Disinfo: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a vassal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Summary

According to the agreement between Erdoğan and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he is the sultan and the Ukrainian president is his vassal.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Ukraine and its relations with Turkey, consistent with a narrative about Ukraine being under external control.

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a vassal of the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They are presidents of two independent nations, whose relations are based on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In October, Ukraine and Turkey signed an agreement that enhances cooperation in the military sector. Both countries will cooperate in the development of new types of weapons and in other directions. Ukraine and Turkey are also negotiating a free trade agreement. It is expected that the new treaty will double the bilateral trade volume from the current $4.8 billion to $10 billion. Both agreements are based on respect for the interests of both sides.

The new Strategy of National Security of Ukraine identifies the Republic of Turkey as a strategic partner in the Black Sea region.

See similar disinformation cases alleging that US is no longer controls Ukraine, UK does, that Ukraine is under obvious external control, that Ukraine must obey orders from Washington and Brussels, or that US and IMF define and control political appointments in Ukraine.

Go to search

publication/media

radiovesti.ru (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 220
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10/11/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Turkey, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, Black Sea
see more

Disinfo: The possibility of mail-in voting fraud in the US is enormous because the postal service union supports Biden

On November 4 there may be a winner of the US election and some days later, another one. The postal service union openly supports Joe Biden, and the possibility of manipulating the mail-in voting is enormous.

Nov 09, 2020
Disproof

The claim is false. Though the National Association of Letter Carriers, the main postal service union of the US, endorsed Joe Biden in August 2014, the US authorities and FBI consider the possibility of mail-in voting fraud nearly impossible. Even with the unlikely massive participation of postal service workers, a fraud of this kind would not be feasible since the ballots are printed on very specific stock and often have specific tracking systems like bar codes.

This is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign on the US election. See other examples in our database, such as claims that the result doesn’t matter because the real ruler is the Deep State; that the Guardian exposed how US Democrats exploited mail-in voting irregularities; that an oligarch-sponsored insurrection against the people will take place around election day; or that the US is on the verge of a civil war, and militias are only a reaction against government abuse.

Disinfo: Crimea regained its Russian status in 2014

Crimea was part of Russia until the beginning of the fifties of the twentieth century, when the Soviet authority decided to transfer Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. Crimea regained its status as a Russian region in 2014 at the will of its residents.

Nov 09, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the annexation of Crimea claiming that Crimea has never really belonged to Ukraine.

The transfer of Crimea and Sevastopol to Ukraine was first officially agreed on 25 January 1954 at a meeting of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. The members of the Presidium, voting for the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine, took into account objective reasons: “the commonality of the economy, territorial proximity and close economic and cultural ties between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR.”

Disinfo: After Karabakh, Turkey will take over Crimea

The military-political alliance between Ukraine and Turkey will result in disastrous consequences, since in the event of a victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey will expand its geopolitical interests (meaning Crimea).

Nov 09, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the recent escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a continuation of the decades-old conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Pro-Kremlin media often attempt to involve Ukraine in the conflict in the Caucasus region by promoting contradictory claims that Kyiv will transport weapons to Azerbaijan or that Kyiv prepares militants to fight in Armenia.

There is no evidence that Ukraine is involved in any manner in the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Nor there is any evidence that Turkey has territorial claims for Crimea.