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Disinfo: Crimea joined Russia in full accordance with international law

Summary

Crimea became part of Russia through the democratic choice of its people and in accordance with international law.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the annexation of Crimea claiming that Crimean citizens chose to rejoin Russia through a legal referendum as well as a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that claims Euromaidan was a coup.

No international body recognises the so-called referendum held on the 16th of March 2014. On the 27th of February 2014, when the so-called referendum was announced, 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. A year later Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.

Following the covert invasion of “little green men,” power in Crimea was vested in a makeshift executive headed by Sergey Aksenov. The new Crimean regime conducted the referendum hastily and at gunpoint, barred impartial observers from entering the peninsula, and instead invited dozens of fringe politicians and activists to “monitor” the procedure, most of them far-right Kremlin loyalists.

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, recognised on 17 April 2015 that "our soldiers were deployed in Crimea to help the inhabitants express their opinion." Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.

Six years after the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the EU remains steadfast in its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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publication/media

TASS - English (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 227
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14/01/2021
  • Language/target audience: English
  • Country: Russia, Ukraine
  • Keywords: illegal annexation, Manipulated elections/referendum, Crimea

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.

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Ukraine, not Russia, is the perpetrator of human rights abuses in Crimea

While expressing concerns over the Crimean Tatars’ fate, Kyiv is basically trying to suffocate Crimea by water blockade of the peninsula.

As an inalienable part of Russia, Crimea fully honours the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. Kyiv’s accusations regarding the situation with ethnic minorities in Russia’s Crimea are unfounded. Over the past six years, Russia has been actively contributing to enhancing social and economic, cultural and religious rights of ethnic minorities living in Crimea. The efforts of Russia’s authorities on strengthening inter-ethnic peace and harmony are evident for any unbiased observer.

January 19, 2021
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the human rights situation in Crimea.

As the occupying power, Russia has the legal obligation, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, to ensure that the civilian population in Crimea has access to basic necessities such as food, drinking water, and medical services (see Part III, Section III). The Convention's applicability in the case of Crimea has been affirmed by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

Sputnik V is world’s first coronavirus vaccine with over 90% efficacy

In August, Russia became the first country to register a COVID-19 vaccine, which was named Sputnik V. The clinical trials of the jab have shown an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent.

January 19, 2021
Disproof

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V; casting Russia as the spearhead of the global race to develop an effective treatment for COVID-19.

The Russian government's approval of Sputnik V in August 2020 hardly makes it the world's first coronavirus vaccine. Serious doubts linger over both the safety and efficacy of the Russian-made jab, given the lack of transparency which accompanied the approval process and the "very strange patterns in the data" which the drug's developers submitted to The Lancet journal. In fact, Russia remains the only country which has approved a COVID-19 vaccine before the publication of Phase III efficacy data.

Navalny may have poisoned himself with psychiatric medication

Doctors at the Charite clinic have confirmed the presence of lithium in Alexei Navalny’s blood upon his arrival in Germany. Lithium can only enter the bloodstream via administration of specialised medications which are almost exclusively used to treat mental disorders. When taken with certain other medications or alcohol, lithium-containing drugs may produce an adverse reaction on par with novichok poisoning.

January 19, 2021
Disproof

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning the state-sponsored poisoning of Russian activist Alexei Navalny.

The present "scoop" is the latest addition to the list of substances and conditions which, according to pro-Kremlin outlets, could have caused Navalny's illness. Earlier such reports have cited moonshine, psychosomatic stress, overzealous dieting, low blood sugar, and a flare-up of an unspecified chronic illness as possible culprits.