Disinfo: Ukraine buried the main waterway of Crimea - the North Crimean Canal

Summary

Ukraine buried the main water source of Crimea – the North Crimean Canal. The North Crimean Canal is completely destroyed. The Ukrainian government has buried entire branches of the national economy, dooming millions of people to a miserable existence. The North Crimean Canal, which previously supplied the Crimea with water and was actually the main water artery of the peninsula, was dehydrated and destroyed. After the Ukrainian authorities, together with the radicals, cut off the water on the peninsula, the canal was abandoned, it simply dried up.

Disproof

A recurring Kremlin narrative about the "destruction by Ukraine", in this case referring to the North Crimean Canal that supplied the Dnipro water to Crimea before the Russian annexation. The claim that a part of the North Crimean Canal (NCC), which is located in mainland Ukraine, is in "disrepair" due to the blockage of water after the Russian occupation of Crimea does not correspond to reality. The capacities of the water conduit in the Kherson region, which borders the Crimea, are periodically inspected, and also used for their intended purpose by the local population. For example, in March of this year, the Dnieper began to fill the channel of the North-Crimean Canal. In April, the channel of the NCC in the Kherson region was filled up to working levels for irrigation of agricultural lands. Nevertheless, the Crimean sections of the North Crimean Canal are really being destroyed. There is a huge amount of evidence pointing to the destruction and neglect of the North Crimean Canal in Crimea. Currently, Ukraine is not responsible for the parts of the NCC destroyed in Crimea, because, according to international law, it is Russia, as an occupying country, that is obliged to provide Crimeans with all necessities (Section III, Part III of the Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949 on the Protection of civilian population during war). This fact was once again confirmed by the UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. UN experts insist that, given the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the Kremlin has primary responsibility for ensuring civilian access to water in Crimea.

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  • Reported in: Issue 215
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 05/10/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: illegal annexation, War crimes, Occupation, Crimea
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Disinfo: Germany trains Russian and European journalists to create fakes about Russia

The German Association “Potsdam Media International” will train media workers in Russia and Europe in disseminating false information about the Russian Federation, reports the telegram channel “Committee for National Interests”. The editorial office believes that at this course, obviously, media workers will be taught creation of fakes, political provocations and stovepiping. Including directed against Russia.

Oct 04, 2020
Disproof

The claim refers to the conference M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, organized each year, from 2005, in Potsdam, Germany, by Potsdam Media International E.V and many partners. The event brings together Europe's top editors, commentators and media owners alongside key public figures to assess the role and impact of the media in international affairs and to promote democracy and freedom of expression and speech, as it is mentioned on the official web site. This year, the final conference of M100 took place on 17 September. The topic was ”Shaping the Post-Covid Media Order”. There is no thematic mention of Russia on the agenda of the final discussions on September 17, nor in the previous days of training. The claim is false, in line with widespread disinformation narrative on any activities of Western NGOs related to democratic processes and the media, presenting them as actions directed against Russia. See here a case claiming that Anglo-Saxons are at the edge of anti-Russian attack and here a case presenting a media literacy course in Moldovan schools, supported by Western NGO’s, as one aiming to remove Russian information from the media space.

Disinfo: East Germany was attached to the West as a colony

30 years ago, on the 3rd October 1990, West and East Germany united and became one state. This is the official version. In fact it was unfriendly incorporation and East Germany, former GDR betrayed by the Soviet Union attached to the West as a colony.

Oct 04, 2020
Disproof

Historical revisionism and disinformation about the unification of Germany. The downfall of the German Democratic Republic was triggered by the decay of the other communist regimes in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Berlin wall, first free multiparty elections took place in East Germany, where a the eastern counterpart of Christian Democratic Union won the majority of votes. The new government began negotiations for a treaty of unification of Germany, amid a surging tide of refugees from East to West. The final barrier to reunification fell in July 1990 when German chancellor Kohl prevailed upon Gorbachev to drop his objections to a unified Germany within the NATO alliance in return for sizable financial aid to the Soviet Union. A unification treaty was ratified by the Bundestag and the People’s Chamber in September and went into effect on October 3, 1990. The German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic as five additional Länder (federal states). Read more about the reunification of Germany here. The economic and other differenced between the Eastern and Western parts of Germany still exist, but there is no basis to claim that the Eastern part of the country is colonized by the Western one.

Disinfo: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict leads to more tensions in the Donbas

Ukraine is ready to team up with Azerbaijan and Turkey simply because Turkeys does not recognise Crimea as part of the Russian Federation. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has already led to more tensions in the Donbas, including increased military activity. Later, we will certainly see a Ukraine-Turkey alliance against Russia.

Oct 04, 2020
Disproof

Recurring narrative treating Crimea as the territory of the Russian Federation. The narrative also represents a recent trend attempting to connect conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh with Ukraine.

The EU does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation and continues to condemn this violation of international law. In June 2020 the European Council decided to renew the sanctions introduced in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation until 23 June 2021. Ukraine did express support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, but called for a peaceful solution and said it supports the efforts of Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - which is co-chaired by the Russian Federation. Based on the daily reports on the OSCE Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the number of ceasefire violations in the Donbas did not increase meaningfully after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalated. Thus, it cannot be proven that Ukraine, as an answer to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, increased pressure on the region.