Disinfo: The US, not Russia, has not disposed of its toxic war material

Summary

The United States, not Russia, is the only country participating in the Chemical Weapons Convention that has not yet disposed of its stockpiles of toxic war materials. It is unequivocally known that Washington has the technical capacity and financial resources to accelerate the process of eliminating chemical weapons

Disproof

A recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative claiming that Russia shut down all its chemical weapons programmes, while the US has not.

In September 2017, the international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) did in fact confirm the destruction of the 39,967 tonnes of chemical weapons possessed by Russia, but Novichoks were never declared to the OPCW and were not included in the Chemical Weapons Convention until 2019.

According to a UK intelligence assessment, based on open-source analysis and intelligence information, over the past decade, Russia has produced and stockpiled Novichok agents. Bellingcat also published an investigation concerning this matter.

As of May 2021, the US, on the other hand, has destroyed 96.52% of its Category 1 chemical weapons stockpile and all of its Category 2 and Category 3 chemical weapons, in a process that started in June 2019, and it is scheduled to be eliminated by Dec. 31, 2023, after the construction of the necessary destruction facilities.

Read similar cases in our database claiming that Russia got rid of chemical weapons, unlike the US; that Russia has destroyed its chemical weapons arsenal while the US has not; that Russia got rid of chemical weapons, unlike the US; and that Russia has destroyed its chemical arsenal… the US has not.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 290
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 06/05/2022
  • Article language(s) Arabic
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: Chemical weapons/attack
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Disinfo: Poland will try to gain full military control in Ukrainian territories under the guise of protecting the Polish population from Russia

The Western press continues to blatantly conceal Poland's claim to a piece of disintegrating Ukraine. Warsaw, on the other hand, is not so simple and, according to Russian intelligence, may be preparing its army for manoeuvres against western Ukraine. While Russia is declared the culprit for all Ukrainian problems by Western politicians, official Kyiv should have been worried about a possible attack by its troubled Polish neighbour. Warsaw increasingly dreams of deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine. And according to some experts, Poland will try to gain full military control in some Ukrainian territories under the guise of supposedly protecting the Polish population from Russia. As a reminder, Warsaw has for many years laid claim to the territories of Western Ukraine that were annexed to Ukraine as a result of the Second World War. Moreover, as a member of the military alliance, Poland could gain a number of strategic advantages

Disproof

Recurring narrative presenting Poland as a state which has imperial ambitions. This is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about denying statehood legitimicy and the disintegration of Ukraine.

No evidence is given about Poland's alleged attempts to occupy territories in Western Ukraine. This narrative exploits difficult issues in Polish-Ukrainian history, without any factual basis. Poland adheres to international law regarding state borders and has no territorial claims upon Ukraine.

Disinfo: Zelenskyy is just a PR-director in Washington's game

The Ukrainian crisis was created by the US politicians. Ukraine is just a theatre and its president is a PR director. The script was written behind closed doors in Washington, which did not want Europeans to know about it. Only the US stands to gain from the conflict - Ukraine will be devastated and Europe will suffer heavy losses. The US wants to secure decades of hegemony. Washington plans to increase Europe's dependence and "teach a lesson" to China, which is considering annexing Taiwan.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, alleging that the country is under the external control of the US.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a democratically elected leader of Ukraine. Ukraine is an internationally recognised sovereign state with its own constitution, democratically elected parliament and president. Ukraine is not controlled by the US, EU or any other foreign government or organisation. Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by almost the whole world, including the EU, with Russia as the noticeable exception