Areas
Wednesday 13 November 2019
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In a radio interview, Alexey Martynov did not use words asserting Transnistria’s independence, as attributed to him by First Transnistrian TV
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"Kyiv blamed the disaster on the militias, who said they did not have the means to shoot down an aircraft at such an altitude."
Russian-led militias not only posted photos of a Buk SAM system in their possession, but also bragged about shooting down MH17, which they initially thought was a Ukrainian military plane. -
"’It’s all conspiracy theories. There is absolutely no proof of any of that, and I am not aware of any actions like this,’ Maria added, rejecting allegations that there were [sic] some ‘government person’ behind her.”
After the CBS network’s “60 Minutes” program aired an interview with Maria Butina, Russia’s TASS news agency avoided the revelations regarding the convicted foreign agent’s activities and contacts, sticking to disinformation talking points like "torturous" prison conditions and alleged Russophobia. -
“We are saddened that a slander against our country is being accepted by a country’s parliament. We would consider this accusation the biggest insult towards our nation.”
Despite Turkey’s denial, the Ottoman Empire’s mass killing, deportation and starvation of the Armenians in the 20th Century is a well-documented historic event widely recognized as genocide. -
"Actually, it doesn’t exist anymore. As a military and political organization, the Islamic State has been destroyed both in Syria and Iraq. The units and sleeper cells that still remain don’t pose a threat as they are unlikely to revive IS. The killing of al-Baghdadi is more important as a symbol indicating the group’s defeat.”
While Islamic State (IS) has suffered setbacks in Iraq and Syria, there is strong evidence that the terrorist group might be recovering, especially after the escape of IS prisoners from detention in Syria. IS also has active movements throughout the world. -
“The annual training exercises for young ‘civil activists’ from 15 countries were held in the capital of Moldova -- in an atmosphere of strict secrecy and with American money, volunteers were told about strategies for fighting the authorities, [and] about the organization of and media support for mass protests.”
Open source information debunks the claim that #CampCamp2019 is a base for planning protests and the overthrow of the government. The U.S. was not the sole sponsor -- it was a multinational effort. Videos from the forum were shared openly via social media. -
“The increase in the number of direct participants and countries that allegedly took part in this ‘operation’, as well as conflicting information about the details of how it was conducted, generates reasonable questions and doubts about its reality, and even more so about its success.”
Russia responded to the U.S. operation that killed al-Baghdadi with a disinformation campaign aimed at raising doubts about the success of the operation or whether it took place at all. However, there is evidence the U.S. conducted the operation and that al-Baghdadi was killed as a result. -
“The training flight of American Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers in waters of the Black Sea ended in a provocation. One of the aircraft simulated the bombing of Crimea.”
Russian state media tweeted that the training flight of U.S. B-52 nuclear-capable bombers ended in a “provocation” when one of them simulated a bombing mission targeting Russian-occupied Crimea. However, the plane’s path discovered by a Russian flight tracker suggests the B-52 was not Crimea-bound. -
“Specialists of MIA [International Information Agency] Rossiya Segodnya analyzed 82,000 stories about Russia published in the top media of the seven leading Western countries in the first half of 2019. So, 49.81% of the materials were negative. Another 48.12% of the [stories] were neutral.”
One third of the articles surveyed came from the UK. The Russian news outlet Meduza found many of the negative articles share the same author -- an expat based in Russia. His articles tend to be translated from Russian tabloids. -
"Thanks to joint efforts by the bodies of power, human rights activists and the public Maria Butina is returning home. I hope that joint efforts will secure the return home of all of our fellow citizens who are in trouble abroad.”
A Russian official claims Maria Butina is being “returned home” as a result of public and government pressure. However, the convicted foreign agent’s release lines up with the conditions of her plea deal. -
"First, Telegram is not banned in Russia. Second, I do not just use it, but today we have a network that is built on [the basis] of 150+ Russian universities, and it uses Telegram channels for its management."
After Telegram refused to turn over its encryption key to the Federal Security Service (FSB), a court ordered that the messenger service should be blocked. It is still being used in Russia because authorities lack the technical means to stop people from using it. -
“The Alliance [NATO] frankly follows the precepts of Brzezinski: ‘The twenty-first century will be built at the expense of Russia, on the ruins of Russia and against Russia’.”
The quote has been recycled from the Soviet Union propaganda and has been circulating in Russian media and political circles for decades. However, it does not exist in Zbigniew Brzezinski’s texts or speeches.