Disinfo: The IMF USD 5 billion credit to Ecuador is considered as a payment for Julian Assange

Summary

The IMF USD 5 billion credit to Ecuador is considered as a payment for Assange.

The new administration of Ecuador has in effect sold Assange to the United States. World financial institutions which are under US control have decided to grant substantial loans to the country

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence. Consistent with pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the IMF.

IMF is an international organization with 189 members, including the US and Russia. The decision making at the IMF is designed to reflect the relative positions of its member countries in the global economy. The IMF continues to undertake reforms to ensure that its governance structure adequately reflects fundamental changes taking place in the world economy.

In March 2019 The Executive Board of the IMF today approved a US$ 4.2 billion arrangement under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Ecuador. This arrangement will provide support for the Ecuadorean government’s economic policies over the next three years.The IMF loan is a part of a wider financial package provided by the multilateral lenders, such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the CAF Andean development bank.

The President of Ecuador has stated that the IMF loan will create more work opportunities and is a sign of Ecuador regaining its international credibility. Read more.

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Reported in: Issue 145
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14/04/2019
Language/target audience: Russian
Country: Ecuador
Keywords: Julian Assange, IMF
Outlet: Itogi Nedeli @ NTV (19:19 – 19:28) Vesti Nedeli @ Rossiya 1 (35:30 - 36:51)

Mueller report concludes that there was no Russian meddling in the US elections, new sanctions against Russia are unfounded

Despite the prosecutor Robert Mueller’s report, concluding that there is no evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections, Washington is preparing new sanctions against Moscow.

It is unlikely that these Russian defendants will ever show up in an American courtroom. Therefore, no alleged evidence on which these allegations are based will be subject to adversarial review. This is essential, especially in the cyberworld, as leaked internal CIA documents have revealed that intelligence agencies can usurp the origin of an attack to give the impression that it came from a different country than the one who actually perpetrated it.

April 16, 2019

Disproof

Although Robert Mueller's investigation was concluded with no proof of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign, it did conclude that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Mueller's report determined that there were "two main Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election" (see further debunking by The Insider). It led indeed to US senators proposals to extend sanctions on Russia to deter it from further elections meddling.

The given conspiracy-like explanation that the incriminated Russians won't show up in the court in US and therefore are considered innocent is not sustainable. The unwillingness to show up in court could not be considered as a proof of innocence, but rather as disrespect to rule of law implementation proceedings. Russian prosecution also did not make any effort to interrogate the incriminated Russian citizens itself.

NATO activity in Black Sea creates dangers to be countered, after Ukraine’s provocation in the Kerch Strait

The latest major provocation organised by Kiev took place on November 25, when three ships of the Ukrainian Navy violated the Russian border near the Kerch Strait. They were conducting dangerous manoeuvrers and refusing to obey orders from the Coast Guard before attempting illegal actions in Russian territorial waters. The Russian coastguard then used weapons to stop them. Russian authorities arrested 24 Ukrainian soldiers, including two members of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). These agents were on board the ships to coordinate the provocation.

Russia condemns the intense activity of NATO in the Black Sea and will take appropriate and adequate measures to neutralise the dangers resulting from a growing NATO activity.

April 16, 2019

Disproof

A continuation of the pro-Kremlin narrative that, on November 24th 2018, Ukrainian ships approached the Kerch Strait without giving any warning, leading the Russian side to open fire.

The use of the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov is regulated by a bilateral treaty between Russia and Ukraine, signed in 2003 and ratified by Russia in 2004. According to the document, the Sea of Azov is considered to be the “internal waters” of both Russia and Ukraine.

The US is planning a provocation by NATO against Russia in the Black Sea

The NATO is increasing its activities in the Black Sea [reconnaissance flights and presence of military vessels] because the US wishes to provoke an incident between NATO and Russia, similar to the provocation that took place in Kerch. The US wants to provoke a violent Russian response in order to block rapprochement between Russia and Turkey and to undermine the Turkish stream natural gas pipeline project.

April 16, 2019

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western provocations in the Black Sea.

No evidence is provided about US plans to provoke an incident between NATO and Russia in the Black Sea.