Hizbullah, Russian ambassador team up to criticise Lebanese support for Ukraine

Hizbullah lawmakers and the Russian ambassador to Lebanon have engaged in a hypocritical show of outrage over the Lebanese foreign ministry's condemnation of Russia's "reckless and dangerous" invasion of Ukraine.

On the day of the assault on February 24, the Lebanese foreign ministry issued a statement condemning Russia's invasion, joining a host of governments that vowed to punish Moscow politically and economically for its war of aggression.

"Lebanon condemns the invasion of Ukrainian territory and calls on Russia to halt its military operation immediately and withdraw its forces," it said, calling for a return "to dialogue and negotiations".

But Hizbullah lawmakers rejected the statement during a Friday cabinet meeting.

Hizbullah MP and Minister of Labour Mustafa Bayram claimed the condemnation of Russia's operations in Ukraine "violates the principle of neutrality espoused by the Lebanese authorities", the Middle East Monitor reported Sunday.

Lebanese dismissed this charge as laughable, pointing out that Hizbullah has been directly violating Lebanon's policy of non-intervention in foreign crises for years by fighting in Syria in support of the regime of Bashar al-Assad and deploying its forces in support of Iran-aligned militias throughout the region.

Hizbullah MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc took to Twitter to criticise the Lebanese government, while Hizbullah MP Hasan Fadlallah denounced the ministry's statement in a report aired by the party's Al-Manar TV.

Pro-Hizbullah al-Akhbar newspaper also condemned the foreign ministry statement, claiming it had "deeply embarrassed Lebanese ambassador to Moscow Shawki Bou Nassar", Lebanon's Naharnet reported.

Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov also expressed hurt feelings on behalf of his "peaceful" country at a Sunday press conference.

According to Rudakov, "Russia is a great country that has always aspired to achieve peace and security in the whole world", Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

He also claimed that Russia "does not pursue a hostile policy towards Ukraine", but is acting "to protect its security" and that of Russian citizens, some of whom reside in the separatist-held enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine.

Russia recognised the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21 and sent troops to the region, in a move that kicked off the current conflict.

Russian propaganda

In a Friday statement, the Russian Embassy in Lebanon voiced "astonishment" over the foreign ministry's condemnation of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, also claiming it had violated Lebanon's policy of dissociation by siding with Ukraine.

"Russia has not waged a war but rather a special operation aimed at protecting Russian citizens, based on the request of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised their independence," it said.

This viewpoint reflects a common theme of Russian propaganda, in which Russia is portrayed as the victim rather than the aggressor, despite its actions.

Putin called his massive invasion a "special military operation" and identified its goal as "demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine", AFP reported.

He used a similar smokescreen in 2014 to rationalise annexing Crimea and fomenting war in Donetsk and Luhansk: accusing Ukrainian authorities of genocide against Russian-speaking citizens in eastern Ukraine.

But the international community -- and much of the Russian public -- can see through this misleading narrative.

In a January 20 report, the US State Department shed light on this tactic and outlined what it described as the "five main pillars" of Russian propaganda.

"Russia's disinformation and propaganda ecosystem is the collection of official, proxy, and unattributed communication channels and platforms that Russia uses to create and amplify false narratives," it said.

It identified the "five pillars" of Russian propaganda as "official government communications, state-funded global messaging, cultivation of proxy sources, weaponisation of social media, and cyber-enabled disinformation".

"The Kremlin bears direct responsibility for cultivating these tactics and platforms as part of its approach to using information as a weapon," it said.