Disinfo: Reports of Russia's role in Vrbetice explosion are ploy to influence upcoming German elections

Summary

The Czech Republic is under the tremendous influence of German big business. It cannot be ruled out that the allegations of Russia's involvement in the 2014 Vrbetice explosion are linked to the upcoming federal elections in Germany.

The election will likely be dominated by two candidates: Merkel's successor, regarded as pro-Russian; and the anti-Russian Green Party candidate. The recent diplomatic scandal could have been contrived as a means to tip the scale of German public opinion in the Green Party's favour.

Disproof

The claim is part of an emerging pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative surrounding the 2014 fatal explosion at an ammo depot in Vrbetice, Czechia and the suspected role of Russia's GRU agency in the incident.

There is no evidence suggesting that the accusations against Russia are part of an international conspiracy to rig the elections in Germany, a country boasting one of the freest and most transparent electoral systems in the world.

On the other hand, we do have evidence which plausibly implicates two GRU operatives in the 2014 incident. The pair, who were also involved in the 2018 Skripal poisoning, travelled to the Czech Republic under false identities and infiltrated the Vrbetice site under false pretenses. The findings were announced by the Czech government and independently corroborated in the course of a joint investigation by Bellingcat, The Insider (Russia), Der Spiegel (Germany), and Respekt.cz (Czech Republic).

Earlier pro-Kremlin coverage relating to the Vrbetice incident includes claims that it had been designed, among other things, to "curry favour" with the US; to force Moscow out of a of multi-billion dollar tender; to discredit the Sputnik V vaccine; to divert international attention from an attempted Western "coup" in Belarus.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 241
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25/04/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Russia, Germany, Czech Republic
  • Keywords: Conspiracy theory, Elections, GRU, Anti-Russian, Russophobia, Big business, Vrbetice explosion
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Disinfo: In Belarus, a foreign-backed coup d'état was attempted in which President Lukashenko was to be assassinated

In Belarus, a foreign-backed coup d'état was attempted in which President Lukashenko was to be assassinated.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin propaganda narrative about Western attempts to organise a coup in Belarus and alleged Western-instigated colour revolutions and coups.

There is no evidence that a coup d’état was attempted in Belarus nor of an assassination attempt on President Alexander Lukashenko.

Disinfo: Allegations of Russian role in Vrbetice explosion are part of informational preparation for new Cold war

The expulsion of Russian diplomats from the US, the UK, Poland, and the Czech Republic, the accusation of Russian secret service of involving in the Vrbětice explosion: all of this is the informational preparation for the next level of the new Cold war.

Washington and its allies are ready to expel diplomats for any fictional reason and without explanation to society.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative which automatically dismisses any accusations against the Kremlin, no matter how well-founded, as trumped-up anti-Russian smears.

The explosion in Vrbětice happened in 2014. In April 2021, new information about this event has come to light. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Interior Minister Jan Hamacek announced on Saturday 17 April 2021 that the Czech intelligence services collected evidence demonstrating Russian involvement in the Vrbětice incident. More specifically, it implicates Unit 29155, a division of Russia's GRU agency previously linked to "assassination attempts and other subversive actions across Europe." Prague's findings were independently corroborated in the course of an investigation jointly conducted by Bellingcat, The Insider (Russia), Der Spiegel (Germany), and Respekt.cz (Czech Republic).

Disinfo: Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Baltic states are American puppets

Soft power, propaganda, systems of alliances, and all these subtle and complex tools, which were used by the United States of America, cease to function. Increasingly, Washington is resorting to brutal dictatorship and violence. Likewise, the crisis of the current system is reflected in international relations, while centers of power become less inclined to talk to subordinates and agents, and prefer to speak directly with the masters who make decisions.

We can see this very clearly in Ukraine, where the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is no longer wasting his time discussing the Ukrainian crisis with the American puppet, the Ukrainian President, Vladimir Zelenskyy. He prefers to talk directly with Washington, Berlin and Paris. The same applies to the diplomatic crisis between Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Baltic states.

Disproof

This disinformation message advances pro-Kremlin narratives undermining the statehood of Ukraine and sovereignty of the Baltic states as a result of their partnership with the US and the EU.

There is no evidence that the West is depriving Ukraine, Czechia, Slovakia or the Baltic states of their sovereignty or that they are used as tools against Russia. The Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), Slovakia and Czechia are all fully-fledged members of the EU and NATO, where they have the same rights as any other member state.