Disinfo: Perverted Europeans will organise sodomy in Minsk during the European Games 

Summary

The European Games will shortly be held in Belarus. For this reason, a representative from the Ministry of Interior came to a parent-teacher conference in Minsk and advised parents to take special care of their teenagers during the event. Although he did not say it out loud, the meaning was the following: Perverted Europeans will arrive from Europe where LGBT, marijuana, and prostitution are legalised and paedophilia is thriving, so better keep your children away from the sodomy that the foreigners will organise in Minsk. Belarusians are keeping their kids away from the high numbers of perverted European tourists as if they had the plague.

Disproof

This message is outright speculation and conspiracy consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the moral decay of Europe, the propaganda of the morally corrupt West, and its aggressive actions towards Belarus and Belarusian society.

The 2nd European Games 2019 will be held in Minsk, Belarus from 21 June to 30 June 2019. The number of foreign tourists is estimated to be at least twice as less compared to the Ice Hockey World Championship hosted by Minsk in 2014 (30,000 vs 70,000 tourists). Then, no extraordinary crimes or aggravations of criminal situations were reported by the Ministry of Interior as being committed by foreign tourists.

See earlier disinformation cases alleging that the West is destabilising Belarus with the help of Nazis and LGBT, promotes the concept of feminine men, and attacks the institution of family in Slavic countries.

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teleskop-by.org (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 153
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 28/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Belarus
  • Keywords: West, European values, LGBT, Conspiracy theory
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Disinfo: Ukrainian agents and extremists may be preparing acts of sabotage in Crimea

Ukrainian intelligence services and members of extremist organisations may be preparing acts of sabotage in Crimea, namely in the Kerch strait, and provocations against Russian and foreign ships visiting Crimean harbours, according to the chief of the border guard of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FS), general Vladimir Kulishov.

May 27, 2019
Disproof

No evidence is provided to support the allegation. These affirmations are consistent with the recurrent Russian narrative of Crimea as legally "reunified" with Russia and Ukraine as a destabilizing force, and Russia's claims about the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait incident. These messages have intensified after the hearing of the International Tribunal for the Law of Sea on May 10 about the detention of Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait. Russia refused to take part in the hearing, saying that the court had no jurisdiction in this case, and is trying to change the framework by insisting in "provocations" by the other part. You can see other examples of this narrative here and here.

Disinfo: The Eastern Partnership Policy was set up against Russia

The basic problem with the Eastern Partnership is that it was set up to create an EU zone of influence against Russia in its Eastern neighbourhood. […] As long as Russia is regarded and treated as an enemy, or even an adversary, this policy is inevitably directed against the largest European country and forces Moscow to take appropriate defensive measures. If Europe wants security, it can only be achieved together with Russia.

May 27, 2019
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the West, and in this case the EU, of encircling Russia.

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint policy initiative which aims to deepen and strengthen relations between the European Union (EU), its Member States and its six Eastern neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Read more about the Eastern Partnership and its priorities here. The Eastern Partnership initiative is not against any country; it is a mutually beneficial and constructive platform for countries in the region to build a closer relationship with the EU, if they choose to do so. The EU does not demand any of its partners to make a choice between the EU or any other country. The Eastern Partnership stands for good neighbourly relations and respects the individual aspirations and ambitions of each partner country. There was in fact a clear record of strong cooperation between the EU and Russia, dating back to 1994, when the two sides negotiated a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Russia was identified as a strategic partner for the EU, and was the only country with which the EU held summits not once, but twice a year. A new EU-Russia agreement was being negotiated up until 2014, at which point talks were suspended due to Russia's involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Negotiations were also in train on visa facilitation. There was also cooperation between the EU and Russia on a number of foreign policy issues, some of which continue to this day. The EU and its Member States have maintained a clear policy of reaching out to Russian society and youth, mainly through the Erasmus+ student exchange programme and other people to people contacts. Read more on the most repeated myths about the Eastern Partnership initiative here.

Disinfo: There was a coup d’état in Kyiv in February 2014

Reacting to the coup d’état in Kyiv in February 2014, the authorities of Crimea and Sevastopol declared the peninsula independent.

May 27, 2019
Disproof

There was no coup d’état in Kyiv in 2014, this is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the Euromaidan and the Crimea Referendum. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction of numerous parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk here. No international body recognises the so-called referendum held on the 16 March 2014. On the 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which stated that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. 5 years on, the EU re-affirms its unwavering support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.