Media
Thursday 17 August 2017
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Oleksandr Turchynov
secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council (NSDC)
"Ukraine has never supplied rocket engines or any kind of missile technology to North Korea.”
Read more...Aside from Ukrainian denials, even Michael Elleman, the missile expert cited by the New York Times, conceded that the engines could have come from a Russian factory. -
RT
Russian government broadcaster
“Russian athletes banned from singing national anthem at hotels at London World Championship.”
Read more...RT reported Russian athletes participating in the 2017 IAAF World Championships athletics competition in London as “neutrals” – that is, who, for various reasons, are not allowed or not willing to represent their country of origin – have been banned from displaying any signs of national identity. This rule applies to any “neutral” athlete from any country. -
Sergei Chemezov
head of state conglomerate Rostec
"An old acquaintance, a common past with the president definitely is not an indulgence."
Read more...Sergei Chemezov, a former KGB officer who served with President Vladimir Putin in East Germany, is among his close associates whose careers with high positions in government have greatly benefited by his friendship, usually while serving in the KGB. -
Sputnik
Russian state broadcaster
“On April 13, the U.S. dropped a non-atomic bomb in the Achin district of the Afghan province of Nangarhar, known as the 'Mother of All Bombs' or MOAB. Following the incident, the citizens who survived are showing signs of horrible diseases.”
Read more...The Russian government's international broadcaster Sputnik, citing anonymous “survivors,” reported that the U.S. MOAB bomb, used against Islamic State targets in Afghanistan in April, caused “radiation” diseases among local civilians. The MOAB has no radioactive components and locals refute the allegations as “lies”. -
Tatyana Moskalkova
Russia's human rights ombudsman
“Four times fewer Russian citizens are going to the European Criminal Court [sic]. Because today the European court doesn’t meet our ideas of justice. It takes a long time to consider things, selectively.”
Read more...Russia’s human rights ombudsman, Tatyana Moskalkova, claims Russians are turning away from the European Court of Human Rights, but her figures are hard to back up. -
Press Service of the Russian Southern Military District
"[N]o one from the command ever met with [Viktor] Ageyev and couldn't have signed a contract with him...he signed the so-called contract...in Luhansk, where there have not been and are no active Russian servicemen."
Read more...While the Russian military denies it has troops in Ukraine and that Ageyev was on active duty, he testified that he was, as did his mother, friends and a fellow serviceman, and his ID does not show a discharge. -
Sputnik
Russian government international broadcaster
“Nevada Declares State of Emergency Over Weed Shortage”
Read more...The Kremlin-funded international broadcaster Sputnik reported that the governor of Nevada declared a state of emergency over the state’s shortage of marijuana supplies. In fact, no state of emergency was ordered in Nevada. -
TASS
Russian state news agency
“Iranian television on Thursday distributed photographs confirming the death of the head of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi.”
Read more...Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that Iranian TV had published photographic proof that Islamic State leader Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi was killed in a Russian airstrike in May. In fact, the same pictures had been circulating around the Internet since 2014. -
Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson
“There has been a real substitution of information. The CNN report was aimed at manipulating public opinion.”
Read more...It is unclear why Zakharova singled out CNN for criticism when Daqneesh’s story had been widely covered by international media. The timing of her comments, several weeks after the boy reappeared, may well be more to do with a scandal at CNN. -
TASS
Russian government news agency
“According to the research, 27% of its participants regard the Russian leader with confidence, believing that he ‘is doing the right things on the world stage’."
Read more...Russia’s TASS state news agency misrepresented the results of the Pew Research Center’s 2017 global survey in a way favorable to Vladimir Putin. The actual results of the survey concerning Putin were the opposite of what TASS reported. -
Kiselyov’s legal defense team
“Dmitry Kiselyov has never expressed support for the directing of Russian forces to Ukraine... The EU Council did not provide information necessary to ensure [his] legal right to defense, since the accusations leveled were formulated in an unduly vague way.”
Read more...Lawyers for pro-Kremlin media figure Dmitry Kiselyov claim their client never expressed support for sending Russian troops into Ukraine, and that the European Council has denied him the right to legal defense. In fact, Kiselyov is notorious for provocative comments about Ukraine and the court followed regular procedures in adjudicating his case. -
Vladimir Putin
Russian President
"We have hundreds of television companies and radio companies. The state doesn't control them at all, it is simply impossible."
Read more...While the state does not own all TV or engage in prior censorship, TV stations deemed too critical of the Kremlin have been forced off the air; large opposition protests are ignored, causing critics to turn to YouTube as an alternative.