Donbas
Wednesday 1 April 2020
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![Igor Girkin AKA "Strelkov"]()
Igor Girkin AKA "Strelkov"
Russian Intelligence Operative, ex-commander of Russian-led forces in Donbas
“The militia did not bring down the Boeing, I know better than anyone. And there was nothing with which we could bring it down, at least before I left the territory of the DNR (Donetsk People’s Republic).”
Read more...Igor Girkin’s contradictory denials of rebel responsibility for the MH17 shootdown stop just short of fingering Russia. The July 17, 2014, missile strike killed all 298 aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President of Russia
“We are not going to fight against anyone. We are going to create conditions so that nobody wants to fight against us.”
Read more...In 2014, Putin initiated a military takeover of Crimea, Ukraine, and gave military support to a separatist insurgency in Donbas, where fighting continues. In 2015, he inserted Russia into the Syrian civil war. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian Presidential Spokesman
"This once again testifies to the fact that there are still a huge number of questions, and questions that most seriously cast doubt on such a biased position that has been repeatedly voiced (about the cause of the MH17 airliner crash) … This information once again testifies to the rightness of the Russian side.”
Read more...Newly leaked documents do not contradict anything presented by the Joint Investigative Team working on the MH17 case. If anything, they debunk several of Russia’s alternative explanations. -
![Russian Foreign Ministry]()
Russian Foreign Ministry
We fact check six false or misleading claims by made by the Russian Foreign Ministry in its annual review of the Kremlin’s policy initiatives.
Read more...Each year, the Russian Foreign Ministry issues an annual review. Polygraph.info fact-checks six of the false or misleading claims made about cybersecurity, Syria, the United States, Latin America and the INF treaty. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President of Russia
"I'm constantly being asked this question: where do they get tanks and heavy artillery? Listen, in many hot spots around the world there are various kinds of conflicts and military campaigns, including with the use of tanks, artillery, and so on. Where does this come from? Apparently, from those structures and states who sympathize with them, but this is their equipment, not foreign. I'd like to draw attention to that."
Read more...Russia is the only country that has a land border with the separatists’ self-proclaimed “republics,” and numerous pieces of Russian military equipment and their crews have been identified in Donbas. There is no evidence that other countries have provided such weapons. -
![Russian Embassy in Canada Twitter Account]()
Russian Embassy in Canada Twitter Account
Official Russian Foreign Ministry social media account
While ‘brain dead’ @NATO annual #military budget exeeds [sic] $1 trillion, #Russia spends on defence 23 times less (only $46 bln). Neretheless, [sic] #fake Russian threat is used to justify even more waste of taxpayers’ $. Good for business strategy, dangerous for intl. peace & security”
Read more...It’s no surprise that NATO’s 29 countries collectively spend more on defense than Russia alone. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian Presidential Spokesman
"No, you know, this is a question that has nothing to do with the Kremlin, so I can't say anything here."
Read more...Volodymyr Tsemakh was put on a list of prisoners held by Ukraine who were exchanged for Russian prisoners on Sept. 7. Tsemakh is a Ukrainian citizen; he was interviewed on Russian state TV after the swap. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian presidential press secretary
“The president cannot make decisions regarding such companies (private military companies); it is simply impossible.”
Read more...Putin has publicly approved of using private military companies abroad, awarded Russia’s Order of Courage to Wagner’s commander, and praised Wagner for military success in Syria. -
![The Daily Mail]()
The Daily Mail
British Tabloid
“Twitter is stunned to discover during the impeachment hearing that Ukrainians prefer Kyiv is pronounced 'KEEV' and not 'Key-Ev' and it is a point of national pride in defiance of the Russians.”
Read more...The capital of Ukraine is two syllables, Ky-yiv, not ‘KEEV.’ The latter is a mistake in pronunciation. -
![RIA Novosti]()
RIA Novosti
Russian state news agency
“Russia categorically rejects all allegations of involvement in the crash and has repeatedly stated that the investigation is biased.”
Read more...Moscow has “categorically” denied involvement in the 2014 downing of a Malaysian airliner, killing 298. Investigators released phone intercepts with references to the Russian Defense Ministry, Federal Security Service and military intelligence directly coordinating with rebels in Ukraine. -
![Alexey Martynov]()
Alexey Martynov
Director, International Institute of the Newly Established States, Moscow
“Transnistria is an independent state.”
Read more...In a radio interview, Alexey Martynov did not use words asserting Transnistria’s independence, as attributed to him by First Transnistrian TV -
![RIA Novosti]()
RIA Novosti
Russian state news outlet
"Kyiv blamed the disaster on the militias, who said they did not have the means to shoot down an aircraft at such an altitude."
Read more...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.
