Top Factchecks and Disinformation News
Latest Statements
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![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
"We noted the participation of the United Nations Office (UNO) in the evacuation of the White Helmets, the UNO confirmed their involvement in these events. The UNHCR thereby supports the disinformation campaign [in Syria], arranged by these ‘fearless humanitarian workers.’ This is at the very least a big mistake."
Read more...The disinformation campaign about the White Helmets led by the Russia and Assad calls the White Helmets “terrorist collaborators,” without providing any proof. In fact, the volunteers work under the 1949 Geneva Convention to protect civilians in the Syria conflict zones. -
![Russian Embassy, UK Twitter Account]()
Russian Embassy, UK Twitter Account
Official Twitter account
“Imaginary ‘Russian threat’ is a great excuse to try and get more funding for the UK military budget. Food for thought.”
Read more...While it is debatable whether Russia’s Arctic ambitions pose a threat to British security at this time, Britain has very good, non-imaginary reasons to consider Russia a military and intelligence threat. -
![Russian Foreign Ministry]()
Russian Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"We regard the groundless charges of complicity in the Salisbury incident, put forward against Russia, as yet another attempt to create an impression our country takes an irresponsible attitude to compliance with international commitments," the statement runs. "This approach looks particularly hypocritical in a situation where the United States is in no hurry to eliminate its own arsenal of chemical weapons and remains the sole CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention) signatory that keeps considerable amounts of chemical warfare agents."
Read more...More than 90 percent of the U.S.’s chemical weapons stockpile has been destroyed. It is a long and expensive process because unlike Russia’s stockpile, most of the American stockpile is weaponized and thus harder to destroy safely because of environmental and safety concerns, that delay the process. The U.S. has said it will complete destruction of remaining chemical arsenal by 2023. -
![Grigory Joffe]()
Grigory Joffe
Head of the Crimean Public Chamber
“As soon as possible by the decision of our monitoring group Laima Vaikule will be added to the Crimean Dossier. It is inadmissible to consider the Crimean situation through an open or closed wallet. The quality of the soul of an artist is not measured in silver coins.”
Read more...The Latvian singer stated Crimea was not part of her concert tour in compliance with the European Union sanctions, which prohibit the citizens of the EU from doing business in Russian-occupied Crimea. -
![Yu Ning, Global Times]()
Yu Ning, Global Times
Journalist
“Legal religious activities are not only allowed in any region of China, but also well protected. However in an attempt to divide China's national unity, many Western forces have repeatedly made an issue of the country's religious freedom, making groundless claims that religious groups are suppressed in China.”
Read more...A human rights organization and the media cite evidence from inside China and eyewitnesses that members of Muslim minorities are subject to surveillance, arrest, and “reeducation camps” due to their religious affiliation. -
Putin’s “Surgeon” of the Night Wolves Issues “End of the World” Message to Slovakian President Kiska
![Alexander Zaldostanov aka “the Surgeon”]()
Alexander Zaldostanov aka “the Surgeon”
President of the Night Wolves
“Let us remind you, dear President, that the headquarters in Slovakia was not opened by the Russian citizens, but by the Slovaks themselves. And offices in Europe are opened not on the initiative of Moscow, but on the initiative of the citizens of European countries themselves who have searched for the truth and found it in the Night Wolves, and not in your hypocritical and unprincipled satanic world order.”
Read more...The Night Wolves have been essential to Vladimir Putin’s domestic and foreign policy objectives, including propaganda campaigns. They fought as mercenaries in Ukraine and fomented a failed coup in Montenegro. Since 2012, the club has received millions of rubles in government funds for projects promoting Russia’s agenda in Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkans. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Press secretary to Vladimir Putin
"Russia's financial system is fairly stable, it is well known to everyone. It has proved its stability in quite difficult times. Against the background of the continuing unpredictability of our overseas partners, of course, we must and we are keeping our financial system in proper state."
Read more...Russia’s financial stability assessments from the independent international observers highlight risks and further slowdown in growth. The risk factors include “weak governance” and “increased concentration of moral hazard.” -
![Andrey Kots]()
Andrey Kots
Journalist for RIA Novosti
“It would be wrong to hide the fact that the material and technical equipment of the Russian army in that war left much to be desired. Especially in comparison with the Georgian units, which Western countries had armed with modern "high-tech" and trained to fight according to NATO standards for years.”
Read more...While the Georgian military had some Western equipment and training, the Russian military still had overwhelming advantages and the outcome of the war was never in doubt. -
![Dmitry Polyanskiy]()
Dmitry Polyanskiy
First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Mission to the UN
"We also have a lot of reasons not to trust particularly Bellingcat which was repeatedly caught red-handed by Internet users by voicing anti-Russian or anti-Syrian allegations based on fakes. And these fakes are largely exposed in the Web. Internet users have a lot of questions about Bellingcat financing, important American and Western funds that traditionally support anti-Russian campaigns are said to be the main sponsors."
Read more...Bellingcat was started with crowdfunding via Kickstarter. In 2017 it had to do another crowdfunding event to raise money. It has received money from other sources such as the Open Society Foundation and the National Endowment for Democracy, but these funds are used for their programs to assist journalists and researchers, not produce content. -
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
"I don't even know who sent them there. I don’t know whether they represented the media or a public organization there. I have no such information.”
Read more...The purpose of the three journalists’ visit to the Central African Republic (CAR) was made public on July 31, the day it was reported they had been murdered. Several of Maria Zakharova’s own Facebook posts demonstrate that she must have been familiar with this information.
