No, Russia is not currently at war with NATO

By: Naledi Mashishi
April 11 2024

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What is the claim?

An Instagram reel posted on 5 April 2024 claims that Russia is currently at war with NATO. The video features Clayton Morris, a popular YouTuber known for spreading conspiracy theories, doing a live-TV style broadcast in which he states, “Russia and NATO are going to war. In fact, it’s already underway and it’s not happening in Ukraine specifically."

Morris uses the recent Baltimore Bridge collapse and Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow as “evidence” for this war, claiming that they were both terrorist attacks. He implies that the Baltimore Bridge collapse was an attack by Russia and claims there is evidence that the U.S. and the U.K. were responsible for the attack in Moscow. 

“At the precise moment a cyber-attack was being carried out on a bridge in Baltimore, shutting down one of America’s most important port cities, Russia announced that the United States and the UK were actively involved in the terror attack on a Moscow theatre,” he says.

On 22 March 2024, gunmen in combat fatigues opened fire in a major concert hall in Moscow, killing 115 and wounding 145 more. Days later on 26 March, a key bridge in the U.S city of Baltimore collapsed after a cargo ship collided with the bridge’s pillar. Are the two tragedies related and indicative of a war? 

Our research says no. We have previously debunked claims that the Moscow attack was carried out by Ukraine and that the Baltimore Bridge collapse was detonated by dynamite. There is no evidence that the two attacks were carried out by state forces as part of a war. And Russia recently stated that they have no intention of entering a war with a NATO country.

What we found

Russia has charged four men in association with the terror attack. The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group posted a selfie of the gunmen on X (formerly Twitter). A video taken by one of the gunmen entering the building and opening fire was posted onto a Telegram channel believed to belong to Amaq, the news arm of ISIS. The New York Times was able to match the clothing of the gunmen in the photo to the ones worn by gunmen in the photos of the shootings and interrogations.

Putin has claimed that Ukraine was involved in the attack and that the gunmen were arrested while trying to escape to Kyiv. Alexander Bortnikov, director of the  Russian security agency FSB, stated that they believe that the attack was “facilitated” by Western security agencies. However, no evidence has been produced confirming that Ukraine or Western security agencies were involved. Ukraine and Britain have both denied any involvement. U.S. security agencies had also shared intelligence with Russia earlier that month warning them about a planned terrorist attack. We have also not found any evidence that the U.S. or U.K. funneled large amounts of cryptocurrency to finance the attacks.

Similarly, there is currently no evidence that the Baltimore Bridge collapse was a cyber-terrorist attack. President Joe Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the FBI Baltimore Field Office have all stated that there is no credible evidence of terrorism.  

The bridge collapse was caused by the cargo ship losing power. Video footage shows the ship’s lights flickering on and off prior to the collision. The ship crew was able to issue an emergency call once they lost control of the ship, allowing officials to close the bridge to traffic before impact. 

Amid increasing tensions around the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia and NATO states have both denied that they are at war with one another. Back in February, a NATO official told France24 that there were no plans currently to deploy NATO troops to fight for Ukraine, and the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reportedly said, “We are not at war with Russia.” 

This seems to be a sentiment shared by Russia. On 4 April, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said “we have no such intentions regarding the member countries of the alliance” when asked about entering a conflict with a NATO country. 

Verdict 

The Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow was carried out by ISIS, and there is no evidence of NATO funneling money to fund the attackers. There is also no evidence that the Baltimore Bridge collision was a terrorist attack. Both NATO and Russian officials said that they are not at war with one another and have no plans to enter a war. We have therefore rated this claim as false.