Disinfo: George Soros controls Ukrainian leader

Summary

Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy and numerous members of his team are stooges of George Soros and the Liberals.

Disproof

The story advances the recurring pro-Kremlin narrative painting Ukraine as a geopolitical hostage of the United States, and the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory portraying philanthropist George Soros as a menace bent on weakening Russia and meddling in its "sphere of influence." No sources are presented for the claim, and not a single member of Zelenskyy's team are named. The imagined links between Soros and Zelenskyy were first reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official newspaper of the Russian government, in a February 2019 article which counts "friends of George Soros and other globalists" among members of Zelenskyy's election team, without further elaboration. The Soros-Zelenskyy angle has since been picked up by pro-Kremlin websites in Russia and Ukraine, although the stories are usually unburdened by evidence. In a rare stab at fact-based reporting, one Russian website draws a link between Soros and Zelenskyy's economic adviser by noting that, in 1993, the latter enrolled in an Estonian university where the tuition fee for his first year of study was partly covered by the Soros Fund.

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RT English (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 150
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 13/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s) English
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, Puppets, US presence in Europe, George Soros, Ukrainian statehood
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Disinfo: The IMF impoverishes Ukraine

The IMF is carrying out an experiment on the Ukraine and its people. It makes a rich country impoverished, as it happened everywhere it went.

May 12, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the West taking away everything from Ukraine - for similar cases see here and here. Ukraine's comprehensive programme of economic reforms, backed by IMF loans, aims to restore macroeconomic stability, promote sustainable growth, and strengthen economic governance and transparency. It also includes a new social protection program which aims at providing social assistance for low-income families. See here for more information about the relations between Ukraine and the IMF.

Disinfo: US is destabilising the world, organising colour revolutions, political and economic crises

The US’ geopolitical power is declining. That is why the country is betting on destructive processes in the world. Starting wars, inciting political and economic crises, organising colour revolutions. However, Russia successfully neutralises destructive plans of the US and regularly stands in Washington’s way.

May 12, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative casting civil uprisings in other states as US-funded "colour revolutions", also present in the case of Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Venezuela. Consistent with multiple pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the US and its global role.

Disinfo: The EU portrays itself as ideologically "better" than its member states

The EU portrays itself as ideologically “better” than its member states. In the vociferous election campaigns, it is emphasised that the European Union is an ideologically “better” political institution than the national governments of the individual member states.

May 12, 2019
Disproof

No evidence given. Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on the EU as a disunited and disintegrating bloc, on the corrupt and undemocratic EU and on the failed European values. The European Union does not portray itself as ideologically "better" than its member states. The EU is a political and economic union of 28 Member States. The EU's values are common to the EU countries in a society in which inclusion, tolerance, justice, solidarity and non-discrimination prevail. These values are an integral part of our European way of life: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights. This means that each member state of the EU is considered as equal. These values form the basis of the EU and are laid out in the Lisbon Treaty and the EU Charter of fundamental rights. They are common to the EU and all member states. Political decisions in the EU are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizens. The EU is governed by the principle of representative democracy, with citizens directly represented both at Union level in the European Parliament and also Member States represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU.