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Disinfo: Four Ukrainian security officers were shot on the border with Hungary

Summary

Four officers of Ukraine’s Security Service were killed near the town of Vinohradiv in Transcarpathia close to the border with Hungary.

Disproof

No evidence given except anonymous sources. Several Telegram channels started spreading this information referring only to some inside sources.

The SSU Office in the Transcarpathian region stated that some sources were disseminating inaccurate information about the “disappearance of a group of SBU employees. This is not true. We urge everyone not to disseminate fake information”, the department said.

After the news of the alleged murders appeared, SSU spokeswoman Olena Gitlyanska noted that the story was “complete nonsense”.

The editor-in-chief of the site “Censor.net” Yuriy Butusov also noted that he specifically checked this story with a number of SSU employees in Kyiv and Transcarpathia and confirmed that it is fake.

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  • Reported in: Issue 178
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23/12/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Hungary, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Organised crime, Ukraine, Abandoned Ukraine, Ukrainian disintegration
  • Outlet: Moskovskyi Komsomolets, RIA Novosti, Ukraina.ru, Komsomolskaya pravda, BFM.ru
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US does not provide satellite images to JIT on MH17 case

US satellites were supposed to “see” the moment of the crash of MH17, however, the information received was classified. And no one really recalls it now.

January 03, 2020
Disproof

No evidence given. This claim is a part of a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Flight MH17 and the Joint International Investigation. You can read similar cases as "Kremlin has nothing to do with an MH17 suspect", "JIT chose to ignore Russian evidence of the MH17 crash" and "MH17: JIT-investigation not interested in truth, Buk belonged to the Ukrainian army".

The head of the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) Fred Westerbeke confirmed in an interview with the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, that the United States provided the investigation with highly classified satellite images from the time and place of the MH17 downing.

Juan Guaidó involved in the big corruption scheme known as ‘Operation Green Suitcase’

Venezuela’s National Assembly decided to suspend several opposition lawmakers, allegedly involved in receiving bribes to whitewash and save businessmen from economic sanctions imposed by the US. As a consequence of these accusations, those opposition lawmakers even pointed at Juan Guaidó.

January 02, 2020
Disproof

This is a deliberate distortion of facts in order to imply that opposition leader Juan Guaidó is actually involved in the denounced corruption case. Through half-truths, the use of out-of-context criticism against Guaidó by other opposition figures and a reference to a previous scandal of misuse of humanitarian funds by members of his party, the story is conveniently doctored to give the impression that the lawmakers involved in this case were pointing to Guaidó himself at the top of the scheme.

The lawmakers allegedly involved in the so-called ‘Operation Green Suitcase’ were accused of receiving bribes in exchange for writing letters of support for a Colombian national, Carlos Lizcano, despite evidence of his ties to Alex Saab, another Colombian man who is under U.S. sanctions for corruption linked to a state-backed food distribution programme. The scandal was first reported by pro-opposition site Armando.info and immediately denounced by Guaidó himself and top members of his party. Several international media reported on this scandal as a setback for Guaidó that undermines his leadership of the opposition movement, but no serious observer suggested that he is in any way implicated in the corruption scheme.

Estonian regime is publicly persecuting its citizens

Despite the apparently absurdity of the Estonian authorities’ threats, the criminal prosecution of journalists in Europe today is a reality. The behaviour of the Estonian regime towards its citizens can be considered as public persecution, legal arbitrariness, a phenomenon of totalitarianism and the grossest violation of freedom of speech, which is unprecedented in the European Union.

December 31, 2019
Disproof

This is part of a recurrent Russian disinformation narrative to portray Baltic states as dictatorial and Kremlin-linked media as sources of alternative views and Russia as a global champion of freedom of the press.

Estonia is ranked as the 11th freest country in the world for press by Reporters Without Borders. Estonia does not persecute journalists or limit freedom of expression. It's important to note that Estonia has not blocked Sputnik Estonia's website, as it is accessible. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu has emphasized that Estonia has not taken any measures against the portal's media content: "They are financial sanctions aimed at economic activity. I believe it to be justified. We have notified the European Commission's Legal Service. European agencies have said in the Commission that steps taken by Estonia in exercising sanctions policy are warranted."