Disinfo: The extreme coup in Kyiv led to the return of Crimea

Summary

In the popular referendum that took place in Crimea on March 16, 2014, the islanders voted by a majority to leave Ukraine… due to the danger of the Crimean takeover by extremist nationalist brigades, Crimea decided to ask Russia to include them back in the Russian state.

The Tatars’ rights acquired during the Russian era cannot even be compared to their position when they were in the Ukrainian reign.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the annexation of Crimea claiming that Crimean citizens chose to rejoin Russia through a legal referendum and that Ukrainian politics are dominated by fascist/Nazi groups and ideology.

After the collapse of the USSR, Russia reaffirmed respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and recognised that Crimea was an integral part of Ukraine by pledging to respect the borders of Crimea in the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 and in the Ukraine-Russia Friendship Treaty of 1997.

Euromaidan demonstrations, which began in Kyiv in November 2013 and ended in February 2014, were not a coup d’état but was the result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych who refused to sign the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement.

On 26. February 2014, the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government. The next day a referendum was announced and a vote was held on March 16, 2014, in the Peninsula of Crimea. The territory was then controlled by Russian forces, though neither Ukrainian nor Russian election code was observed.

On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it 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 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.

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.

According to Amnesty International, and echoed by the Council of the EU, the Crimean Tartars are repressed by the occupying Russian authorities, the Majlis had been an assembly of the Tatar minority in Crimea before it was banned by Russian authorities. Its leaders, who were Ukrainian MPs, left for Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea, and local authorities have declared two Crimean Tatar leaders personae non-grata and prohibited them from entering Crimea.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 192
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Arabic
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Ukraine, Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Crimea, Coup
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Disinfo: The COVID-19 outbreak is a pretext by the ruling class to introduce tyranny

There is no certainty that this new coronavirus called COVID-19 is any more dangerous than any other virus in the past, but the ruling class and their minions in the mainstream media and beyond, are screaming at the top of their lungs that this is the scourge of mankind, and that tens of millions of Americans will become infected, and that millions might die. This is being promulgated by government at every level, by so-called national and world health organizations, and by a complicit media that seemingly does as it is told by those holding political power. This is being done regardless of the fact that no one knows much about this so-called virus, knows little or nothing about its true origin, and knows little about its mutations. Also, politicians, claimed authorities, and alleged experts are in the dark as to how particular cultures have been more susceptible than others, and are unwilling to discuss that the probable cause of this is due to a man-made strain created in a bio-weapons lab, even though a preponderance of evidence points in that direction. All possibilities should be discussed. […] Has all this panic been planned? The impending economic collapse caused by the Federal Reserve and its massive money printing is most likely going to be falsely blamed on the coronavirus, so what is the connection? Was this virus created for the purpose of covering up responsibility for an economic meltdown? Was it created to harm the economy of China and Iran? If not, is it being purposely used for these purposes? Is population control due to all these factors mentioned sought by the ruling class, and is this virus the impetus for gaining that control?

Disproof

An unfounded conspiracy theory, sharing a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about "secret elites" controlling world leaders. See related pro-Kremlin disinformation cases about the coronavirus.

Disinfo: The reason behind the coronavirus scaremongering is to weaken China as a state

There is another significant reason behind the campaigns of virus scaremongering. A critical one is to try to weaken China as a state, by impacting negatively upon Beijing’s ability to spread its financial clout and influence across continents. As a result of the coronavirus frenzy, the Chinese government is losing leverage in dealings with the US and other developed countries while the US economy and markets could actually benefit from the coronavirus.

Disproof

An unfounded conspiracy theory. There is no evidence provided to support such claims. See related disinformation cases downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic: mainstream media and governments overestimate the coronavirus threat; the coronavirus outbreak is a lie.

Disinfo: COVID-19 is a biological weapon to make the planet's population infertile

Coronavirus, COVID-19, is designed as a biological weapon. This is not just some kind of infection where you are cured and everything is fine. According to the results of analyses from China, at least 90% of men who have recovered, who had a mild form of the disease, became infertile. Essentially, this is sterilisation. If it doesn’t work out with LGBT, if it doesn’t work out with all kinds of child-free [ideologies], the planet will be sterilised with a virus.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence given. One of many recurring Kremlin disinformation narratives claiming that the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus is man-made. COVID-19 is not a biological weapon. It comes from a family of viruses originating in animals that include other viruses such as SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central China and has been rapidly spreading across the world, with cases being reported in 150 countries, territories and areas by 16th of March 2020. While many baseless conspiracy theories have emerged all around the world amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, there is no evidence confirming the claim that COVID-19 affects fertility in people. An article recently published on the Hubei government's website and deleted a few hours later suggests that there is a "theoretical" risk to men's reproductive health. Dire consequences are rare unless people have chronic cardiovascular or respiratory illnesses. Many other claims have been pushed by pro-Kremlin media since the outbreak started in January, for example, that governments overestimate the threat, that it was born in a laboratory to infect Chinese, that it is an element of hybrid warfare and that the remedy has been developed in Ukraine.