Azerbaijan
Monday 19 April 2021
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“We abide by international law. We respect international law. We did not take revenge on civilians, we will never take revenge on civilians.”
While Azerbaijan’s president claims Armenia committed war crimes in Nagorno-Karabakh, the evidence shows both sides ran afoul of international law. -
“As a matter of fact, it is known that there is no such a movement called ’Grey Wolves‘, whose dissolution was announced today by the French Government.”
The Grey Wolves is affiliated with Turkey’s right-wing Nationalist Movement Party and its existence is well-documented. -
“To those who watch us, I now give you an opportunity to see footage from Nagorno Karabakh. This is a fragment of a surface-to-air fight, when they are trying to shut down airplanes. When you watch this, you'd think these are some Star Wars, so beautiful, not realizing that behind every such launch there are people's lives."
The footage Solovyov showed came from a video game called “Arma 3,” not Nagorno-Karabakh. -
“Armenia's kamikadze dron[e] was successfully destroyed by Azerbaijan's air defence forces. Dron[e] was whirling around civilian area. More civilian lives saved. Armenia's state terror continues.”
The drone appears to be a HAROP, an Israeli-made model used by Azerbaijan’s forces, not those of Armenia. -
“Rumors of militants from Syria allegedly being redeployed to Azerbaijan is another provocation by the Armenian side and complete nonsense.”
There is some evidence that Syrian fighters are in Azerbaijan, although the numbers cited by Armenian sources are questionable. -
“Azerbaijan has threatened to bomb the nuclear power plant in Armenia.”
Azerbaijan’s military did state that it would attack the Metsamor nuclear plant – but only in retaliation for an Armenian attack on its gas and oil facilities. -
“I am Russian by birth. … I did not restore my citizenship; I always kept it.”
Isabel dos Santos was born in 1973 to a Russian mother in Soviet Azerbaijan. Post-Soviet law mandates restoring citizenship in such cases. Dos Santos says she never did so, raising doubt about her status and claim. -
“Muslim man in India killed by mob after being accused of cow slaughter.”
Despite Yeni Safak’s headline, the article, written by Reuters, indicated the slain man was not a Muslim. -
“Funding Both Sides? Bulgarian Journalists Reveal US Selling Weapons to Terror Groups in Yemen!”
Russian TV has seized on a Bulgarian journalist’s report to claim the U.S. is covertly selling weapons to Islamic State in Yemen. The Bulgarian journalist, however, often jumps to conclusions not backed by evidence, while the Russian media report makes unsubstantiated claims. -
“The Turkish Stream gas pipeline project offers ample opportunities for joint efforts. Its extension through the territory of Bulgaria will strengthen your country’s energy security.”
TurkStream is a diversionary pipeline to carry Russian natural gas currently being transited to the Balkans via Ukraine. TurkStream will not provide natural gas volumes from an alternative source, thus will not enhance Bulgaria’s energy security. -
"The decision is clearly political in its nature and, as a matter of fact, is practically censorship — seven [Facebook] pages belonging to our news hubs in neighboring countries have been blocked.”
Sputnik cried “censorship” after Facebook removed 364 Facebook pages and accounts for engaging in “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” But while Sputnik charged the pages were removed for their politically-motivated content, Facebook says it was a matter of “misrepresentations of their identities.” -
“I note that we’ve never, even in the days of tsarist Russia, killed people for dissent. This, by the way, is the great strength of our people.”
Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union have persecuted dissidents, sometimes using capital punishment. Modern Russia has abolished the death penalty, although a number of dissidents and journalists have been murdered, their cases remaining unsolved.