Disinfo: Germany fabricating new "Skripal case" ahead of Normandy summit

Summary

Germany is fabricating a new “Skripal case”. The scandalous murder which happened back in August was inflated into an international scandal only now, ahead of the very important Normandy summit. And here, as with the cases of the Skripals and the shot down Boeing, state agencies showed themselves off. Their conclusions can be calculated in advance – they accuse Russia in the same manner.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that there is no proof behind accusations against Russia. Consistent with the narrative on Russophobia. Amid the murder of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, Germany expelled two Russian diplomats. Germany's federal prosecutor said that "there are sufficient factual grounds to suggest that the killing... was carried out either on behalf of state agencies of the Russian Federation or those of the Autonomous Chechen Republic, as part of the Russian Federation." Bellingcat, together with the Insider and Spiegel, identified the Berlin bicycle assassin as Vadim Nikolaevich Krasikov who entered France and then Germany under the fake identity of Vadim Sokolov. Krasikov was suspected of the murder of Russian businessman in 2013 but Russia withdrew the Interpol warrant. See similar narratives on Skripal and MH17 cases.

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  • Reported in: Issue 176
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07/12/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Germany, Russia
  • Keywords: Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, Sergei Skripal, Diplomacy with Russia, MH17
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Disinfo: Neo-Banderas' Ukraine is under the US and NATO control

Verbal “fights” between neo-Banderas’ Ukraine and Russia are usual. The Banderas crossed all lines of decency. So, Ukraine continues to play the role of “Russia’s irritant”. This role was assigned to Ukraine by its masters, the US leaders and NATO commanders.

Dec 06, 2019
Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative, challenging Ukrainian statehood, painting Ukraine as a geopolitical hostage of the United States, claiming that the United States and NATO control Ukraine’s foreign and domestic policies.

Ukraine is a sovereign state. Neither the US nor NATO controls Ukraine. The United States recognised Ukraine as an independent state on December 25, 1991. Since then, Washington has been working closely with Ukraine, directing its assistance to support the development of a safe, democratic and free Ukraine, fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community. The European Union also supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Ukraine is a priority partner for the EU. In June 2014, the EU and Ukraine signed an Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which promotes deeper political ties, stronger economic links and the respect for common values.

Disinfo: The Crimean people chose to be with Russia through democratic procedure

Democracy implies that people themselves determine the form of their existence. The Crimean people have chosen to be with Russia through democratic procedures, and this is not taken into account.

Dec 06, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Russia's annexation of Crimea, claiming that people living in Crime chose to rejoin Russia through a legal and democratic referendum. No international body has recognised the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February 2014, and held on 16 March 2014, which was organised by self-proclaimed Crimean leadership lacking democratic legitimacy and installed by armed Russian military personnel following the seizure of public buildings. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that “the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol amounts to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This international armed conflict began at the latest on 26 February 2014 when the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government." On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it 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. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea. The EU's policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol includes a set of restrictive measures against entities and individuals responsible for actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity. In March 2019, on the fifth anniversary of Crimea's annexation, the EU reiterated its position of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. For similar cases, see here.

Disinfo: NATO is encircling Russia's borders and creating an enemy image of Russia

We do not see a movement towards mutual security, but a movement in the opposite direction. The architecture of strategic stability is destroyed, and the security space is divided into individual fragments. One tries to replace the international legal system by the so-called ‘rule-based order’, the foreign policy (interests) formulated by a small group of Western countries. NATO has expanded in several waves – it wants to be the source of legitimacy. Its military infrastructure has already reached Russia’s borders and NATO has intensively expanded its military potential in Eastern Europe, increased its arms spending to record levels and at the same time created an enemy image of Russia.

Dec 06, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO threatening Russia. NATO is not encircling Russia. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometres), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members. Also, NATO has reached out to Russia consistently, transparently and publicly over the past 26 years. The Alliance created unique cooperation bodies – the Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Russia Council – to embody its relationship with Russia. It has invited Russia to cooperate on missile defence, an invitation extended to no other partner. Bilateral agreements between the US and host nations do not allow missile sites to be used for any purpose other than missile defence.