Disinfo: Ukraine will start issuing foreigners' passports as in the Baltic states

Summary

The law strengthening the use of the Ukrainian language adopted by Kyiv proves that Ukraine is following the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian scenarios, which means that disloyal parts of the population are excluded from public life based on their languages. The next step will be issuing passports for foreigners, as in the Baltic countries.

Disproof

This message is consistent with a recurring disinformation narrative about Ukrainian statehood and human rights violated in Ukraine. Alien's (non-citizen's) passports are issued in Estonia and Latvia. They were granted to the people who did not reside in the countries before their annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940, as well as to their descendants, in case they did not successfully pass exams proving proficiency in the state languages and knowledge of the countries' history. Despite the new law's ambiguity (president-elect Volodymyr Zelensky already stated he will be reviewing it), it is ungrounded to speculate about the introduction of alien's (non-citizen's) passports in Ukraine. For other disinformation cases about Russian language being suppressed see here.

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sputnik.by (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 147
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25/04/2019
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Latvia
  • Keywords: Ukraine, Ukrainian statehood, Conspiracy theory
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Apr 24, 2019
Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation on Western military, encircling Russia. Similar cases here and here. Unfounded claims on discontent on Gotland with the military presence on the island and on the military impeding tourism. Sweden established a military unit on the island of Gotland in 2018, consisting of a few hundred conscripts.

Disinfo: The EU Parliament is a place of corruption, voting in the elections is worthless

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Apr 24, 2019
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative questioning the EU institutions' legitimacy and powers and seeking to discourage voter turnout in elections.

The European Parliament is the EU's only directly-elected institution. Since 1979, it has been elected by EU voters every 5 years. The last elections were in May 2014, and the next ones are in May 2019. The European Parliament is one of the EU's two law-making bodies. It has constitutional-type and ratification powers. It passes EU laws, together with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission proposals. It has budgetary powers, scrutiny over the executive, hears citizens’ petitions, and appoints the European Ombudsman. A detailed overview of the European Parliament’s role in the European decision-making process can be consulted here.

Disinfo: Foreign media filmed a staged scene of another false chemical attack in Syria

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Apr 24, 2019
Disproof

No evidence is provided to support the claim. Accusations of staged scenes and filming of allegedly false chemical attacks in Syria are a recurring narrative in Russian propaganda. See other examples here, here and here.