Disinfo: The main activity of the Latvian state is the trade of Russophobia

Summary

Latvian sprat companies struggle because of the Russian counter-sanctions. Even the Latvian state is not able to help them. In fact, the Latvian state’s main activity is the trade of Russophobia.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Russophobia in the Baltic States and, in particular, in Latvia. See similar cases here.

Such disinformation narratives are often combined with criticism on the sanctions against Russia which followed the annexation of Crimea and conflict in Eastern Ukraine and attempts to prove that EU countries suffer more from the sanctions imposed by Russia in return, as in this case.

Most research support the view that sanctions, imposed on Russia by the US and EU following the annexation of Crimea and Russian meddling in the US election, were an effective tool. The Russian economy has been performing worse under sanctions. In 2014, Russian GDP growth was as low as 0.7%. As proved by World Bank data, it decreased by 2,3% in 2015 and had a modest revival afterwards with 0.3%, 1.6% and 2.3% of growth during 2016-2018. In contrast, during the same period, the EU's economy did not experience recession and had an annual GDP growth of between 1.8% and 2.5%.

Latvia’s full-year GDP growth in 2019 is forecast to slow to 3.0% according to the European Economic Forecast of Summer 2019 while the Russian economy has forecast growth of 1.2% in 2019, according to the World Bank in its Russia Economic Report.

See an earlier disinformation case alleging that the EU's sanctions against Russia were introduced to prevent the development of the Eurasian Economic Union

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Reported in: Issue 167
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 06/10/2019
Language/target audience: Belarusian, Russian
Country: Latvia, Russia
Keywords: Economic difficulties, Russophobia, Sanctions, Baltic states
Outlet: Sputnik Belarus, video @ time 0:00 and 0:27 - 0:32

Ukraine will fight with Donbas and kill its people

Today, Ukraine demonstrates its barbarism, in contrast to the civilised Kyrgyzstan. It is not going to sit down and negotiate with the regions that have not accepted the results of the Maidan, rather it is going to fight with them, that is, to kill. Even Zelenskyy speaks of the return of the territories, but he does not speak of people.

October 08, 2019

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Kyiv government sabotaging peace in the Donbas region. See previous cases about the Minsk agreements and the war in Ukraine.

It is Russia which continues violating Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity since February 2014. In March 2014, in the absence of de-escalatory steps by Russia, the European Council imposed the first travel bans and asset freezes against persons involved in actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity. In July 2014, in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in eastern Ukraine, the EU imposed economic sanctions in July 2014 and reinforced them in September 2014. In March 2015, the European Council linked the duration of EU sanctions on Russia to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements, acknowledging Russia's responsibility to uphold the Agreements. See here for an overview of EU restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine.

Narrative claiming “downing of the MH17 was Russia’s fault” begins to fall apart

The narrative claiming that the “downing of the MH17 was Russia’s fault” begins to fall apart.

October 07, 2019

Disproof

This is one narrative in pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about the MH17 crash.

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, 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 the MH17 and murdering the 298 persons on board. The public hearing is scheduled for March 9th 2020 in the Netherlands.

The public opinion is turning from politically correct liberal ideology to mental illness

The rise in activities against the Russian threat is directly connected to drafting the new Norwegian defence budget.

Facts are not noticed even when Moscow is waving them under the nose, this happened with the witnesses of the Douma fake gas attack who were brought to Hague.

The situation is becoming worse as the public opinion is turning from politically correct liberal ideology to becoming mentally ill.

October 07, 2019

Disproof

Regarding the draft defence budget, its actually exactly the opposite - European countries have been increasing their defence spending after the acts of aggression by Russian military forces in Ukraine.

The claim is probably a reference to Russia bringing witnesses to a meeting at OPCW. "Russia has been accused of carrying out an “obscene masquerade” for transporting 17 Syrian people to Europe to assert that no chemical weapons attack occurred in the town of Douma earlier this month," The Guardian reports. Numerous countries called for an end to such unacceptable Russian defamation of the OPCW. They also called the so-called information meeting at OPCW headquarters that Russia held 'nothing more than a crude propaganda exercise'. See similar cases here.