Disinfo: The US unilaterally withdraw from the INF treaty which is a core agreement for stability and global security

Summary

The US unilaterally withdraw from the INF treaty which is a core agreement for stability and global security.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the INF Treaty. Extensive evidence has been provided of Russia's violations of the INF Treaty. Russia bears primary responsibility for the end of the INF Treaty, because it has produced, tested and deployed the 9M729 missile, which violates the agreement. In July 2014, then-US President Obama officially accused Russia of testing a missile in violation of the INF Treaty, which prohibits the US or Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5500 kilometres. In a joint statement released after the meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 December 2018, NATO Foreign Ministers stated that the United States has remained in full compliance with its obligations under the INF Treaty since it entered into force and that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security." US and NATO have repeatedly engaged with Russia to preserve the INF treaty. For background on pro-Kremlin myths on the INF Treaty see here.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 159
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 27/07/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Italian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: INF Treaty
see more

Disinfo: The Ukrainian reforms of 2014 led to total degradation

In Ukraine, the regime changed in 2014. What happened in return? The degradation of the economy and the degradation of all basic life indicators. Except one: citizens of Ukraine have the opportunity to flee their country without visas.

Disproof

The recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Ukraine, its economy, and how it was ruined after 2014. It's not the reforms of 2014, but the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the war in Donbas, which started in April 2014, and the loss of Ukraine's largest trading partner, Russia, resulting in Ukraine's economy shrinking by 6,8% in 2014. However, according to the International Monetary Fund, the growth rate of Ukraine's gross domestic product has been around 3 percent a year for the last three years, and the IMF predicts a similar rate even for the long term.

Disinfo: Russia is the most liberal country where everyone has the opportunity to speak

Russia is the most liberal country where everyone who is not lazy has the opportunity to speak. Meanwhile, in the advanced so-called Western countries, media are closed and they don’t accredit those who don’t please them.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative aimed at portraying the West as depraved, and Russia as the superior country. According to the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, Russia is in 149th place out of 180 countries. "Leading independent news outlets have either been brought under control or throttled out of existence. As TV channels continue to inundate viewers with propaganda, the climate has become very oppressive for those who question the new patriotic and neoconservative discourse, or just try to maintain quality journalism. More journalists are now in prison than at any time since the fall of the Soviet Union and more and more bloggers are being jailed", the report claims. Furthermore, according to Freedom House, Russia is not free country. "Pervasive, hyper-patriotic propaganda and political repression, particularly since the Russian forces’ invasion of Ukraine in 2014, have had a cumulative impact on open and free private discussion, and the chilling effect is exacerbated by growing state efforts to control expression on the internet. The government’s surveillance capabilities have increased significantly in recent years, and while most citizens are not subject to regular state supervision, authorities are thought to monitor the activities and personal communications of activists, journalists, and opposition members, according to the human rights organisation Agora".

Disinfo: US and NATO are co-perpetrators in organ trafficking

International factors were involved in organ trafficking crime in Kosovo. The US and NATO were helping the Albanians and they are co-perpetrators of all these crimes. Organ trafficking was a way to earn big money that the Albanians needed to buy weapons.

Disproof

There is no evidence provided for the claims that the US and NATO were involved in this crime. These allegations are connected to the so-called "Medicus case" which was tried before a court and brought forward convictions of two doctors. See more disinformation cases about Kosovo here.