North Caucasus
Saturday 21 May 2022
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![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian Presidential spokesperson
“We remind you that Russia, throughout all of its history, has never attacked anyone.”
Read more...Russia has engaged in numerous offensive military operations against its neighbors and others. Now, it’s rolling troops into Ukraine. -
![Ramzan Kadyrov]()
Ramzan Kadyrov
Head of Chechnya
“This is not the first time when France attempts to blame all its problems on the Chechens. I assure you all, Chechens have nothing to do with it.”
Read more...Seizing on the killing of a French teacher by a Chechen youth, Kadyrov ignores gross human rights violations under his rule. -
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman
“… [W]hat relation do the closest relatives of R.A. Kadyrov have to the imputed violations? … I am not going to comment on these trumped-up charges. Moreover, evidence and arguments are traditionally lacking.”
Read more...Evidence supporting alleged human rights violations under Chechen Republic ruler Ramzan Kadyrov’s is abundant. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian presidential spokesman
“No, Russia doesn’t have any territorial claims against its neighbors.”
Read more...In 2014, Russia invaded the Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and, after a “referendum,” brought it into the Russian Federation. Moreover, Russia maintains effective control over separatist territories in former Soviet states without annexing them. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President, Russia
Claims about WADA doping ban, Maria Butina's foreign agent plea, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili's killing in Berlin.
Read more...Polygraph.info presents three claims Putin repeated during his year-end presser that we have previously fact-checked and proved false. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President, Russia
“He is a cruel and blood-thirsty person. In just one of the attacks in which he took part, he killed 98 people. He was one of the organizers of explosions in the Moscow metro.”
Read more...Despite an assertion by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former Chechen fighter assassinated in Berlin was not on Russia’s terrorist list and had not been accused in any of the seven Moscow metro bombings since 1996. -
![Kommersant, newspaper]()
Kommersant, newspaper
“In fact, only his compatriots could have dealt with him - both Russian Chechens and “Ichkeria” militants, hiding in Europe from criminal prosecution [in Russia].”
Likely falseChechens “hiding” from Russia in Europe would not ask to speak with the Russian EmbassyRead more...The suspect in the murder investigation arrested by the court in Berlin demanded to talk with representatives of the Russian Embassy – a request that is highly unlikely to be made by Chechen separatists “hiding” from Russia in Europe. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Russian presidential spokesman
“Russia has no intention of becoming similar [to some other countries] imposing their stance by using illegitimate sanctions.”
Read more...After targeting Georgian wine exports and announcing a flight ban following anti-Moscow protests in Tbilisi, the Kremlin claimed no "illegal" sanctions are being employed. However, the so-called "restrictions" from the Russian side are clearly designed to hit Georgia's bottom line. -
![Ramzan Kadyrov]()
Ramzan Kadyrov
head of Chechnya
“The U.S. claims that its armed forces are fighting terrorism and drug trafficking in that country (Afghanistan). But UN data says otherwise. Since the beginning of this year alone, around 400 civilians have died through the fault of the U.S. troops and the forces of official Kabul enlisted by them. That is significantly more than the deaths at the hands of the Taliban, to whom were attributed 227 victims.”
Read more...The latest UN report on Afghanistan shows an overall increase in civilian casualties by pro-government forces. However, attributing all the civilian deaths at the hands of pro-government forces to the U.S. military is wrong. U.S. forces are part of an international coalition of 39 nations. -
![Vladimir Solovyov]()
Vladimir Solovyov
State TV Host
“Speaking of telephone justice in Russia, it used to be like that here. The current situation must be assessed in detail … If we study the percentage of verdicts and serious cases, we’ll discover that it’s not an accident that Russia has the lowest prison population in the entire history of our state, 400,000 people or something like that. America has the highest, by the way.”
Read more...TV host Vladimir Solovyov has used U.S. efforts to provide transparency on corruption under Putin to criticize the U.S. prison system. While he is right that the raw numbers paint the U.S. prison system in a dim light, his claims regarding the end of “telephone justice” in Russia are unclear. -
![Ramzan Kadyrov]()
Ramzan Kadyrov
Head of Chechnya, Russia
“Everything was done to ensure that our guys, and in their person the entire Caucasus, were humiliated and trampled in the dirt. The result speaks for itself – look at the monstrously disproportionate punishment imposed on our fighters and that [imposed on] the swaggering Irish provocateur Conor McGregor.”
Read more...The Nevada State Athletic Commission offered Nurmagomedov the chance to reduce his suspension to six months – the same as McGregor’s – by participating in a local anti-bullying campaign, but he refused. -
![Sergei Nosov]()
Sergei Nosov
Governor of Russia's Magadan region
“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.”
Read more...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.
