Disinfo: Bellingcat reports do not contain evidence

Summary

The Bellingcat news agency has been registered in Higgins' name, and the latest "revealing" anti-Russian news is spread from this agency. However, these reports do not contain any evidence.

Disproof

Pro-Kremlin disinformation attempting to discredit Bellingcat which has long been a thorn in the side of the Kremlin and recently presented proof that Alexei Navalny was poisoned by FSB agents. Alexei Navalny duped one of the FSB agents, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, into admitting his role in the poisoning and Bellingcat had already named him in its investigation as one of the FSB agents involved.

Ironically, no evidence is given to support the claims about a lack of evidence in Bellingcat’s reports. Bellingcat is an well-known independent group of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists which probes different subjects using open source and social media investigations. The team has won a lot of awards and prizes, for example, the European Press Prize for Investigation in 2019 and the London Press Club award for Digital Journalism in 2019 to name just a few.

All methodologies and sources used by Bellingcat are made public in their articles and case studies, see for example, this article about shipping of Sarin to Syria. The methodologies, resources and the way of collecting information presented in the investigation into the poisoning of Alexei Navalny have also been published as another article.

See more disinformation about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny such as the Navalny case is an outrageous fraud and an anti-Russian campaign and the West is using Navalny to access Russia's resources.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 235
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/03/2021
  • Article language(s) Azerbaijani
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia
  • Keywords: Anti-Russian
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Disinfo: The West needs cases like Navalny to fill its information wars

The main obsession of European leaders has been to get Russia to pay a price for the luxury of living its own style, without consulting anyone. It is clear that if the West invests millions in information wars, it needs concrete cases to cover, to try to pit the public opinion against Russia. According to this approach, the Navalny case fills all the requirements. This is not a struggle for democracy or human rights, but a global power struggle. And it is clear that the EU will never be its main beneficiary, since its role is being reduced to be a mere instrument of the US global policy.

Disproof

This is a mix of several recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the West waging information wars in order to destabilise Russia, about the case of Alexei Navalny as a fabrication, and about Europe as a vassal of the US.

All the claims are false. “Information war” is a term used by the Kremlin to justify its own disinformation efforts, applied to anything that challenges its disinformation narratives or for calling out Russia’s illicit behaviour in the international stage. By claiming that the Navalny case “fills the requirement of an information war against Russia” and that it has nothing to do with democracy or human rights but with a global power struggle, this narrative aims to deflect any Russian responsibility for Alexei Navalny’s poisoning, his incarceration on politically motivated charges and the repression of demonstrations in his support.

Disinfo: The West encouraged the creation of the Islamic State, who are its mercenaries

The West wants to be the standard bearer of freedom and democracy, but they are the same people who encouraged the creation of ISIS. The US created the monster of the Islamic State, which was neither Islamic nor a State but a group of mercenaries led by the West.

Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West’s alleged support for terrorism in the Middle East.

The claim that the West created the Islamic State is false. In fact, both the US and most EU members, as well as Canada and Australia, have taken part in the counter-terrorism mission Operation Inherent Resolve, while the EU established its own set of actions to counter Daesh.

Disinfo: Joe Biden will use US allies as tools or useful idiots

The National Security Strategic Guidance released by the Biden Administration wants to attract the faithful to go against China and Russia, to attract vassals disguised as allies. Many rubbed their hands with the arrival of Biden, but at the end there will be only one winner, the US, while its allies will be used as useful idiots: they will be only subjects or tools. Once it defeats its enemies, the US will prevail over its friends and the looting will go to the strongest because benefits are not shared.

Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative against the US and its allies, aiming to sow mistrust among members of the Transatlantic alliance and among the US and its partners all over the world. This disinformation piece is a direct reaction to the release of the US Interim National Security Strategic Guidance on March 3, 2021, which strongly focuses on reinforcing these alliances, a core goal of the Biden Administration. Contrary to the claim, the US doesn’t rule over these other governments, which are sovereign nations with their own policies and interests.

See other examples in our database, such as claims that Ukraine is ruled by Poles and Americans, that France is a puppet of the US, that Germany and Japan are occupied by the US, that Europe is a colony of the United States or that Georgia is under Western control.