Disinfo: Georgia aims at infecting South Ossetians with Covid-19

Summary

Amid the outbreak of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Georgia, the committee regards the appearance of people who may be carriers of the infection near the territory of South Ossetia as a deliberate provocation that could negatively affect the epidemiological situation in South Ossetia… Also, there are no “occupying forces” in South Ossetia. It is a state, recognised by a number of countries of the international community.

Disproof

The claim contains multiple disinformation narratives on coronavirus, Georgia and Russian-occupied territories of Georgia. In fact, local activists and the majoritarian candidate in Gori from opposition party United National Movement (UNM) held a demonstration near the occupation line to protest about the creeping occupation. It was not a secret gathering or provocation, aiming at infecting the South Ossetian population as the event was covered by media. Also, there is no secret patrolling alongside the administrative boundary line (ABL). The EU monitoring mission monitors the situation near the occupation line since 2008. EUMM has become the target of pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign earlier, claiming that the mission is involved in provocations and infects South Ossetians deliberately. See earlier claims here and here. The international community does not recognise South Ossetia as a state. Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway regions of Georgia, as independent states right after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Only 5 states recognise these two regions - Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria and the Republic of Nauru. EU, US and other democratic countries support Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

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sputnik-ossetia.ru
  • Reported in: Issue 213
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/09/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Georgian region of South Ossetia, Georgian region of Abkhazia
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Russo-Georgian War, Sovereignty
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Disinfo: The West carries out a colour revolution in Belarus and tears away Minsk from Moscow

The West is trying to arrange a new “adventure” in Belarus. The US and the EU want to “tear away” Minsk from Moscow, using the so-called “Ukrainian strategy”, as well as the instruments used during “colour revolutions”.

Sep 15, 2020
Disproof

This is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign on Belarus based on recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, such as accusing other countries of interference and portraying popular protests against electoral fraud in the country as a Western-led colour revolution. The protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential elections in Belarus that took place on the 9 August, which are considered fraudulent by a large part of Belarusian society. The European Union has also stated that the elections were neither free nor fair. There is no evidence that the protests in Belarus are funded and organised externally. Pro-Kremlin media frequently use disinformation narratives about popular protests around the world allegedly incited and funded by the US and other Western states. It has been applied, among others, to protests in Ukraine, Venezuela, Georgia, and Belarus, as well as to present a deceiving narrative on the aggressive West constantly preparing new coups. See similar cases claiming that the protests in Belarus are a colour revolution conducted according to a Maidan scenario and that the West wants to prepare Maidan in Belarus.

Disinfo: Russia doesn't possess Novichok

All stockpiles of the toxic “Novichok” (in Russia) were destroyed and disposed.

Sep 15, 2020
Disproof

This is part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign on the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after the use of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group was established beyond any doubt by a specialist Bundeswehr laboratory. In September 2017, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the full destruction of the 39,967 metric tons of chemical weapons possessed by Russia, but Novichoks were never declared to the OPCW and weren’t included in the Chemical Weapons Convention until 2019. The use of multiple and simultaneous versions about an event involving questionable actions by the Russian government or its allies, in order to confound citizens about the actual truth, is a recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation strategy, already seen in the cases of the MH17 downing, the illegal annexation of Crimea, the murder attempt against Sergei and Yulia Skripal or chemical attacks in Syria. See other examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives on Alexei Navalny’s poisoning in our database, such as claims that only caffeine and alcohol were found in his blood, that the US wanted to use it to block Nord Stream 2 and Russia’s vaccine against coronavirus, that the West hopes that he dies to have an excuse for new sanctions, or that Western accusations about Navalny’s case are as false as they were about Sergei Skripal and Alexander Litvinenko.

Disinfo: Another reason would be found for sanctions, if there had been no Navalany

If there was no Navalny, they would have come up with another reason to introduce additional sanctions. We are now being asked to confess, we are told: “Don’t you believe the Bundeswehr specialists? How can this be? These conclusions have been confirmed by the French and Swedes. Don’t you believe us?” In Russia one cannot open a criminal case based on hearsay.

Sep 15, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, portraying Western governments and institutions as inherently Russophobic and always trying to harm Russia. An unsupported conspiracy claiming that the poisoning of Navalny is a secret project to introduce sanctions on Russia. Prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny fell ill during a flight from Siberia to Moscow on the 20th of August. Initially hospitalised in Omsk, at the request of his family he was transferred to Charité hospital in Berlin. Clinical findings at the Charité hospital indicated that Navalny was poisoned with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. Subsequent toxicological tests provided unequivocal evidence of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group in the blood samples of Alexei Navalny. France and Sweden confirmed that the cause of his illness was Novichok, a Russian nerve agent. Samples taken from Navalny had also been sent for testing to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. Pro-Kremlin disinformation is trying to link the Navalny poisoning case with various factors - the US' fight against the Russian vaccine, the fight against Nord Stream 2, the fight against Putin to curb his desire to interfere in Belarus’ affairs. See related disinformation cases alleging that the West will falsely accuse Russia of poisoning Navalny as with Skripal and Litvinenko; the West has an interest in the death of Navalny to launch a new wave of sanctions against Russia, that the West needed the pretext to open sanctions against Russia, and that there is no evidence Navalny was poisoned, and many questions to be answered on Navalny blood tests in Berlin, and that the Navalny poisoning could be a strategy of the West to introduce anti-Russian sanctions.