Verdicts
Friday 9 March 2018
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While Russian Embassy's claim is not completely inaccurate, it is still misleading to label Sergei Skripal as British spy, since he was at least a double agent. Also, the details of his most recent years in Britain add mystery to the controversy about his true allegiances.
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“The U.S.A., through its state propaganda organs, is imposing the view that if turnout in the Russian presidential election is, according to the data of our CEC (Central Election Commission), higher than 45 percent, then these are falsified figures, a dirty trick and distortion of reality, that without [the participation of] certain players, a turnout above 45 percent is impossible. This is being put in the heads not only of Russian citizens, but of people abroad.”
There is no evidence that U.S. government-funded media is pushing the narrative Klimov talks about, and Klimov offered no examples of such stories in his report. -
“I see no basis for saying that some U.S. states were actually used there. No maps were used; those are some absolutely arbitrary geographical outlines.”
The image used as a target in President Vladimir Putin’s animated presentation of Russia’s new “invincible” nuclear ballistic missile is an exact replica of a satellite image of the State of Florida in the U.S. Moreover, the same image was used in 2007 Russian TV documentary presenting a similar ballistic missile system, called “Satan,” with the narrator naming three U.S. states as targets. -
In 2019–2024, we need to spend over 4 percent of the GDP each year to develop the healthcare system. At the same time, the goal we must bear in mind is 5 percent. In absolute terms, this means that healthcare spending must double. In addition, we must find new funding opportunities that would not limit economic growth.
It is hard to tell which healthcare expenditures Putin talks about. It’s likely that he talked about the expenditures by the government but they have been at around 3% for years. -
“There is not even a grain of truth in it. Attempts were made by certain forces, through bribery, promises of visas and residence permits in Europe, to persuade young people to make statements about being affiliated with gays and being persecuted for that. The topic of gays is only part of a large-scale information and psychological attack being carried out against Chechnya by organizations financed by the U.S. government and international organizations sponsored by Western intelligence agencies. In Chechnya, men have only one orientation, and its impact is evidenced by the highest birth rate in the country.”
Karimov’s statement does not align with numerous reports reflected in the Amnesty International’s annual report on the declining rights of the Chechen gays (p. 312, “Rights of Lesbian, Gay,….”) but copies earlier statements made to Vladimir Putin by Ramzan Kadyrov denying existence of any gays in Chechnya. -
“The source from the town of al-Hasakah (north-east part of Syria) has told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity that local people have witnessed U.S. helicopters landing multiple times on the territory of the local prison, controlled by Kurds, a(nd) then leaving. According to the source, they were taking away some of the Daesh (banned in Russia) terrorists, detained in that prison.”
There is no credible evidence to believe that the helicopter is evacuating IS fighters. The story also repeats already debunked claims. -
"These are unfounded accusations. It is unclear what they are based on: no concrete data is provided. We do not agree with this."
The U.S., the United Nations, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Kuwait, and other countries, along with scores of humanitarian organizations, say Moscow and Damascus are responsible for the bombing that killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta, Syria. -
Russian officials have been extremely reluctant to speak about the deaths of Russian “private contractors” in Syria, denying any connection or even knowledge of their outfit, the Wagner Group. In reality, there is plenty of evidence that the Russian state is not only aware of Wagner and its activities, but that it has helped organize the mercenary outfit and provides it with material support.
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“I have no response. You can publish anything, and we see those indictments multiplying, the statements multiplying. Until we see the facts, everything else is just blabber.”
The federal indictments brought February 16 by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller represent the most detailed allegations to date of illegal Russian meddling during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, but the information revealed may be just the tip of the iceberg. -
“Material about the deaths of dozens and hundreds of Russian citizens – it is classic disinformation. It was not 400, not 200, not 100 and not 10. Preliminary figures indicate that as a result of the armed clash that took place, the causes of which are now being investigated, we can talk about the deaths of five people, presumably citizens of Russia. There are also wounded, but all this needs to be verified – in particular, and first and foremost, [their] citizenship; whether they are citizens of Russia or other countries.”
Eight Russians killed in the incident have already been identified in press reports, and multiple sources suggest the number of Russian deaths is much higher. -
“Aleksei Navalny is not the defendant in the suit, despite the fact that he illegally used information about the private life of Oleg Deripaska, savoring in his video the details of private life and making unfounded accusations.”
As a result of Deripaska’s suit, Navalny’s video investigation was added to Russia’s official list of “prohibited material” and both YouTube and Instagram ordered all related photo/video material be removed from their sites by the evening of February 14 to avoid being blocked in Russia. -
“Prior to the sanctions, Russian economy was showing low growth. The median growth in 10 years (since 2007) was 1%. We are shrinking our role as a global economy.”
While Russia's place among the world's big economies varies, depending on exchange rates and price comparisons for goods, the IMF finds the nation's total contribution to the global economy is falling.