Viral NATO video falsely framed as ‘war propaganda’ against Russia

Moscow is facing growing accusations of targeting NATO countries with its hybrid campaign, as a growing number of European leaders have warned Russia may be preparing attacks to test the Alliance’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

But amid those tensions, a different claim is spreading online: that NATO is preparing the public for an imminent war with Russia.

Pro-Kremlin accounts have been sharing a video they describe as NATO “propaganda” or “promotional material” for a future conflict with Moscow, and some posts have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, if not millions.

The video was also shared by the Russian embassy in the Netherlands, which accused NATO of trying to “inspire the youth to be ready to die for the elites”. It was also amplified in the United States by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who made further “white genocide” claims about the video’s portrayal of diversity.

However the video is not new footage, and it wasn’t produced to promote an impending war with Russia. The video was created to celebrate the Alliance’s 75th anniversary, and NATO published the video on its official social media accounts in July 2024, ahead of a summit in Washington marking the date.

The footage has since been downloaded, stripped of that context and recirculated online as supposed evidence that NATO is preparing the public for war with Russia.

Whilst the video is being misinterpreted online, it does not mean tensions between NATO countries and Russia are not intensifying.

European leaders have increasingly warned of late about Russian hybrid threats and possible attempts to test NATO’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said intelligence indicated Russia could be planning drone and missile strikes against Poland and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank. French President Emmanuel Macron also warned of intensifying Russian hybrid attacks and said he had ordered plans to protect critical infrastructure.

Macron also pointed to a recent drone incident at Germany’s Leipzig airport, which German officials attributed to Russia. There have been other incidents involving Russian aircraft: NATO jets recently shot down a Russian drone that entered Lithuanian airspace, while a Russian warship was accused of firing flares at a Danish military helicopter.