Disinfo: Crimea has become a Russian region following the referendum after the coup d’état

Summary

Crimea has become a Russian region following the referendum of March 2014 in which 96.77% of the Republic’s population and 95.6% of Sevastopol inhabitants voted to become part of Russia. Crimean authorities organised the referendum after the coup d’état.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Crimea’s referendum and the Maidan. No international body recognises the so-called referendum held on the 16th of March 2014. On the 27th of March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which stated that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. 5 years on, the EU re-affirms its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Euromaidan protests were a spontaneous reaction among large parts of the Ukrainian population, ignited by the decision of former President Yanukovych not to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The Maidan movement resonated with widespread discontent with corruption and mismanagement under Yanukovych’s rule.

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pl.sputniknews.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 148
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 29/04/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Polish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Manipulated elections/referendum, Crimea, Referendum, Euromaidan
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Disinfo: Ukrainian language law allows strict punitive measures and discriminates against Russian-speakers

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language”, securing its exclusive rights in comparison with other languages in the country. According to the document, the Ukrainian language is recognised as the only possible application in almost all areas of the country’s life. This is a discriminatory law that implies punitive measures. If it comes into force, it will significantly affect the literacy of the population of Ukraine and greatly impoverish it culturally.

Apr 28, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine and discrimination against Russian speakers. The Verkhovna Rada passed on April 25 the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". The law establishes mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in most areas of public and communal life, including the mass media. However, the language rights of national minorities have to be in line with the obligations of Ukraine under the European Charter for Regional Languages and Languages of National Minorities, guaranteed by a separate law, the draft of which the government must develop and submit to the parliament six months after the law on the state language will enter into force. The usage of Russian language is not limited in private communication and religious ceremonies. Just like the languages ​​of other minorities, Russian can be present in book publishing, the press, television and education and in the service sector. But the Ukrainian language in these areas is preferred.. the Ukrainian language is positioned as the main language of publishing activity, and circulation in other languages ​​can not exceed the circulation in Ukrainian. For discrimination of the Ukrainian language, including in favour of Russian, administrative responsibility is given. In the humanitarian sphere - education, science, culture, sports - for violating language policy, there is a fine of 200 to 300 times the non-taxable minimum wage (now it is from 3400-5100 hryvnias). The entry into force is delayed for three years. Similar disinformation cases are here and here. For background on the Ukrainian language laws, see here.

Disinfo: The majority of newborns in Brussels are from the new Islamic community

Europe is experiencing a great migration of nations. 65 million refugees can already reach Europe. They are mostly men coming from Africa. These people go to Europe to live according to their own rules. Nowadays the majority of newborns in Brussels are from the new Islamic community.

Apr 28, 2019
Disproof

No evidence given. This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about migrants and Islamisation. There is no data proving the claim that the majority of infants currently born in Brussels are from the new Islamic community. According to the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis, the precise data cannot be acquired. However, data from the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences shows that the dominant religion in Belgium is Catholicism (52,9% in 2015), while there are only 5,2% Muslims in the country. According to official statistics, the number of people residing in an EU Member State with citizenship of a non-member country on 1 January 2018 was 22,3 million, representing merely 4,4% of the EU-28 population. In addition, there were 17,6 million persons living in a given EU Member State as of 1 January 2018 with citizenship of another EU Member State. In absolute terms, the largest numbers of non-nationals living in the EU Member States on 1 January 2018 were found in Germany (9,7 million persons), the United Kingdom (6,3 million), Italy (5,1 million), France (4,7 million) and Spain (4,6 million). Similar disinformation cases can be found here and here.

Disinfo: Facebook is in the service of the US State Department

While Facebook is officially a commercial service, it has in fact been drawn into the service of the US State Department. Facebook’s fight against fake news is only a facade – in fact, it is a fight against objectionable content and for the promotion of a single narrative that benefits the State Department, Soros, and others.

Apr 28, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory about the US and social media companies. The claim is made without any supporting evidence. Facebook, Inc. is an American online social media and social networking service company based in Menlo Park, California. Contrary to its being in the service of the US State Department, the US government is actually investigating Facebook. Its founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was called to testify before Congress in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and revelations about the platform's role in the dissemination of Russian disinformation during the 2016 presidential campaign. See earlier disinformation messages alleging excessive control over Facebook by American security bodies here and here.