time when the current president of Ukraine fled to russia due to popular discontent), russia violated international law and annexed the Crimean peninsula, and then used its regular army in hostilities in Donbas, thereby starting a war against Ukraine. It is russia, not Ukraine, that is constantly violating the rights of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories. Evidence of violations is reflected in reports by international organisations and journalistic investigations. During putin's rule, russia has fallen in all ratings of freedom of speech, religion, etc.
Ukraine is predominantly populated by Ukrainians, and statements about a separate people in Donbas who allegedly want to secede are a kremlin narrative. Regarding the oppression of the russian language, StopFake has repeatedly refuted the kremlin's claims that it is illegal to speak russian in Ukraine. The ban on organisations directly funded and controlled by the aggressor country is not a ban on religion. In Ukraine, freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution. 
Fake #2: "We are not thinking about a nuclear war with America. Our military doctrine states that the most important thing is to avoid a nuclear war".
sergey lavrov: "Let me remind you that it was we who initiated the joint statement by the leaders of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in January 2022, which said that we would do everything to avoid confrontation between us, recognising and respecting each other's interests and security concerns. It was our initiative".
The truth: In reality, the actions of russia and its officials often contradict their statements. During the war against Ukraine, the russian leadership has repeatedly voiced nuclear threats that create tension and increase the risk of escalation. Such statements are part of an intimidation strategy to pressure the West to limit its support for Ukraine.
In addition, russia withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, blaming the United States, even though it had been developing such missiles in violation of the treaty. The termination of russia's participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 2023 also undermines nuclear arms control efforts. In the same year, 2023, russia, already at war with Ukraine, began an operation to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which significantly increased regional risks. This move was condemned by the international community as it undermined stability in Europe.
In addition, russia's constant shelling of Ukraine's critical infrastructure, including nuclear power facilities, occupation of one of the nuclear power plants (the largest in Europe, in the city of Enerhodar), and deployment of military contingent there still pose a risk of a nuclear disaster.
Fake #3: "In 2014, Ukraine declared Donbas terrorists"
sergey lavrov: "Crimeans did not accept the coup d'état in 2014. They said they wanted nothing to do with these people. Donbass did the same. Crimeans held a referendum and joined Russia. And the new government declared Donbas a terrorist region. It was shelled with artillery".
The truth: The narrative of a "coup d'état’ in Ukraine in 2014 is one of the most common in kremlin propaganda and serves to justify the need to wage war against the "illegitimate government" in Ukraine. In reality, the Euromaidan events were a massive protest by Ukrainians against the corrupt regime of Viktor Yanukovych, and the elections that followed the flight of the criminal government were recognised as legitimate by the international community, including russia.
The annexation of Crimea is a gross violation of the basic principles of international law, the use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of another state. No one has declared Donbas residents terrorists. Instead, after the annexation of Crimea, russia financed and armed separatist organisations that seized administrative buildings, blocked government authorities, and later declared "independent people's republics". At the same time, attempts by Ukraine's law enforcement agencies to restore public order were suppressed by the armed forces of the russian Federation. Thus, the Kremlin unilaterally launched a military campaign in Ukraine.
Fake #4: "It is Ukraine, not Russia, that violates the UN Charter by not allowing people to self-determine"
sergey lavrov: "If you want to respect the UN Charter, you must respect it in full. Let me remind you that this document, among other things, says that all countries must respect the equality of states and the right of nations to self-determination".
The truth: Ukraine is not violating the United Nations (UN) Charter with regard to the people of Donbas or any other region. Before russia's interference in political and social processes, there was no separate nation of russians who wanted to secede from Ukraine at that time. The actions of the Ukrainian state in Donbas are justified by the right to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty under the UN Charter.
In addition, the principle of self-determination does not give the right to secede if it violates the territorial integrity of the state. Donbas is an integral part of Ukraine, and there are no international legal grounds for secession. The ‘referendums’ that russia independently held on Ukrainian territory in 2014 are illegitimate under international law and Ukrainian legislation.
Fake #5: "russia, unlike Ukraine, cares about people, while the West wants to take away Ukrainian resources"
sergey lavrov: "We are fighting for the people who live on these lands, whose ancestors inhabited them for centuries, building cities and factories. We care about people, not about natural resources that someone in the United States would like to take for themselves and would like to have Ukrainians as servants".
Truth: Claims that the West is fighting for resources in Ukraine are part of russian propaganda that attempts to portray the conflict as a struggle of interests rather than a consequence of russian aggression. Such statements are also intended to undermine Ukrainian society's trust in its Western partners. Although, until 2014, it was russia that, through in-depth cooperation with the former government, controlled or used most of Ukraine's natural resources, earning billions of dollars. And it is the russian army that has been mercilessly shelling residential areas, hospitals, educational institutions, and civilian infrastructure to this day. The greatest destruction and the highest number of casualties are recorded in Donbas. This is the real "taking care of people".
lavrov is one of the leaders and directors of russian propaganda, a modern example of hypocrisy and the chief lawyer of the kremlin's criminals. As for Tucker Carlson, RussianFake has already found him a "worthy distinction" - a place in the list of the most famous Sources of Fake News and Propaganda.
P.S. After this interview, information about American women allegedly "falling in love" with sergei lavrov was widely spread on social media and russian websites. As proof of their love, russian publics and social media users publish screenshots of "American women's comments" under the relevant interview from social media platform X. But, as StopFake discovered, these comments either do not belong to American women (rather, to bots) or have been edited in a photo editor. This is how the kremlin's "fake news factory" works.