Disinfo: The EU is trying to disrupt Belarus-Russia relations

Summary

The EU pursues a number of goals in its relations with Belarus. Firstly, torpedoing the Union State of Belarus and Russia which guarantees Belarus’ security and independence. The EU needed the talks about Partnership Priorities with Belarus for one reason only, to make Belarus deny the union with Russia. This would mean the end of Belarus as a sovereign country. The Council of the EU also endorsed the Visa facilitation agreement between Belarus and the EU in order to counteract Belarus-Russia integration. Second, the EU realised well that torpedoing the Union State of Belarus and Russia presents a chance to change domestic policies and topple Alexander Lukashenko. EU bureaucracy sees him as the main barrier to passing power to its puppet, as done earlier with Ukraine. Later, the EU announced that the signing of the Partnership Priorities is conditioned to the resolution of the row between Belarus and Lithuania over the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. If it continues this way, the EU may soon announce that the barrier for signing the document is Alexander Lukashenko or even Belarus itself. If the Polish eastern boundaries (“kresy”) or some Lithuanian duchy was in the place of Belarus, then surely no issues would arise with the signing of the Partnership Priorities

Disproof

This is conspiracy theory consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about Western attempts to organise a colour revolution in Belarus, to disrupt Belarusian-Russian relations in general and the development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, in particular. Over the past two years, there has been some positive progress in EU-Belarus relations. Belarus has been participating more proactively in the Eastern Partnership, particularly in the multilateral formats, while negotiations on a Mobility Partnership were concluded and Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements are expected to come into force in June 2019. Minsk started the negotiations over visa facilitation and readmission agreements in 2014, later than other EaP countries. The two sides signed the agreements on 8th June 2020 once the negotiating process and domestic procedures were over, irrespective of developments in Belarus-Russia relations. When it comes to the EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities, this is the strategic framework for bilateral cooperation in the coming years, which is currently being negotiated. Read more about EU-Belarus relations here. See earlier disinformation messages alleging that Alyaksandr Lukashenka skipped the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels because the West could organise his killing, that the EU wants Belarus to lose its independence, that that the West's only interest in Belarus is to make it anti-Russian, and that Schengen visa fees for Belarusians are high because the number of homosexuals per capita in Belarus is very low.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 181
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11/01/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian, Belarusian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Union State of Belarus and Russia, West, European Union, Puppets, Alexander Lukashenko, Russian world, Conspiracy theory
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Disinfo: Ukraine will help the US blaming Iran for shooting down PS752

Ukraine will side with the US, and, following orders of US leader Donald Trump, it will accuse Iran for the crash of the Boeing. The US made a detailed plan for the crash, choosing the Ukrainian plane because it knew the puppets in Kyiv will support Washington. Shooting down the plane was in the US’s interest.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory about the downing of the Ukrainian flight PS 752. Iran has recognised that its military forces unintentionally shot down the passenger jet. On January 11, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani wrote on Twitter: “Armed Forces’ internal investigation has concluded that regrettably, missiles fired due to human error caused the horrific crash of the Ukrainian plane & death of 176 innocent people.” Earlier, intelligence services of Canada and the United States informed that the Ukrainian plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile minutes after departure from the Tehran airport. Find here the EU statement regarding the incident.

Disinfo: Regular flights will be launched between Crimea and Armenia

Regular flights will be launched between Crimea and Armenia from March of this year. The air route between Simferopol and Yerevan will be the first regular international flight service after the reunification of Crimea with Russia. The opening of the regular flights will be a good example for China and Turkey and other countries and airlines. This will also mark the beginning of the first international flights from Crimea. As a result, the international status of Simferopol Airport will be strengthened. // Regular flights are to be launched between Crimea and Armenia from March of this year. Ikar airlines has already received the relevant permissions and approval from the Federal Air Transport Agency for the scheduled flights.

Disproof

Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee informs that no such discussions were held with the aforementioned airline, no application was submitted. The same information has also appeared in December 2019, but it was refuted by the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia. Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee states that no such discussions were held with "Ikar" airways and no application was submitted. Messages about the launch of regular flights between Armenia and Crimеa periodically appear in the Russian, Crimean and consequently Armenian Media. Crimean authorities first started talking about it in 2014, right after the annexation of Crimea. "Grozny Avia" owned by Ramzan Kadyrov, president of Chechnya, said it was ready to launch direct flights from Yerevan to Simferopol. Armenian aviation authorities denied that information.

Disinfo: Poland wages an information war against Russia

The shameful and Russophobic resolution of Polish politicians on the equal responsibility of the USSR and Nazi Germany over the outbreak of WWII once again confirms the fact that the current Polish authorities openingly falsify and revise the history of WWII, they are waging the information war against Russia.

Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism. It accuses Poland of “the falsification and re-writing” of its history. According to this policy, the official Russian historiography is the only “true” way of interpreting the historical events of the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. On January 9th, the Polish Parliament adopted a resolution “condemning the provocative and untrue statements by representatives of the highest authorities of the Russian Federation attempting to hold Poland liable for the Second World War”.

See similar examples of the Russian historical revisionism concerning Poland - It is thanks to Russia that Poland today exists as a country, Nazi Germany considered Poland its best ally, USSR was forced and reluctant to sign Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.