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Disinfo: In 2018, Ukrainian ships deliberately violated Russian border in the Kerch strait

Summary

[In 2018] three ships, Nikopol, Berdyansk and Yany-Kapu, deliberately violated the borders of the Russian Federation in the area of the Kerch Strait.

Disproof

This is a part of recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation on the Kerch incident.

On 25 November 2018, border patrol boats belonging to Russia’s FSB security service seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tugboat and their crews after shooting at them, wounding several Ukrainian servicemen and arresting 24 members.

Russia argued that they were in Russian waters. However, a bilateral treaty between Russia and Ukraine, signed in 2003 and ratified by Russia in 2004, governs the use of the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, which in the treaty is considered to be the “internal waters” of both Russia and Ukraine.

On 25 May 2019, the United Nations Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Russia to immediately release Ukrainian sailors and allow them to return to Ukraine. The EU urged Russia to release the captured crew.

Twenty-four military sailors returned to Ukraine on 7 September 2019 as part of a mutual release of detainees by Ukraine and Russia. On 21 November 2019, Russia returned the ships to Ukraine.

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  • Reported in: Issue 174
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23/11/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Russia, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Ukraine, Azov sea, Kerch
  • Outlet: Izvestia Glavnoe @5 kanal (07:50-08:01)
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Buzzfeed hires Russophobic journalists, spreads false information and incites hatred

Buzzfeed, which sees “Russian threats” everywhere, hires Russophobic journalists to conduct anti-Russian investigations, spreads false information and incites hatred.

Bulgarian journalist Christo Grozev, who also works with Bellingcat, is often involved in Buzzfeed’s dubious “investigations”, for example on the Skripal case. Grozev has spread a great deal of false information, such as the claim that Donetsk “separatists” received instructions to falsify the results of the referendum. Grozev graduated from the American University of Bulgaria, which is sponsored by the Soros Open Society Foundation and the US Agency for International Development.

Anton Shekhovstov, who like Grozev also built his career on the use of defamation, has publicised his books through Buzzfeed.

November 25, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative aimed at discrediting serious journalists and scholars that engage in research on pro-Kremlin disinformation and propaganda, by claiming they are Russophobic and spread false information.

The article, which seeks to discredit serious researchers such as Christo Grozev, Anton Shekhovtsov, and Andreas Umland, also implies that “Russophobic” researchers are linked to the Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros. This claim is consistent with pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories about Soros.

The Russian threat is ‘an invention’ of those who want to benefit from it

The Russian threat is ‘an invention’ of those who want to benefit from their “role of the advance department in the fight against Russia”.

November 25, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Western belligerence towards Russia claiming that the “Russian threat” is a false idea.

While aware of pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns, the West is trying to keep open channels of communications with Russia, but not to invent the 'Russian threat' in order to 'fight against Russia'. After the end of the Cold War until the 2014 Ukraine crisis, most US and Western policymakers no longer viewed Russia as an adversary, instead, taking the opinion that it could potentially become, or already was, a credible and responsible partner for Western states.

Ukraine is preparing a plan for the deportation of Donbas residents

To deport the people of the People’s Republics for “re-education” in the Western regions [of Ukraine] and to force to move to Russia those who do not agree to leave their houses. The day before, a Ukrainian “plan for the deportation of the people of Donbas” had been made available on the internet. It describes the so-called “strategy for the safe reintegration of Donbas.”

Ukraine has created a “plan for the deportation of the people of Donbas”, which refers to the resettlement of the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR to the cities of Western Ukraine, but by tradition, Kyiv did not ask people for their opinion.

November 25, 2019
Disproof

This is a conspiracy theory presented without any evidence; it is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine and attempts to discredit the democratically elected Ukrainian government.

The so-called “plan for the deportation of the people of Donbas” first appeared anonymously on the Internet. The story has received widespread coverage in pro-separatist and pro-Kremlin media where it is claimed to be authentic. The source of this information was a fake document allegedly from the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine with incorrect details such as the address of the Council or names of the officials. It was spread on the social media platform "Telegram" with the help of an anonymous account.