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Disinfo: After Brexit, the EU will do its utmost to contribute to the breakup of Great Britain

Summary

After Brexit, despite assurances of friendship, the EU will do its utmost to contribute to the breakup of Great Britain: the separation of Scotland and the entry of Northern Ireland into Ireland.

Disproof

The story advances a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative painting the EU as an anti-national superstate bent on depriving its individual members of sovereignty and identity. The EU and UK have mutual interest in ensuring there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For the EU, the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is an essential part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. The EU's timeline and its mandate on the matter can be seen here.

'Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s Chief Negotiator, at the Special Meeting of the European Council (Article 50), 25 November 2018 stated "We have negotiated with the UK, never against the UK. This deal is a necessary step to build trust between the UK and the EU. We need to build, in the next phase, an unprecedented and ambitious partnership. The UK will remain our friend, our partner and our ally."

Read similar cases alleging that the EU does not care what will happen with the Irish border in Brexit negotiations.

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  • Reported in: Issue 171
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03/11/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: UK
  • Keywords: EU, Brussels, Brexit
  • Outlet: Sputnik.az
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In Ukraine, one can be imprisoned for the emblem of the USSR, but do not touch the Nazis

In Ukraine, double standards apply: the Ukrainian police can imprison a person for carrying the emblem of the USSR, but does not touch people who demonstrate Nazi symbols.

November 05, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the Nazis in Ukraine. 

In Ukraine in 2015, the law on decommunisation, initiated by the Cabinet of Ministers, entered into force. The document recognises the communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes in Ukraine as criminal and pursuing a policy of state terror. The new law amended the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to article 436-1, a person propagating Nazi or communist symbols faces up to five years in prison.

Naftogaz of Ukraine blackmails Russia

Instead of meeting Russian Gazprom and starting constructive negotiations, Ukraine’s Naftogaz allegedly continues to blackmail Russia. The parties cannot agree on the details of a new contract for the transit of gas from Russia to the European Union through the Ukrainian gas transportation system due to the destabilising position of Ukraine.

November 05, 2019
Disproof

The ten-year contract for gas transit from Russia to the European Union through the territory of Ukraine expires on 31 December. The latest round of trilateral negotiations ended in Brussels on 28 October. The European side, represented by the Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič, expressed disappointment with the results of the consultations. The European Union and Ukraine have a similar position on the issue of a contract with Russia. At the meeting, EU representatives proposed clear requirements on the procedure for signing a business agreement with the prescribed deadlines. The Ukrainian side is ready to sign a new contract on 17 December.

But despite the expiring contract, Gazprom has not yet submitted a single official written proposal to Ukraine to resolve the situation, Naftogaz reported. Moreover, it is the Russian side that appears to be resorting to “gas blackmail”. The Kremlin requires Ukraine to abandon the Stockholm arbitration decision, according to which a Russian company owes Naftogaz almost $ 2.6 billion for neglecting the terms of a previous contract for the transit of resources through the Ukrainian gas transportation system. Ukraine cannot agree to these conditions.

Russia is not a part in the conflict in Donbas

Ukrainian authorities keep calling Russia the “aggressor”. However, the Russian authorities have repeatedly reminded that Moscow is not a party to the conflict. Russia is part of the Normandy process for the Ukrainian settlement, and also participated in the drafting of the Minsk agreements, which aim to put an end to the conflict in the Donbas.

November 05, 2019
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russia is not part of the conflict in Donbas, that Russia has nothing to do with the war in eastern Ukraine and that there is a “civil war” in Donbas.

The European Union stated in July 2014 that "arms and fighters continue flowing into Ukraine from the Russian Federation".  At the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014, NATO leaders condemned in the strongest terms Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine and demanded Russia to stop and withdraw its forces from Ukraine and from the country’s border. NATO leaders also demanded Russia comply with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities; refrain from aggressive actions against Ukraine; halt the flow of weapons, equipment, people and money across the border to the separatists; and stop fomenting tension along and across the Ukrainian border.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.