Disinfo: Crimea became part of Russia after the events of 2014 in Ukraine

Summary

The Crimean peninsula became part of Russia after the events of 2014 in Ukraine, when power changed in the country as a result of a coup. The decision was made following the results of a nationwide referendum, in which more than 80% of Crimeans participated. More than 95% of Crimean residents voted for reunion with Russia. Despite the results of the referendum, Kyiv denies the peninsula’s right to self-determination and refuses to recognise it as part of Russia.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the annexation of Crimea, claiming that Crimea voted to rejoin Russia through a legal referendum. Crimea is a part of Ukraine and was illegally annexed by Russia. In 2014, Russian troops obliged the parliament of Crimea to organise a referendum, which was illegitimate under international law, and then formally annexed the peninsula and brought it under Russian territorial control. The annexation has been condemned by the UNGA (see the resolution A/RES/68/262 on the territorial integrity of Ukraine). No international body recognises the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February 2014 and held on 16 March 2014. Following the covert invasion by “little green men,” the referendum in Crimea was conducted hastily and at gunpoint, barring impartial observers from entering the peninsula. A year after the illegal annexation, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum. The European Union does not recognise Crimea's annexation and continues to condemn it as a violation of international law. EU sanctions continue to be in place against Russia as a consequence of the annexation. For the EU's statement on the sixth anniversary of Crimea annexation see here. The article also claims that sanctions against Russia are not effective, and some countries are urging the EU to weaken or lift the sanctions against Russia. See the case: EU is suffering from sanctions against Russia. It also said that restrictions do not have any effect on Russia, whose economy has long adapted to them. See the case: Sanctions against Russia are ineffective.

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russian.rt.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 200
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03/06/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Ukraine, illegal annexation, Crimea, Sanctions
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Disinfo: Germany accused Russia of hacking the Bundestag either to advance the NordStream 2 or as a pretext not to participate in the Victory Parade

There are two versions of the events [regarding the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoning the Russian ambassador in relation to the cyber attacks on Bundestag in 2015]. Either they have a trump card, for example a photo of S.Naryshkin [the director of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service] awarding a hacker for the attack, or the Germans really want the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, against the wishes of the other Europeans and Americans. The Germans are facing an enormous pressure and must make some kind of reverences. And the reverences to Americans are always Russia-related. […] And then there is a second reason, and I might be mistaken but I suspect it exists: the Russian envoy to Germany was summoned the next day after it was announced that Russia will hold a Victory day parade on the 24th of June. Earlier, it was discussed in Germany that it would be represented at a very high level, possibly the Chancellor, and now they have a pretext not to come.

Jun 02, 2020
Disproof

Unsubstantiated claims obfuscating Russia's responsibility for cyber attacks on the German Parliament in 2015. The Germany's domestic intelligence agency said Russia was behind a series of attacks on German state computer systems, including the German parliament in 2015. According to the reports of the German media, the federal prosecutor's office has issued an international arrest warrant against Dmitriy Badin, a hacker reportedly working for the Russian military intelligence service in relation to the cyber attack. The public attention to the 2015 cyber attack and its attribution to Russia again became prominent in May 2020 as the German Chancellor told the German Parliament she had hard evidence that Russia was behind the attack. There is no evidence to suggest that the investigation of the German intelligence agency of the Chancellors statement are in anyway connected to the NordStream2 pipeline or the Victory day parade in Moscow. The disinformation claims were presented during a TV broadcast as series of speculations and a personal opinion of an expert, that were unchallenged and were shown on a state-run TV channel. The disinformation message appeared in the same TV broadcast as the claims that accusations against Russia with regard to the cyber attacks in Germany are groundless, in the same way the accusations over the Skripal poisoning are.

Disinfo: Accusations against Russia of hacking the Bundestag follow the same pattern as accusations over the Salisbury poisoning

All these stories about a hacker Badin, who supposedly works for GRU are following the style of “highly likely” like they did with Novichok [attacks]. […] It is a German attempt to distract the attention of critics and complete the construction of Nord Stream 2.

Jun 02, 2020
Disproof

Unsubstantiated claims obfuscating Russia's responsibility for cyber attacks on the German Parliament in 2015. The Germany's domestic intelligence agency said Russia was behind a series of attacks on German state computer systems, including the German parliament in 2015. According to the reports of the German media, the federal prosecutor's office has issued an international arrest warrant against Dmitriy Badin, a hacker reportedly working for the Russian military intelligence service in relation to the cyber attack. The pro-Kremlin media frequently use the moniker "highly likely" in reference to the Salisbury poisoning to mock the attempts of the British authorities to establish responsibility over the use of the military-grade nerve agent on the British soil. Moscow's involvement in the poisoning has been proven via a thorough investigation. The British Police have presented a solid chain of evidence with pictures, connecting the suspects to the locations in the case. The evidence was sufficient to charge two Russian nationals, Anatoliy Chepiga and Aleksandr Mishkin with the attack in Salisbury, both Russian military intelligence operatives from the GRU, who travelled to the UK using fake names and documents. There is no evidence to suggest that the investigation into the cyber-attacks against the German Parliament is in any way connected to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The claims appeared in the same TV broadcast as allegations that Germany was trying to use the investigation into the cyber attacks as a pretext not to participate in the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

Disinfo: The West is engaged in the degradation of the Ukrainian education system

The West is engaged in the degradation of the Ukrainian education system. This is all done in order to make Ukraine into some kind of agrarian neocolony. This is also an IMF requirement – degradation of the Ukrainian education system, because they do not need qualified personnel in the West, but they need cheap labour, obedient biomass.

Jun 02, 2020
Disproof

No evidence provided. The common pro-Kremlin narrative about the aggressive West and Ukraine as a non-sovereign country. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the new agreement with IMF does not require any conditions for structural reforms, and educational reform as well. "It spells out the structural actions that Ukraine must take with or without the IMF because we are moving towards a civilised world. These conditions absolutely coincide with the directions of reforms that are taking place in Ukraine and will take place, despite the crisis," said Denys Shmyhal. You could read similar debunks here: "In Ukraine, schools will be closed in large numbers" and "Cultural genocide and the loss of 1300 primary schools awaits Ukraine".