Politics
Monday 10 July 2017
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“Perhaps for the U.S. this is indeed a ‘golden era,’ but for Ukraine, where ‘reformers’ shut down coal mines en masse and destroy the coal sector, this is a period of decline and total dependence on Washington.”
The leader of the pro-Russian Ukrainian Choice organization claims Ukraine is falling into “total dependence” on the United States for coal imports. In fact, Russia remains the country’s top supplier. -
“Iranian television on Thursday distributed photographs confirming the death of the head of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi.”
Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that Iranian TV had published photographic proof that Islamic State leader Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi was killed in a Russian airstrike in May. In fact, the same pictures had been circulating around the Internet since 2014. -
“There have been no violations on our part. The U.S. claims otherwise, without providing any specific information that could be verified in order to clarify the situation.”
Russia says the U.S. lacks specific data proving Moscow has violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. In fact, the U.S. provided a detailed account of Russia's violations. -
“There has been a real substitution of information. The CNN report was aimed at manipulating public opinion.”
It is unclear why Zakharova singled out CNN for criticism when Daqneesh’s story had been widely covered by international media. The timing of her comments, several weeks after the boy reappeared, may well be more to do with a scandal at CNN. -
“According to the research, 27% of its participants regard the Russian leader with confidence, believing that he ‘is doing the right things on the world stage’."
Russia’s TASS state news agency misrepresented the results of the Pew Research Center’s 2017 global survey in a way favorable to Vladimir Putin. The actual results of the survey concerning Putin were the opposite of what TASS reported. -
“The Americans have completely trampled on international law and today are behaving just like bandits. ... The American fighter violated all norms and agreements and in fact behaved like an air pirate.”
Zhilin’s claim that the NATO aircraft violated international law is false. Experts and NATO officials tell Polygraph.info that the F-16 acted within established rules of air policing, without violating any norms or agreements, and that, on the contrary, it was Shoigu’s plane that violated established aviation safety rules by refusing to identify itself. -
“Yes, they impacted [the economy]. To a large degree or not? I don’t think so. The economy was more affected by the global economy and the decline in prices of our tradition goods – oil, gas, metals and chemical industries and others.”
Putin's statement made during his annual national call-in program essentially contradicted remarks he made just months earlier. -
“The information about the green spaces targeted for renovation was apparently taken from a CIA spy satellite.”
Moscow’s controversial urban renewal project has prompted discussion among environmentalists, with Greenpeace Russia warning it could have damaging consequences. One Russian organization, however, falsely accused Greenpeace of using CIA spy satellite data to fabricate the report. -
“The Ukrainian government is insisting that the section of the border in the area of the unrecognized republics must be closed. And indeed, the Minsk protocols require that the border with Russia be closed by Ukrainian border guards, but only after the key political decisions are adopted.”
Putin is right about the timetable of the Minsk peace agreements, but he ignores his own responsibility for the ongoing war in Ukraine. -
“Dmitry Kiselyov has never expressed support for the directing of Russian forces to Ukraine... The EU Council did not provide information necessary to ensure [his] legal right to defense, since the accusations leveled were formulated in an unduly vague way.”
Lawyers for pro-Kremlin media figure Dmitry Kiselyov claim their client never expressed support for sending Russian troops into Ukraine, and that the European Council has denied him the right to legal defense. In fact, Kiselyov is notorious for provocative comments about Ukraine and the court followed regular procedures in adjudicating his case. -
“A decision was made to drag Georgia into NATO as soon as possible… Therefore, it is no longer convenient for the West to recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia… This is [another] reason why it is essential to force Georgia to give up its rights to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
NATO is not forcing Georgia to join the alliance. It is Georgia which seeks to join both NATO and the European Union. In addition, NATO and the EU have consistently and publicly supported Georgia’s territorial integrity and called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia. -
“I know nothing about this, this is the first time I’ve heard about it.” [in reply to a query about then-President Barack Obama directly addressing President Putin on Russia’s alleged hacking attacks on the U.S.]
President Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, denies any knowledge of a phone call between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin, in which the U.S. President addressed his Russian counterpart on the subject of alleged Russian cyber-attacks and interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Unfortunately for Peskov, he had briefed journalists on this very phone call less than six months earlier.