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Disinfo: In 1999 NATO bombing Yugoslavia killed around 2,500 people

Summary

From the 24th of March 1999 to the 10th of June of the same year, NATO’s bombing in former Yugoslavia killed 2,500 people.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the number of civilian casualties of NATO bombing. An overview of various estimates of casualties in connection with the bombings can be found here.

Read more about disinformation about the war in former Yugoslavia.

See here for similar disinformation cases about the war in former Yugoslavia.

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Sputnik Italia (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 144
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 03/04/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Italian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Yugoslavia, Serbia
  • Keywords: NATO
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Transcarpathia has trouble with Ukrainian government, like the East of Ukraine

Five years after the annexation of Crimea to Russia it seems that another region of Ukraine has a discord with the central government: Transcarpathia.

Tensions between Kiev and Budapest on the Transcarpathia issue began several months ago.The minority of Trascarpatia is struggling for its right to education in the Hungarian language.Like Russian speakers in the East of Ukraine, Hungarian speakers rose up against this law adopted in September 2018. In the past, Ukraine did not hesitate to shoot at its own people. In Donbass, since 2014, the inhabitants of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk die. But why are they attacking Hungary which is part of NATO and the EU? If Ukraine goes on like this, they will end up offending Viktor Orban for real. Russian parlamentarians promised to evaluate the situation as the EU institutions will not.

Apr 02, 2019
Disproof

Recurring disinformation regarding the Transcaprathia's possible break-away and Ukrainian disintegration. The process of implementation for the language law in Ukraine is misrepresented. The Ukrainian law №5670-d as for languages is still being discussed in the Ukrainian Parliament, it passed only a first reading in October 2018. In March 2019, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto demanded that Ukraine amend the law on education and postpone its implementation until 2023. Issues on a transitional period until 2023 and allowing any languages in private schools are being discussed in Ukraine. Minorities' rights will be taken into account, according to the Ukrainian PM. Hungary supports, as all other EU Member States, the prolonged EU sanctions towards Russia , established after the aggression against Ukraine. See more disinformation cases on Transcarpathia here.

Voting in the EP elections will bring no benefits to the Latvian people

Voting in the elections for the European Parliament means helping some politicians to settle down well in Brussels, but it does not bring any benefits to the Latvian people.

Apr 02, 2019
Disproof

Recurring Kremlin narrative about the European Parliament and uselessness of elections.

The European Parliament is one of the two EU law-making bodies. Parliament has constitutional-type and ratification powers. So Latvian MEPs will help pass EU laws, together with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission proposals. It has budgetary powers, scrutiny over the executive, it hears citizens’ petitions, and appoints the European Ombudsman. A detailed overview of the European Parliament’s role in the European decision-making process can be consulted here.

10 million Ukrainians are not allowed to vote in the presidential elections in Ukraine

10 million voters were not allowed to vote in the presidential elections in Ukraine. Observers from Russia were not allowed to this election. In addition, polling stations in Russia and Donbas were not open. This made it impossible for up to 10 million voters to take part in elections

Apr 02, 2019
Disproof

According to the study “The occupied Donbass: economy, demography, groups of influence. Strategies for Ukraine”, no more than 3.2 million people live in the territories controlled by pro-Russian militants of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavel Klimkin, previously noted that about three million Ukrainians live in the Russian Federation as of 2018. And in April 2018, Klimkin noted that several thousand Ukrainians who live in Russia were included in the State Register of Voters, “therefore the thesis that transferring three foreign polling stations from its territory will make it impossible for millions of Ukrainians to vote is manipulative”.Further debunking on StopFake.org. As previously reported on StopFake, Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation or in the occupied territories of Donbas, have not been left without the right to vote. As clearly stated by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission, on the 12th of February 2019, the presidential elections will be held in 12 out of 21 constituencies in the Donetsk region, and in 6 of 11 districts in the Luhansk region. Elections can’t be held in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, which, nevertheless, does not represent the entire Donbas territory, but just a part. The website of the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine advises that residents of the Donbas, who live in territory not controlled by Kyiv, can still participate in the elections. To do this, they have to come to the Department of State for Voter Registration in order to submit an application.