Disinfo: UFO’s, blaming China and the incursion in Venezuela are all US ruses to divert attention away from the coronavirus crisis

Summary

The coronavirus crisis created many problems in the US: not only it is the country with the highest number of deaths in the world, but the economy is also a disaster and unemployment is growing at a terrible pace. It is necessary to do something urgently to distract people. Now authorities confirm that UFOs are real, and even publish pictures and videos taken by military pilots. This could be a news bombshell, but it didn’t work in the United States as of today. So the White House came out with another plan: an avalanche of accusations against China as the source of all US problems. But this didn’t work either. So there is one remaining option: taking democracy and freedom somewhere, which is something that US citizens will definitely appreciate. Where? Venezuela, of course. They don’t want to deploy troops, so they use Colombian mercenaries as cannon fodder, this time not led by the CIA but by gentlemen of a private military company close to Donald Trump.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence provided to support the conclusions presented. Though 3 videos of unidentified flying objects by the Pentagon were officially released on April 27, 2020, the footage had already been made public in 2017 and confirmed as authentic by US military authorities in 2019. The Pentagon explained that they decided to officially release them now after confirming that they do not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems. There is no evidence of official US involvement in the failed military incursion of May 1, 2020 in Venezuela. Associated Press carried out a thorough investigation on the operation, including interviews with more than 30 people involved in it or familiar with its planning, but found no indication that US officials sponsored the actions of Jordan Goudreau, the promoter of the attempt. The US government has officially denied any participation or prior knowledge of the operation, a version that is supported by its amateurishness and lack of professionalism, highlighted by many independent observers. Goudreau is now under investigation by US federal authorities on potential charges of arms trafficking. In the past, Goudreau worked in the security detail of Donald Trump’s political events, as a Bellingcat open source investigation has shown, but this doesn’t mean that he is close to the president, contrary to the claim.

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es.news-front.info (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 196
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07/05/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Spanish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Venezuela, China, US
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Donald Trump, Secret elites / global elites, Economic difficulties, Foreign mercenaries
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Disinfo: Ukraine is turned into an agrarian and raw materials appendix of Europe

The main problem of Ukraine is that it is being intensively turned into an agrarian and raw materials appendix of Europe. Therefore, there’s no reason to invest in the Ukrainian agricultural industry. It is uninteresting to invest in agricultural or raw materials production, there is no added value, there is no profit, there are no earnings.

May 06, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine as a failed state. Consistent with pro-Kremlin narratives alleging that Ukraine is a degrading state that has failed to become part of Europe. According to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, top areas of economic activity in Ukraine for foreign investment are as follows: industry – 32.9%, wholesale and retail trade – 16.2%, financial and insurance activities – 12.9%, real estate transactions – 12.9%, professional, scientific, and technical activities – 6.5%. As the Financial Times writes about investing in Ukraine, "in spite of the conflict in the south-eastern Donbas region, economic growth is slowly picking up, and investment — though still below the level the country needs — is starting to flow." According to the US Department of State, "Ukraine has significant investment potential given its large consumer market, highly educated and cost-competitive workforce, and abundant natural resources. The Ukrainian government actively seeks foreign investment and established investment promotion agencies that have facilitated foreign investments. Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the EU gives Ukraine preferential market access and is accelerating Ukraine’s economic integration with the EU. Ukraine’s economy demonstrated a real GDP growth of 3.3% in 2018, and the IMF forecasts growth of 2.7% in 2019." For 2019, for the first time investments in Ukrainian startups and IT companies have reached half a billion dollars a year mark. The total volume of venture investments into Ukrainian IT companies has reached $510M, which is one and a half times more than the maximum of 2018.

Disinfo: Ukraine disrupts the peace talks between LDPR and Kyiv

It’s Ukraine which is not interested in conducting Trilateral contact group talks. The illegal regime of Kyiv, whose hands are already up to its elbows in blood, is trying to cheat, it doesn’t want to follow the Minsk agreements.

May 06, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine, casting Ukraine as the sole responsible party for the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Since 2014, negotiations with Russia to resolve the conflict in the Donbas have been held within the framework of the Normandy Format and the Minsk process. A special Trilateral contact group is working on a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas. Three parties are involved in this process: representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE. Unofficially, representatives of the "LDNR" factions are also present. At the end of April 2020, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian side in the Trilateral Contact Group offered to hold negotiations in a video format so that negotiations could continue. “At the beginning of each week, we have a Minsk video-call. We want to move forward. Because it is the only thing that brings us closer to solving this issue globally," the Ukrainian President emphasised. At the end of January 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the status of the monitoring procedure, where Russia was named as a “party to the Minsk agreements”. The PACE resolution noted that the Russian authorities should, among other things, “fully implement the Minsk agreements to which the Russian Federation is a party and to end its military intervention in, and support for, illegally armed formations in Eastern Ukraine." The second set of measures to implement the Minsk agreements was signed on 12 February 2015. The first paragraph of the document relates to an immediate ceasefire. Next, it is necessary to withdraw heavy weapons, ensure OSCE monitoring, release prisoners, grant Donbas special status and hold local elections, provide amnesty to the parties involved in the conflict and restore control over the Ukrainian-Russian border in the conflict zone. You can read other similar cases claiming that Ukraine does not fulfil key point of Minsk agreements on negotiation with the "LDNR" or that Ukraine broke the Minsk agreements by allowing the National Police on the contact line.

Disinfo: The EU would like to make money on "poor Ukraine"

The EU Council has approved the allocation of a loan of 1.2 billion euros for Ukraine. It means that the EU would like to make money on “poor Ukraine”. “Green power” [Zelensky’s team] will steal a billion euros, and force the Ukrainian people to return the money with interest.

May 06, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative undermining the statehood of Ukraine and casting it as abandoned by its partners. The European Union allocates money to help Ukraine and other countries cope with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU is confident that “together with the support from the International Monetary Fund, the funds will help enhance macroeconomic stability and create space to allow resources to be allocated towards protecting citizens and to mitigating the negative socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.” According to the press-release by the European Council, financial assistance will be provided in the form of loans on highly favourable terms. Ukraine's government believes that money from the EU will help the country. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba, this resource will provide economic stability in the state.