The Center for Public Diplomacy Debunked a Russian Hoax Claiming Estonia Provided No Aid to Ukraine
Russia is spreading false claims in the English-language media space of the EU about Estonia’s alleged failure to provide aid to Ukraine. In reality, the total amount of Estonian aid to Ukraine for 2022–2027 is €1.41 billion, the Center for Countering Disinformation emphasized.
The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reported this on Telegram.
“Russian media outlets are spreading, particularly in the English-language information space of the EU, a false narrative about Estonia’s ‘zero aid’ to Ukraine. Pro-Kremlin media and disinformation networks cite a table from the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, claiming that Tallinn ranks last among donors and has not provided Ukraine with ‘a single dollar’ since the start of the full-scale invasion. “In reality, this manipulation is based on a substitution of terms,” the statement reads.
As noted, the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance’s reporting reflects only direct preferential loans and grants that were transferred directly to the general fund of the state budget. It does not account at all for military aid, arms transfers, reconstruction projects, humanitarian shipments, expenditures on refugees, or contributions via EU funds. By presenting only one type of funding as the total amount of support, Russian propaganda omits the fact that Estonia’s total aid for 2022–2027 amounts to €1.41 billion. Specifically, more than €810 million is direct military aid, while non-military support and reconstruction amount to more than €420 million.
“Tallinn has committed to providing annual military support to Kyiv at a level of no less than 0.25% of its GDP, and has allocated more than 3% of its GDP to aid for Ukraine overall, making Estonia one of the world leaders in this regard,” the CPD emphasized.
According to the Center, the goal of this Russian disinformation campaign is to sow distrust and drive a wedge between Kyiv and its most steadfast partners.
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