Disinfo: Petro Poroshenko bargained for security guarantees from Washington but was eventually tricked

Summary

Petro Poroshenko was delaying the transition of power because, in exchange, he was bargaining with Washington for security guarantees. Poroshenko wants to be sure that after stepping down as President, he will not be imprisoned by the Ukrainian oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky and his people. Such guarantees were imitated by Washington through the opening of a criminal case against Kolomoisky. This would demonstrate to Poroshenko that in order to avoid extradition, Kolomoisky would not dare to leave Israel and return to Ukraine. However, after the vote on Volodymyr Zelensky’s inauguration passed in the Ukrainian parliament, the Americans broke their guarantees. This is seen by Kolomoisky’s immediate arrival in Kyiv just hours after the parliamentary decision. Generally, Poroshenko lost the presidential elections because his external curators disliked two things. First, Donald Trump did not forgive Poroshenko for the arrest of Trump’s lawyer Paul Manafort on a tip off from Poroshenko. The second reason was Poroshenko’s autonomous ‘foray’ in the Kerch Strait.

Disproof

Conspiracy and recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the US meddling in Ukraine's elections, Western control over Ukraine and concerning the conflict in Kerch Strait. It was indeed reported in early April 2019 that the FBI is investigating potential financial crimes by Ihor Kolomoisky. However, there is no proof that the investigation began because the US authorities decided to imitate certain security guarantees to Petro Poroshenko which were later violated, as alleged in the article. Robert Mueller's 448-page report, which mentions Ukraine a dozen times, mostly in a part which assesses Paul Manafort's ties to Russia and Ukraine, does not contain a single mention of Petro Poroshenko. See earlier cases alleging that the US introduced anti-Russian sanctions in exchange for anti-Trump damaging information from Poroshenko’s team and that the US did not allow Petro Poroshenko to win as he began leading the US into a war with Russia.

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teleskop-by.org (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 150
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kerch, Donald Trump, Conspiracy theory, Petro Poroshenko
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Disinfo: Kyiv is not going to fulfil the Minsk Agreements

Ukraine has repeatedly tried to solve this issue by force. This is what led to the Minsk agreements. The words of the commander of the military operation, Sergei Naev, that they ‘would need just one day of military action to liberate the occupied territory’, once again confirm that the Ukrainian side is not going to fulfil the Minsk agreements.

May 16, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Minsk agreements. In the interview with "TSN. Tyzhden", which is being discussed, General Sergiy Naev only answered the journalist's question about how long the liberation of occupied territories would take. At the same time, General Sergiy Naev noted in the same interview that at the moment there are no immediate plans for the returning the occupied territories, and the operation first and foremost has a stabilisation function.

Disinfo: Saudi Arabia takes steps towards recognising Crimea as part of Russia

The Saudi Embassy in Moscow issues visas to Russian Crimean Muslim pilgrims without informing the Ukrainian authorities. Riyadh has de facto recognised the Crimeans as citizens of Russia. Despite the absence of official recognition, the monarchy is changing its attitude towards Crimea and Russia as a whole.

May 16, 2019
Disproof

Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Moscow confirmed that it has been issuing visas for Crimean Tatars willing to make a Hajj, in Moscow, in their Russian passports, since 2014. Since 2015, a Russian intermediary company with offices in Moscow and in Crimea has been operating as a Hajj tour operator. However, Saudi Arabia does not link the issue of visas with the recognition of Crimea. The Council of Muftis of the Russian Federation urged Russian media outlet "Izvestia", which raised the question itself, not to mix politics and religious pilgrimage. The practice of the Saudis issuing visas for pilgrims has been going on for five years. No recent changes showing a different attitude of Saudi Arabia to this issue can be demonstrated. In 2014, Saudi Arabia voted for the UN GA's resolution 68/262 on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Saudi Arabia did not express any intent to recognise Crimea Russian since then. No direct international flights can go from Crimea to Saudi Arabia, following the ICAO sanctions, and the pilgrims use Russian airports. See more disinformation cases about the illegal annexation of Crimea.

Disinfo: NATO is an offensive alliance

NATO has always been an offensive alliance. (…) NATO is an artificial structure of a badly concealed power politics that wants to occupy the globe. (04:39-4:50)

May 16, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative, portraying NATO as a threat to peace and having a belligerent agenda. NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. Its exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia – or any other country. NATO is regularly updating the military requirements for civilian infrastructure, at a time when there are increased challenges to security.