Verdicts
Monday 17 July 2017
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“Russia has emerged stronger than ever after these three years of economic defense. It has now achieved the unprecedented role of a quadruple superpower: industrial superpower, agricultural superpower, military superpower and geopolitical superpower. Russia now has the world’s most self-sufficient and diversified economy… .”
Russia remains heavily dependent on oil and gas, and is far from being an “industrial superpower,” let alone a “quadruple superpower.” -
The Kremlin-funded international broadcaster Sputnik reported that the governor of Nevada declared a state of emergency over the state’s shortage of marijuana supplies. In fact, no state of emergency was ordered in Nevada.
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“Moscow is among the world leaders in the use of digital technologies in modern urban infrastructure, ahead of such mega-cities like Toronto, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Barcelona and Sydney. By the way, in certain aspects of the index, Moscow is among the top three: digital services in the interactions between the state and the citizens – actually first place, simply first place in the world. The creation of infrastructure for the implementation of innovative solutions: according this criterion, Moscow takes second place in the world. The development of new business models based on the mass adoption of advanced technologies – third place; and an education system that meets the needs of the labor market of the future – also third place.”
Russia’s president praised Moscow for earning the top three positions among the world’s “data driven” mega-cities in an assessment made by the Moscow branch of the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting company. The fact that PwC-Russia has an ongoing long-term contract with the Russian government raises questions about the independence and objectivity of this assessment. -
“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. -
“Those are [IS] militants” [Vladimir Putin] “You wouldn’t want to join [IS] if you saw that” [Oliver Stone].
While Putin evidently believed the video was taken from recent Russian air strikes in Syria, in fact, it is a clip evidently of U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan released in 2009. -
“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. -
“The Israelis simply struck the site from which the shelling had been carried out. As a result of this air strike, two of the terrorists’ tanks and a heavy machine gun were destroyed.”
Russian state media have cited claims from the Ministry of Defense that the Israeli Air Force bombed Islamist militants rather than Syrian regime forces. Unfortunately, Syrian state television had already reported that Israel had bombed their positions. -
“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.