Disinfo: Termination of the INF treaty reaffirms irresponsible policy of the US

Summary

Termination of the INF treaty reaffirms Washington’s irresponsible policy, which could escalate tensions and destroy the European security system.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that the US is responsible for the demise of the INF treaty. NATO stated that Russia bears sole responsibility for the demise of the INF Treaty. Russia has violated the Treaty through producing, testing and deploying the 9M729 missile. In July 2014 then-US President Obama officially accused Russia of testing a missile in violation of the INF Treaty, which prohibits the US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5500 kilometres. In March 2017, a senior US military official accused Russia of deploying the new missile, which posed a threat to NATO and facilities within the NATO area of responsibility. Russia’s violations were also acknowledged by the NATO Foreign Ministers in a meeting in Brussels on December 4th, 2018. In a joint statement released after the meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 December 2018, NATO Foreign Ministers stated that “Allies have concluded that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security.” The US has gathered detailed information on Russia’s flight-testing of the 9M792 missile to distances well over 500 kilometres and has spent almost six years in dialogues with Russia to try to resolve Russia’s non-compliance. However, Russia consistently refused to address US and NATO concerns.

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rs.sputniknews.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 161
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 02/08/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Serbian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: INF Treaty, security threat, Nuclear issues
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Disinfo: Malaysia was sidelined from the MH17 investigation

Malaysia does not have full access to all information about the [MH17] investigation, although it is invited to take part in investigating this disaster.

Aug 01, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the downing of flight MH17. Malaysia's Prosecutor's office cooperated in the investigation conducted by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT). Speaking at the press-conference of the JIT on 19 June 2019, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Malaysia Mohamad Hanafiah bin Zakaria reiterated Malaysia's commitment to the JIT in seeking justice for the victims and stated that the JIT findings were based on extensive investigation and legal research. [See at 57:30 - 58:14] The criminal investigation led by the JIT has been ongoing since 2014. On 28 September 2016, the JIT announced that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from the 9M38 series, which was launched by a BUK TELAR missile system. The system was transported from the Russian Federation to an agricultural field near the town of Pervomaiskyi in Eastern Ukraine and from there the missile was launched. After firing, the missile system, with 1 missing missile, went back to the Russian Federation. On the 24th of May 2018, the JIT announced its conclusion that the BUK TELAR used to shoot down MH17 came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces from Kursk in the Russian Federation. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT, consisting of law enforcement agencies from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands, the Dutch Public Persecution service will prosecute Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin, Sergey Nikolayevich Dubinskiy, Oleg Yuldashevich Pulatov, and Leonid Volodymyrovych Kharchenko for causing the crash of flight MH17 and murdering the 298 persons on board. The public hearing is scheduled for 9 March 2020 in the Netherlands.

Disinfo: MH17: JIT investigators try to shield the real culprits

Investigators of the MH17 case colluded with criminals. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is not interested in finding who is, in fact, responsible for the MH17 tragedy. Foreign detectives try to shield the real perpetrators. Therefore, versions that refute the Russian trace are not even considered.

Aug 01, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the downing of flight MH17. The criminal investigation by the JIT has been ongoing since 2014. On 28 September 2016, the JIT announced that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from the 9M38 series, which was launched by a BUK TELAR missile system. The system was transported from the Russian Federation to an agricultural field near the town of Pervomaiskyi in Eastern Ukraine, from there the missile was launched. After firing, the system, with 1 missing missile, went back to the Russian Federation. On the 24th of May 2018, the JIT announced its conclusion that the BUK TELAR used to shoot down MH17 came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces from Kursk in the Russian Federation. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT, consisting of law enforcement agencies from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands, the Dutch Public Persecution service will persecute Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin, Sergey Nikolayevich Dubinskiy, Oleg Yuldashevich Pulatov, and Leonid Volodymyrovych Kharchenko for causing the crash of the MH17 and murdering the 298 persons on board. The public hearing is scheduled for March 9 2020 in the Netherlands. The claims by Buk manufacturer Almaz-Antey that the missile could not have come from Russia were debunked already in 2015 by Bellingcat.The claims of the Russian military company Almaz-Antey is only a small sample of misleading claims and conspiracy theories advanced by Moscow since 2015, many of which have contradicted one another. See previous debunking of these claims here, here, and here, and a summary of disinformation narratives on this case here.

Disinfo: Crimea is now recognised as an integral part of Russia

Five years after the Crimea decided to reunite with the Russian Federation in a referendum, the whole world starts to accept the fact that the region is an indisputable part of Russia and it cannot be otherwise.

Aug 01, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the annexation of Crimea, claiming that Crimean citizens chose to rejoin Russia through a legal democratic referendum. No international body has recognised the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February 2014, and held on 16 March 2014. Thirteen members of the United Nations Security Council voted in favour of a resolution declaring the referendum invalid. On the 27th of February 2014, when it was announced, 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. On December 18 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of illegal annexation of Crimea. On the fifth anniversary of Crimea's annexation, the EU reiterated its position of non-recognition of illegal annexation and continues to stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, supporting its sovereignty and territorial integrity. A year after the illegal annexation, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the so-called referendum.