Turkey
Wednesday 30 October 2019
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![Igor Konashenkov]()
Igor Konashenkov
Russian Defense Ministry representative
“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.”
Read more...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. -
![Volkan Bozkir]()
Volkan Bozkir
Head of Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
"The objective of this operation is to ensure our border security, neutralize terrorists in the region and thus, save Syrians from the oppression and cruelty of these terrorists."
Read more...Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria has already led to the escape of ISIS prisoners who were in captivity in Kurdish-controlled territory. -
![Yeni Safak]()
Yeni Safak
Turkish daily
“Muslim man in India killed by mob after being accused of cow slaughter.”
Read more...Despite Yeni Safak’s headline, the article, written by Reuters, indicated the slain man was not a Muslim. -
![Russia's Black Sea Fleet]()
Russia's Black Sea Fleet
“The Ukrainian Navy’s claims that the Black Sea Fleet’s Smetlivy patrol vessel entered the closed area of the Sea Breeze 2019 exercise are untrue.”
Read more...Whether or not the Russian guided-missile destroyer Smetlivy sailed into a zone being used for multinational naval live-fire drills, the ship was present in the vicinity of the drills. Russia is demonstratively aggressive toward NATO’s presence in the Black Sea. -
![Kapil Kak]()
Kapil Kak
Former Indian Air Force Air Vice Marshall
“Today, we can say the S-400 is perhaps the best air defense system in the world.”
Read more...With India and Turkey opting to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defense system despite U.S. objections, the former vice chief of the Indian Air Force claims the S-400 is top-flight. Whether or not it is peerless, the S-400 arguably stacks up well against the world’s best air defense systems. -
![Russian Ministry of Defense]()
Russian Ministry of Defense
"Aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces made four bombing strikes against terrorists in Idlib, the Defense Ministry reported. The coordinates for the attack were indicated by Ankara. This happened after the allied terrorists of Jabhat al-Nusra fired at a Turkish army observation post, despite a cease-fire agreement."
Read more...Turkish forces say their outpost was attacked from Syrian regime-held territory. Rebels in Idlib deny responsibility for the attack, and also deny having agreed to a ceasefire. -
![Sergey Lavrov]()
Sergey Lavrov
Russia’s foreign minister
“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.”
Read more...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. -
![Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]()
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of Turkey
"We have been the single NATO member country that fought with Daesh in the Syrian field, man-to-man. And we were the only NATO country that devastated this terrorist organization."
Read more...The United States and several other NATO member countries have fought Islamic State on the ground or supported anti-IS operations. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have contributed the most to the defeat of IS. -
![TASS]()
TASS
Russian state-owned news agency
“The train consists of 18 railway cars that are displaying over 500 trophies from Syria that include the armor and engineering vehicles, artillery guns, armored vehicles, bladed weapons and firearms, improvised implosive devices and terrorists’ gear and outfits.”
Read more...The exhibit claims all the material was captured from “terrorists.” However, it contains several distortions that support Kremlin narratives about Syria. -
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokespersons
"Can NATO bring anyone closer? History does not know any such examples. What I can see is that NATO is adding new members, who are now being pulled in by various methods.”
Read more...NATO membership is based on invitation and approval by existing member states. Countries must meet certain standards to be eligible. -
![TASS]()
TASS
Russian state-owned news agency
"On March 27, the Federal Security Service in cooperation with the Russian Interior Ministry and the Federal National Guard Troops Service foiled the activities of a cell of the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami international terror group during a special operation in Crimea and detained 20 people from among its chieftains and ordinary members,’ the FSB stressed.”
Read more...Hizb ut-Tahrir, while controversial, is not an “international terror group,” and the suspects claim the FSB planted incriminating material in their homes during the raid. -
![Dmitry Smirnov]()
Dmitry Smirnov
Kremlin Special Correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper
“At the age of 94, George Bush Sr. died - the man who started the Gulf War, marking the beginning of the current chaos in the Middle East.
If we say nothing but good about the dead, about Bush Sr. say nothing.”
Read more...While many have criticized President George H.W. Bush for an inconclusive outcome of the Persian Gulf War, it is simplistic and misleading to attribute Middle Eastern conflicts, or “current chaos” to Bush’s actions in 1991.
