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Disinfo: Navalny affair is an intelligence war

Summary

The case of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is nothing more than an intelligence war. The fact that the Russian security services were following him does not mean that they also poisoned him.

Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative surrounding the poisoning of prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Navalny fell ill during a flight from Siberia to Moscow on the 20th of August. Initially hospitalised in Omsk, at the request of his family he was transferred to Charité hospital in Berlin, where clinical findings indicated that he was poisoned with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. Subsequent toxicological tests provided unequivocal evidence of a chemical nerve agent of the Novichok group in his blood samples.

Recently, more information was published on how Russian security services were following Navalny. Russian independent outlet The Insider has, together with the investigative teams of Bellingcat, CNN, Der Spiegel and El Pais, carried out a detailed investigation, establishing the methods used, the individuals that performed the attack and the connections to the Russian state security services, the FSB. Additionally, on Tuesday 15 December, the Kremlin’s press service decided to cancel all press meetings and refused to comment on the evidence provided in the investigation. Eventually, on the 17 December, Vladimir Putin denied Russia was behind the poisoning, calling a recent investigation by Bellingcat a “falsification”.

See similar cases claiming that there is no evidence Navalny was poisoned and that the Navalny case is used to push for anti-Russian sanctions , and that the West uses the Navalny case to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and to hurt Putin

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publication/media

Sputnik Greece (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 225
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17/12/2020
  • Language/target audience: Greek
  • Country: Russia
  • Keywords: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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The US destroys the scientific and technical potential of Ukraine and creates selective biological weapons.

The Americans have been working on a database of pathogen strains that they can use as biological weapons against “a particular race, genotype, territory of birth or residence.” Specifically, the newly emerged combat viruses should infect only the Eastern Slavs: Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarusians.

After the coup d’état, the curators received carte blanche to continue their parasitic activities in Ukraine.

December 18, 2020
Disproof

Recurring conspiracy theory alleging that the United States develops biological weapons and has secret biological laboratories around the world. The disinformation claim also capitalises on the oft-recurring conspiracy theories about laboratories in Ukraine and the coup in Ukraine in 2014.

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Sweden attempts to use the “Russian threat” to avoid attention to the country’s failure on fighting COVID-19

The Swedish parliament has decided to enlarge the military budget with 40 percent. The main argument for this is Stockholm’s concern with the “Russian threat” in the Baltic Sea.

/…/

When the whole world entered to quarantine, the Swedish authorities decided not to do so. Now they are reaping the harvest of what they have sown – enormous social, medical and economical problems.

But the Swedish media keeps quiet on this and attempts to show a pretty face. In order not to let the public know about the country’s internal problems, the media evokes different kinds of mythical threats, sacrificing enormous amounts of money to fortify positions of NATO at our borders. Why recognise your own mistakes, when you can find an external enemy and blame everything on him?

December 18, 2020
Disproof

The Parliament of Sweden has decided to significantly increase budget spendings into “total defence” - to civil contingency planning, civil defence - and military. This decision is based partly from the experiences of Russia’s aggressions against Georgia in 2008, the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine in Donbas.

Sweden is not a member of NATO and needs to rely on its own resources for repelling aggression and handling crises.

Latvian authorities target Sputnik and Baltnews for not conforming to their political agenda

Latvian authorities target Sputnik and Baltnews journalists because they do not conform to their political agenda

December 17, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation message about the Baltic States consistent with narratives about Russophobia.

This claim tries to portray EU sanctions on Russia, the result of its illegal actions in Ukraine, as unfair persecution against Sputnik and its employees, and against media freedom in general. In Latvia as well as in Lithuania and Estonia Sputnik and RT are being accused of spreading disinformation, violating copyrights, acting as a propaganda instrument. Different instances founded their accusations on publicly available results of investigations conducted by relevant authorities and regulatory bodies”.