Disinfo: NATO prepares for a great conflict

Summary

NATO’s military exercises in the Baltic countries, Poland, in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea indicate that it is preparing for a large-scale conflict. Also, NATO promotes theories about the “Russian military threat”, interpreting any Russian security process or any planned transparent military construction event as a threat to peace.

Disproof

This claim involves speculation without any evidence. Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO's belligerence towards Russia, portraying the Alliance as a threat to peace. NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. NATO exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia – or any other country. Any claims that NATO is preparing an attack on Russia are absurd. In direct response to Russia's use of military force against its neighbours, NATO has deployed four multinational battlegroups to the Baltic States and Poland. These forces are rotational, defensive and proportionate. They cannot compare to the three divisions Russia has established in its Western Military and Southern Military Districts. Before Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, there were no plans to deploy Allied troops to the eastern part of the Alliance. NATO's aim is to prevent conflict, protect its Allies, and preserve the peace.

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publication/media

News Front - Serbian (Archived)
Večernje novosti (Archived)
rs.sputniknews.com (Archived)
RT English (Archived)
Russia’s Armed Forces newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Archived)
ru.armeniasputnik.am (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 179
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18/12/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Serbian, English, Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Baltic states, Russia
  • Keywords: security threat, War preparation, Anti-Russian, NATO
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Disinfo: Fascist-oriented regimes in Latin America invite Israelis to provide advice on depopulating indigenous peoples

Fascist-oriented regimes in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Paraguay, Guatemala, and Chile, eager to displace indigenous peoples, have invited the Israelis back to their nations to provide advice on depopulating indigenous regions as systematically as Israel has done to the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Dec 17, 2019
Disproof

A recurring conspiracy theory, loaded with anti-Semitic sentiment. There is no evidence to support the claim that such an invitation was ever made.

Disinfo: Greta Thunberg is a liar

The Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was accused of lying after she posted on her personal account on Twitter a picture of herself on the floor of a train coming from Germany. The picture shows Thunberg sitting on the floor of the train returning from the climate summit in Madrid to Sweden. She explained that her train from Basel had been cancelled, and therefore she had to take another train without a seat. Meanwhile, the activist stressed that crowded trains “is a great sign because it means that the demand for train travel is high”.

In response, the German railroad company, “Deutsche Bahn” wrote on its Twitter account that it would have been good if Thunberg talked about “how friendly and competent you were looked after by our team at your seat in first-class”.

Dec 17, 2019
Disproof

This article is part of a vicious campaign by Russian state media against Greta Thunberg. The campaign itself is part of a pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign against the climate movement.

It is true that Thunberg tweeted a photograph of herself sitting on the floor of a German train on Saturday with the caption: “Traveling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I’m finally on my way home.” It is also true that the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG implied in a tweet that Greta did have a seat in the first class. However, the part of the story that this piece conveniently missed in order to smear Greta is that she was not offered a seat except after more than four hours into her journey.

Disinfo: A new Union of Journalists for "independent media" established in Finland

A new Union of Journalists for alternative – a better description would be independent– media established in Finland.

Dec 17, 2019
Disproof

The context: The actual Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF), www.journalistiliitto.fi, , has nearly 15 000 members who work for the print media, broadcasting, publishing and new communications media. It is an independent trade union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements. It works to further the financial, social and professional standing of its members, both salaried and freelancers. The union does not belong to but cooperates with trade union confederations. The copycat NGO has been registered officially within the Finnish Register of Associations in 2016 with the name "Suomen vapaa sana riippumaton toimittajayhdistys ry". However, this Union imitates the UJF URL address (www.journalistiliitto.com), . Vice-chair of the copycat organisation is also MV-lehti's editor-in-chief, a Finn who resided for years in occupied Donetsk and ran a propaganda media operation there. In the "About" section of the website the war in Ukraine is described as a "civil war", which is recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation. See the archived version of the web page here. Twitter has suspended the account of the copycat organisation. Further background by journalist Laura Halminen and more on an earlier similar operation targeting the Helsinki Hybrid CoE.