Disinfo: Mueller report refutes "Trump-Russia collusion" claim

Summary

Mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times continue to peddle the “Trump-Russia collusion” conspiracy theory, despite the fact that the Mueller report refutes any such allegations.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The story deliberately conflates "collusion" (not a legal concept) and the actual scope of the Special Counsel investigation which, according to the Mueller report, was to establish "whether any Americans […] joined the Russian conspiracies to influence the election" (p.2). The report explicitly identifies "numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign" (p. 9). See our recent debunking of the "no-collusion" claim here.

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RT English (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 150
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s) English
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: election meddling, Robert Mueller, Mainstream media, Conspiracy theory
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Disinfo: Ukrainian language law intentionally discriminates half of Ukraine’s population

It is not just about strengthening the state language in Ukraine. The new law is about discriminating against half of the country’s population. The law is directed against the Russian-speaking population, first of all, Russians, who are actually forbidden to speak their native language everywhere except at home. And this is almost half the population of the country.

May 19, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine and discrimination against Russian speakers. The Verkhovna Rada passed, on April 25, the law "on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language". The law establishes mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in most areas of public and communal life, including the mass media, education, science, etc. However, the law does not forbid the use of Russian or other languages in private communication and religious ceremonies. Moreover, Russian and other languages can be present in book publishing, the press, including radio and television, education and the service sector. The law allows the use of other languages in the healthcare system and in law enforcement. In addition to this, the law stipulates that in accordance with the European Charter for Regional Languages and Languages of National Minorities, the government should develop a law safeguarding language-rights of the minorities within six months of the language law entering into force. For discrimination of the Ukrainian language, including in favour of Russian, administrative responsibility is given. In the humanitarian sphere - education, science, culture, sports - for violating language policy, there is a fine of 200-300 times the non-taxable minimum wage (now it is from 3400-5100 hryvnias).n The entry into force is delayed for three years. Similar disinformation cases are here and here. For background on the Ukrainian language laws, see here.

Disinfo: The West wages an information war against the Union State of Belarus and Russia

In order to preserve its dominant positions, the West carries out both real wars around the world with millions of killed people and information wars. The West’s confrontation with the Union State of Belarus and Russia has turned in an open economic, political, and information war.

May 19, 2019
Disproof

This message is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Western anti-Belarus and anti-Russian activities.

The Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus was signed on 8 December 1999. Its intention was to achieve a supranational confederation between the two states. However thus far the countries have failed to institute common symbols or a Constitutional act of the Union State, hence Union State common bodies mostly remain on paper. Since late 2018 Russia began putting more pressure on Belarus to proceed with a deeper integration within the 1999 Treaty.

Disinfo: Despite emerging German imperialism, Germans remain subordinated to American culture

Germans are subordinated to American culture. And this is despite the fact that German imperialism is being revived within the EU in a mild form.

May 19, 2019
Disproof

This message contains ungrounded claim about a rising German imperialism, combined with a lost sovereignty narrative frequently promoted by pro-Kremlin disinformation sources.

Imperialism is policy or ideology of extending a nation's rule over foreign nations, often by military force or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. The allegation about a present-day revival of German imperialism is ungrounded.