Disinfo: American intelligence has arbitrarily accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 US elections

Summary

American intelligence has arbitrarily accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 US election process and for nearly two years, allegations of attempts to influence American democracy have been investigated by US special prosecutor Robert Mueller, “to break down the conspiracy theory between the Russian authorities and the Republican President (Donald) Trump.” In the end, Mueller admitted that there was no conspiracy and found no evidence of it.

Disproof

A recurring narrative of denials which Moscow has issued regarding its involvement in the 2016 presidential election in the United States employing the long-established charge of Russophobia which the Kremlin uses to deflect criticism, however legitimate.

Before the Robert Mueller report was published, Russian meddling in the 2016 election had already been established by US intelligence agencies. Thus, the Special Investigation was primarily concerned with "whether any Americans […] joined the Russian conspiracies to influence the election" (p.2).

Mueller makes clear in his report that "collusion" is not a legal concept under US federal law, and that gathering evidence thereof would have fallen outside the scope of the special counsel investigation (p. 2). In fact, the report explicitly identifies "numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign" (p. 9). A number of these individuals later "made false statements about those contacts and took other steps to obstruct" the probe (p. 180). The report's conclusions, therefore, do nothing to absolve the Russian government.

Regarding the exploitation of social media to interfere in the election, 13 Russian citizens have been criminally charged in the United States for conspiring to “sow discord in the U.S. political system,” including the 2016 presidential election.

Three Russian companies were also indicted by a federal grand jury. One of them is the infamous Internet Research Agency, a troll factory based in St. Petersburg.

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  • Reported in: Issue 188
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 04/03/2020
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: election meddling, Robert Mueller, Anti-Russian, Donald Trump, Conspiracy theory, Elections
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Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narratives portraying the White Helmets as a Western-backed terrorist proxy and, implicitly, denying the responsibility of the Assad regime for chemical attacks perpetrated during the Syrian civil war.

The "White Helmets" movement originated in Syria in 2012. Volunteers save people from the rubble after bombings, despite the danger of dying themselves as a result of repeated airstrikes. Activists have documented the use of chemical weapons in Syria, later confirmed by OPCW. Because of this, they have become the target of an extensive Russian disinformation campaign.

Disinfo: In Sweden you get ten years prison for demonstrating without permission

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Mar 03, 2020
Disproof

An unfounded claim to depict Russia as more democratic than other countries. The right to organise manifestations is protected by the Swedish constitution. Permission to stage a demonstration is needed only within city limits and in areas of industry, ports etc. For organising a demonstration without permission, punishment is, according to Swedish law on public order, up to six months prison. The right to participate is still protected by the consitution. According to Swedish criminal code, staging violent riots is punished with up to four years prison.

Disinfo: US bureaucrats yearn for World War III

The US Department of State plans to initiate a global war by pressing the Department of Defense to place Patriot missiles in Turkey in order to repel the Syrian government-led offensive in Idlib. However, the Pentagon has engaged in a bitter confrontation with the Department of State over this proposal, calling it the provocation of World War III, given that Russia will respond in kind.

Mar 03, 2020
Disproof

Recurring narrative of warmongering as a result of the West’s meddling in the Syrian crisis. The article misquotes and misrepresents a report by Politico. The nuance of the translations from English into Bulgarian is exaggerated: Politico’s characterisation of the clash between the Department of State and the Department of Defense as an ‘internal disagreement’ and as being ‘at odds’ is rendered as a ‘bitter confrontation’ in the Bulgarian language. Also, the News Front article creates a fake statement ostensibly made by the Pentagon (i.e. that the Department of State strives to provoke World War III), which however does not appear in Politico. Moreover, the wider context of the Politico report – particularly concerning the Syrian government-led offensive in Idlib, the Turkish soldier death toll it took and Turkey’s subsequent call on its NATO allies for support, is left out.