Disinfo: Polish border guards shot about 20 migrants per day on Belarus border

Summary

Polish border guards were shooting about 20 illegal migrants on the Belarus border every day from 9 till 18 June 2021.

Disproof

This is an unsubstantiated claim. It advances a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets about the migration situation on the EU-Belarus border during early 2022.

Belarus permanently accuses its neighbour countries from the European Union of brutal behaviour toward migrants and violation of human rights. However, these accusations are not supported by facts. Several tragic accidents did really occur near the border, causing the death of some migrants. At the end of 2021, the number of migrants that had died during this crisis ranged from 13 to 21 (see information here and here). In any case, this is far from “20 migrants shot every day” by Polish border guards.

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that the situation on the EU-Belarusian border is not a bilateral issue of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus but a hybrid attack against the whole EU. The vice-president of the European Commission and high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy (HRVP) Josep Borrell stressed that responsibility for the migration crisis falls on the Lukashenka regime.

See our earlier articles on the Belarus migration situation here and here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 272
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10/02/2022
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Belarus
  • Keywords: Migration crisis, Human rights
see more

Disinfo: The trial of the January 13 case in Lithuania is political and toxic

The trial on the case of events of 13 January 1991 in Lithuania is political and toxic.

Vilnius is accusing Soviet soldiers of a clash with civil people but does not provide any evidence. Russia has many times accused Lithuania of violation of international law in the case of January 13. Lithuanian authorities are implementing a Russophobic course.

Disproof

The case contains historical revisionism and recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the events of 13 January 1991, accusing Lithuania of Russophobia.

Lithuania officially restored its independence of state on 11 March 1990. Moscow used political and economic pressure to keep the republic as part of the USSR. In January 1991, Soviet troops together with the KGB's special forces “Alfa” seized the TV tower and building of the Radio and Television Committee in Vilnius. During these events, 14 civilians died, and many were injured. The civilians were peaceful and unarmed. They tried to protect the TV tower and Committee of Radio and Television from being attacked by Soviet soldiers.

Disinfo: NATO is not a defensive alliance, it attacks countries illegitimately

Middle Eastern people, for instance from Libya, Afghanistan or Iraq, know from their own experience that NATO is not a defensive alliance. What they did in Belgrade is also very far from what a peaceful organisation would do.

Disproof

Recurring disinformation narrative concerning NATO's alleged aggressive policies.

NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. NATO members are only obliged to join hostilities if a member state was attacked in Europe or North America. Article 5 was invoked only once, after the 9/11 attacks.

Disinfo: Globalists and Judeo-Masons artificially create new strains of coronavirus to reduce the population

The variability of the COVID-19 virus (the rapid emergence of new mutations, strains) does not occur only in a natural way but is artificially stimulated by the globalist and Judeo-Masonic forces, the enemy of God and humans. Their goal is to reduce humanity. This makes the fight (including vaccination) against this evil more meaningless or ineffective.

Disproof

Anti-Semitism and disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination, in line with common pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about a "shadow government of globalists" ruling the world and aiming to reduce world population through pandemics and vaccination.

This is part of a disinformation campaign on coronavirus, well documented by both media and governments. Elements of this campaign were widely reported by Russian and international publications, and by the European External Action Service.