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Disinfo: The UK is bullying Russia about the Skripal case

Summary

The Skripals have been kidnapped and isolated from the rest of the world in order to keep them silent. London is afraid that Sergei Skripal will tell journalists the truth about what really happened.

Disproof

No evidence given. This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the Salisbury attack. British police have presented a solid chain of evidence about the Skripal case, including pictures, that connects the two suspects to particular locations in the case. Parts of the material have been released to the public. This is one of many competing and contradictory stories promulgated by Russian state-controlled media about the Skripal poisoning.

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RT Russia (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 138
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 21/02/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Country: UK, Russia
  • Keywords: novichok, Sergei Skripal, Conspiracy theory
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The US introduced anti-Russian sanctions that are illegal under international law

The US introduced anti-Russian sanctions that are illegal under international law. In recent years, the US has pursued a policy towards Russia that can hardly be described as friendly. Russia’s interests are ignored while anti-Russian activities are pursued. Without any provocation whatsoever from Russia, illegal sanctions under international law are imposed repeatedly.

Feb 20, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about international sanctions against Russia. In December 2018, the US imposed sanctions on Russian persons "in response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine, election interference, malicious cyber-enabled activities, human rights abuses, use of a chemical weapon, weapons proliferation, illicit trade with North Korea, and support to Syria". Earlier, In August 2017, the US imposed sanctions on Russia over its alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election, its annexation of Crimea, and its involvement in Syria’s civil war. At that time, sanctions were introduced against entities doing business with Russian military or intelligence agencies, companies involved in Russian off-shore oil projects, and those participating in Russian oil or gas pipeline construction within Russia. The economic sanctions imposed on Russia were a reaction to Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Sanctions were imposed not only by the United States, but also by Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and other European countries outside the EU, including Ukraine.

White Helmets are involved in organ trafficking in Syria

The White Helmets volunteer group is running a cross-border organ trafficking operation in Syria, according to a report presented during a UN Security Council Panel of Experts in December 2018. The report provides overwhelming evidence of the abuse perpetrated against Syrian civilians living under the occupation of the White Helmets. The UK and other countries that are financing the White Helmets are ignoring this evidence.

Feb 20, 2019
Disproof

The news item presents an unverified report to advance the recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about crimes and hoaxes perpetrated by the White Helmets. The report in question was presented by Maksim Grigoryev, a member of Russia's Civil Chamber, and bases its claims on a "fact-checking" methodology consisting solely of purported witness testimony and unverifiable hearsay. The presenter himself pointed out that Grigoryev's findings are merely "evidence heard" at this point, as the UN has yet to assess their veracity and take an official stance on them. Russian officials and media outlets have previously used dubious witness accounts to support the Kremlin's narratives about Syria. An interview with an 11-year-old Syrian boy was filmed at a Russian army base and broadcast on the state-owned Rossiya-24 channel as proof that the Douma chemical attack had never occurred. A similar tactic was used at an OPCW hearing in The Hague, where the Russian delegation presented a group of Syrian nationals as supposed witnesses to the fact that the chemical attack never took place.

Russian takeover of Crimea prevented Polish coup d'état in Belarus

Russia is the only state genuinely interested in Ukraine’s integrity. Western countries want Ukraine as a state to disappear. The US was only interested in Crimea as a springboard for US missiles, to create a deadly threat to Russia and Belarus. If Crimea were under the Pentagon’s control, the situation in the whole region would change radically for the worse, and provoke Poland’s aggression. If Poland wouldn’t execute an outright military intervention in Belarus, it would have at least organised a successful coup d’état.

Feb 20, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Russia's true peaceful intentions that contains disinformation elements about the war in Ukraine and the West's aggressive intentions. It is consistent with other recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives that Russia did not contribute to the disintegration of Donbas and that there are no Russian soldiers in Ukraine. For similar cases see here. There is absolutely no evidence that the US planned a takeover of Crimea or planned to place any missiles on the peninsula. The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that “[t]he information available suggests that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol amounts to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This international armed conflict began at the latest on 26 February 2014 when the Russian Federation deployed members of its armed forces to gain control over parts of the Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian Government." There is no evidence given for the claim that Poland was or would have prepared an aggressive operation against Belarus. This is another recurring disinformation narrative, as shown in previous cases here and here.