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

Summary

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.

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.

Go to search

publication/media

fr.sputniknews.com (Archived)
iz.ru (Archived)
iz.ru (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 150
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/05/2019
  • Outlet language(s) French, Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Crimean Tatars, Crimea
see more

Disinfo: Petro Poroshenko deliberately created complications for the Zelenskyi administration through a new law on the Ukrainian language

At the end of his term, the fifth president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, managed to harm the new president of the country, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. In order to complicate the Zelenskyi administration’s work and provoke social tensions in Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, before the inauguration of Zelenskyi, specially signed a new law “On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language”.

May 15, 2019
Disproof

Conspiracy theory, consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation about the language law in Ukraine. See previous cases here. The Verkhovna Rada passed the law "On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a state language", on April 29, 2019. The law establishes mandatory use of the Ukrainian language in most areas of public and communal life, including the mass media. The law was submitted to a vote by the Verkhovna Rada in back 2017. In October 2018, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft law on the state language in the first reading. At the end of February 2019, it began consideration of the second reading, which lasted almost two months. The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, signed the law, in line with his Constitutional powers at the time.

Disinfo: Spanish government may know a secret US plan to attack Iran

Spain may be aware of a secret US plan to attack Iran. That could be the reason why they decided to pull out Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez from the naval attack group accompanying the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.

May 15, 2019
Disproof

No evidence is provided to support this claim. Actually, the Spanish government explained very clearly that the reason why they decided to order the Méndez Núñez frigate to leave the group was because it changed its stated original mission. Spain’s acting defence minister, Margarita Robles, said that the decision is technical and military, not political, and that the frigate will rejoin the fleet once it reaches the Indian Ocean, according to Spanish newspaper El País. You can see other examples of disinformation about alleged war plans against Iran here and here.

Disinfo: Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum five years ago

Crimea celebrates the fifth anniversary of the referendum which was followed by its integration with Russia. Five years ago, the vast majority of Crimea chose the first option from the two possible on the ballot paper: For Crimea’s integration with Russia, based on its rights as subject of the Russian Federation.

May 15, 2019
Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Crimea and the referendum of 2014. No international body recognises the so-called referendum held on the 16th of March 2014. On the 27th of 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. Five years after the referendum, the EU re-affirmed its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.