Disinfo: There is no evidence that Russia interfered in the 2020 US presidential election

Summary

There is no evidence that Russia interfered in the 2020 US presidential election.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation theme attempting to depict accusations of Russian interference in the 2020 US presidential elections, in the 2016 US presidential elections, and in other political processes in Western countries as factually unfounded.

The US Treasury Department stated that Russian Intelligence Services “operate a network of websites that obscure their Russian origin to appeal to Western audiences” - including outlets such as SouthFront, NewsFront, InfoRos and the Strategic Culture Foundation - that “focus on divisive issues in the United States, denigrate U.S. political candidates, and disseminate false and misleading information”, and took part in a coordinated effort to interfere in the recent US presidential elections.

These pro-Kremlin outlets, according to US State Department researchers and independent experts, had a significant impact in increasing polarisation in the US prior to both the 2016 and the 2020 presidential elections.

Moreover, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), stated that:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized, and a range of Russian government organizations conducted, influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the US.”

Media researchers tracked online disinformation activity to meddle in the presidential election, which can be traced back to the activities of the Russian Internet Research Agency.

Many media outlets reported on Kremlin efforts to influence the 2020 US presidential elections, including Time, NPR and The Washington Post.

See here for an overview of Russia's methods of electoral interference.

For case studies on Russia's electoral interference see here.

Read similar cases claiming that EU countries, not Russia, interferred in us-elections 2016 and 2020, that claims about Russian interference in the 2020 and 2016 US Presidential elections are ridiculous and that Washington's frequent accusations about the Russian interference in the us political processes are all unfounded

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it.sputniknews.com (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 242
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 29/04/2021
  • Article language(s) Italian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: election meddling, US Presidential Election 2020
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Disinfo: Accusing Russia of the Vrbetice explosion attempts to abort its rapprochement with Europe

Every time that there is a rapprochement between Russia and any EU country affecting energy supplies, there are setups like the alleged Russian involvement in the Vrbetice explosion. The West does precisely what they accuse Russia of doing, hybrid warfare. When the Nord Stream 2 was close to being approved we saw the case of the alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and now, when Russia is helping Czechia in the nuclear field, we see a supposed intervention of Russian agents to blow up a munitions dump as in a James Bond movie.

All this only serves to maintain Europe under the US geopolitical aegis, along with UK and Poland, which is their lapdog. Europe is at a crossroad: for the first time, its first trade partner is not the US but China, and Russia will have to be a first-class trade partner as well. So in face of this change, there is resistance from those who, until now, rather than partners, have been the masters and owners of Western Europe.

Apr 28, 2021
Disproof

This is part of a disinformation campaign about the events surrounding the Vrbetice explosion in 2014, which killed two people and led to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the Czech Republic in April 2021.

Contrary to the claim, accusations of Russia’s involvement in the Vrbetice explosion in 2014 are backed by conclusive evidence. The investigation by Czech authorities established beyond doubt that GRU [Russia’s military intelligence] agents Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin, the same individuals considered responsible for the attempted murder of Sergey Skripal in Salisbury in 2018, were behind the Vrbetice explosion (see here for further details). In the same fashion, the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny wasn’t a plot against Nord Stream 2 but a Russian intelligence operation, as has been proven by international investigators (see here our previous debunk).

Disinfo: Western-Russian relations deteriorated because of Western actions

It is noteworthy that relations between Russia and Western countries, in particular, the United States of America and the countries of the European Union, deteriorated against the background of the Ukrainian crisis, the return of the Crimea to the motherland in March 2014, and the West's imposition of sanctions on Russia.

Apr 28, 2021
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative attempting to put responsibility for the deterioration in relations between Russia and the West exclusively on the latter, ignoring the reasons behind the sanctions.

The West and specifically the EU has imposed restrictive measures, including sectoral sanctions, as a result of the of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's destabilising actions in eastern Ukraine.

Disinfo: Many defended DNR and LNR against Kyiv military operation

In the aftermath of the coup in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the citizens of the Donbas region announced the establishment of two popular republics - the Donetsk Republic and the Luhansk Republic. The Ukrainian regime responded to this action by launching a military operation in an attempt to regain control of the region. The attempt was unsuccessful, as many citizens of the region, most of them Russians or Russian speakers, volunteered to defend the two popular republics.

Apr 28, 2021
Disproof

Recurring disinformation message about eastern Ukraine, claiming that the aggression came as a response to the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv, often painted as a coup d'état, while claiming that local dwellers resisted alone without Russian military support and founded the DPR and LPR, at the same time undermining Ukrainian statehood.

Ukraine is not at war with millions of people from Donetsk and Luhansk as pro-Kremlin disinformation often likes to present it. The aim of these messages is to present the situation in Eastern Ukraine as an internal conflict, ignoring irrefutable evidence of direct Russian military involvement in the region. These claims intentionally misrepresent the reality of Russia's direct and crucial important support to separatist militant groups in Eastern Ukraine.