Disinfo: Pro-Western civil society in Ukraine and Belarus is a Fascist fifth column

Summary

In Ukraine, the so-called civil society and human rights organizations, financed by the Western oligarchy, military forces and intelligence services, took an active part in 2014 coup d’etat and, assisted by Fascists, waged a war against Ukrainian people and Russia. The civil society continues its destructive activities through the adoption of harmful legislation such as the bill on the media or the language law. Thus Zelenskyy largely continues Poroshenko’s policies by turning Russophobia and mass-scale human rights violations into the tool of state policy on the instruction of the fifth column. The Belarusian civil society represented by allegedly independent media and initiatives promoting Belarusian language and culture (in reality, Russophobic, pro-Polish forces), is ideologically and politically close to Fascism. Otherwise, it would notice the violation of human rights in Ukraine and glorification of Nazism in Ukraine.

Disproof

This is a mix of recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives undermining the statehood of Ukraine and advancing claims about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv as a coup orchestrated by the West, Nazis in Ukraine, West's attempts to disrupt Belarus-Russia relations, and ubiquitous Russophobia in Ukraine and beyond. It also distorts the war in eastern Ukraine which is a well-documented act of aggression by Russian armed forces, ongoing since February 2014. For background, read our analysis: The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelingsand look at earlier disinformation cases alleging that Brussels uses Russophobia as a uniting idea to prevent the EU’s collapse, and about three types of Russophobia which are turning Belarus into anti-Belarus and anti-Russian state. The message paints virtually all Belarusian organisations which do not clearly follow pro-Russian policies in any field as Russophobic. The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. Far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself and had poor results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. In the 2019 election, far-right candidates fell short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament. There was no coup d’état in Ukraine. The onset of the Euromaidan protests was a spontaneous and endogenous reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden withdrawal from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. The protesters’ demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, the formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence. See the full debunk of this disinformation claim here. Read similar cases alleging that Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state and Ukraine is an anti-Russian state under Western control, that the West is targeting the Union State between Belarus and Russia, and that the Belarusian opposition, civic activists and independent journalists make kill lists for Western security bodies.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 189
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Belarus, Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Civil Society, Volodymyr Zelensky, Anti-Russian, Petro Poroshenko, Russophobia, Nazi/Fascist
see more

Disinfo: Coronavirus is a manipulative story

On a global scale, coronavirus is a kind of manipulative story. On the other hand, it is necessary to respond to it in some countries.

Disproof

Conspiracy theories about the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. The coronavirus (2019-nCoV) comes from a family of viruses that include SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central China and has been rapidly spreading. As of 15th March 2020, over 153,517 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 143 countries/territories. You can see other examples in our database, such as claims that Bill Gates and George Soros are sponsoring it, that it is a UK, US or NATO creation and that the Americans have the cure, that it is an artificial disease which specifically targets Chinese DNA, that it was created with economic goals while Big Pharma companies are spreading panic for their own profit, that it is a biological weapon against Russia and China and that it will wipe out Ukraine’s population in a few days.

Disinfo: The US State Department is trying to eradicate the Orthodox Church

The US State Department is committed to the eradication of world Orthodoxy by replacing it with a pseudo-Orthodox church based on the Istanbul Patriarchate. On this basis, an anti-canonical, schismatic sect is being created. It was this sect that recognised the PCU [the Orthodox Church of Ukraine].

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence. Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western interference in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. This claim also attempts to delegitimise the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, one of the pro-Kremlin media's ongoing disinformation campaigns against Ukraine, by claiming that the US inappropriately sought to influence the process. The Constantinople Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, is one of 15 independent, self-governing Orthodox churches. However, the Constantinople Patriarchate, also known as the Ecumenical Patriarchate, enjoys the status of primus inter pares (first among equals) and is regarded by other Orthodox Christians as the representative and spiritual leader of the Orthodox world. The decisions of the Constantinople Patriarchate are made only by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod. The granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was supported by all members of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate after months of careful preparations and considerations. For more information, see here. See similar disinformation claiming that Ukrainian autocephaly is a US project. See similar recent narratives claiming that the US is trying to divide the Orthodox Church: The US stands behind the pressure upon the Serbian Church of Montenegro, The US government is trying to eradicate Christianity.

Disinfo: No fake news comes from Russia

No Fake News has been recorded coming from inside Russia during the last period, especially not the ones referring to a Russian conspiracy theory that the US was behind the spread of Coronavirus.

Part of the completely false information being published against Russia, for example, that Russia sent agents to the UK and poisoned an unnecessary spy (Sergei Skripal) and his daughter (Yulia Skripal).

Disproof

Our database has so far caught more than 70 cases related directly to Russian outlets spreading disinformation about the coronavirus alone in several languages.

Russophobia is often used in pro-Kremlin disinformation as an explanation for the West blaming Russia for anything. This message also contains recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.