Disinfo: The US admits that its goal in Syria is to defend terrorists from Russian attacks

Summary

The US openly admits now that its goal in Syria is to make it difficult for Moscow and Damascus to defeat the terrorists. US special envoy for Syria just admitted that the US aims to defend jihadist militants in Idlib against the “Russian aggression”, showing once again that the swamp in Foggy Bottom is alive and well. Russia and the Syrian government want a military victory in all Syria and the US goal is to make it very difficult for them to achieve it through a variety of diplomatic, military and other actions, US diplomat told journalists in Brussels. He described chemical attacks as “a favourite tactic of the Syrian regime to advance”, which is not true since the alleged attacks happen always after victories of the Syrian regime, as a pretext for US intervention.

Disproof

This is a deliberate distortion of the statements of US special envoy James Jeffrey, who actually said that his country is “focused on the humanitarian disaster” and on “security, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic steps” to “ensure that a ceasefire remains” in Idlib (see here his full statement). He explained that they don’t think Damascus and Moscow are interested in a ceasefire but want a military victory in all Syria, so the US goal is to make it very difficult for them. There is a difference between that and “preventing them from defeating the terrorists”, as claimed. Chemical attacks in Syria, including by the Syrian government, have been well documented by many institutions and proven by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, despite Russian denials. This is a mix of several recurrent Kremlin-led disinformation narratives on Syria, presenting the US as a terrorist-friendly actor and Russia and chemical attacks against rebels as false-flag provocations. You can see other examples of Russian disinformation on Syria, such as the extent of Bashar Al Assad’s popularity, his human rights record, the international support for Russia’s intervention in the country’s civil war, the White Helmet’s fabrication of chemical attacks in Douma and other places in order to justify a Western intervention, claims that ISIS founder Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi was not killed but evacuated by the US, or the alleged Western backing of terrorist groups there.

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  • Reported in: Issue 190
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 11/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Spanish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Syria, US, Russia
  • Keywords: Idlib, Terrorism, Syrian War
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Disinfo: The MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter

The MH17 was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter. Talking about the Joint Investigation Team, as the most victims of the catastrophe were the citizens of Australia and the Netherlands, the participation of these two countries in JIT is legitimate, while the participation of Belgium and Ukraine is “suspicious”. There was absolutely no ground to involve Belgium in the investigation. One should take into account though, that the country is the brain centre (sic!) of both the EU and the NATO. Also, Kyiv’s participation is questionable, as it is the main suspect in shooting down the flight.

Mar 10, 2020
Disproof

It is a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aiming to discredit the International Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and the progress made in the investigation of the downing of the flight MH17. A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is an investigation team set up for a fixed period, based on an agreement between two or more EU Member States and/ or competent authorities, for a specific purpose. On the one hand, two Europol member states should participate in a JIT, according to Europol. That is the reason why Belgium is involved in its work. On the other hand, there has been no information on any activities of Belgium in the criminal investigation of the downing of MH17. Therefore it is safe to say that Belgium's role in the JIT is rather formal. The JIT, which is comprised of the Dutch Public Prosecution Service officials and the Dutch police, along with police and criminal justice authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine - has concluded that flight MH17 was shot down on 17 July 2014 by a missile of the 9M38 series, launched by a BUK-TELAR, from farmland in the vicinity of Pervomaiskiy. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service will prosecute Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy, Oleg Pulatov, and Leonid Kharchenko for causing the crash of MH17 and murdering the 298 persons on board. The trial opened on 9 March in the Netherlands. The European Union and NATO called on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with all efforts to establish accountability. On the basis of the JIT’s conclusions, the Netherlands and Australia are convinced that Russia is responsible for the deployment of the BUK installation that was used to down MH17. The two governments are formally holding Russia accountable. Find further disinformation narratives here about how The Netherlands is going to sabotage the MH17 trial, The MH17 trial will be a show process, and that There was no BUK, MH17 crashed because of an explosion on board.

Disinfo: Mainstream media and governments overestimate the coronavirus threat

There is little doubt that the coronavirus threat is overestimated by mainstream media and governments. Covid-19 is in fact an ordinary viral disease with a slightly higher mortality from complications for people of old age or people with weakened immunity. Another open secret is that the current hysteria over the outbreak is being successfully used by some players to achieve their own economic and geopolitical goals. Looking at the current situation in Europe, one could suppose that some forces have seized an opportunity and are now fueling the coronavirus crisis intentionally.

Mar 10, 2020
Disproof

This is a conspiracy theory, presented with no evidence to support the claim that the coronavirus crisis is being intentionally exploited for economic and geopolitical goals. This is a continuation of pro-Kremlin disinformation efforts about the coronavirus outbreak, aiming to put blame on the West for allegedly exploiting the outbreak for their own purposes, namely isolating China. While many baseless conspiracy theories have emerged all around the world amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, there is no evidence that Western media are deliberately promoting them with malign intent. On the other hand, there is mounting evidence that pro-Kremlin media are spreading disinformation on the disease for political purposes through a coordinated campaign. The mortality rate of the coronavirus has varied by country and estimates differ, however, it is more deadly than most strains of the flu. Since it is a new disease, humans do not have any immunity to it. The rapid spread of the virus around the world threatens to overwhelm public health systems, particularly in poorer countries, resulting in more deaths and other adverse societal and economic impacts. In a statement on 5 March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation drove home the gravity of the situation, saying: "this epidemic is a threat for every country, rich and poor. [...] This is not a drill. [...] Although COVID-19 presents an acute threat now, it is absolutely essential that countries do not lose this opportunity to strengthen their preparedness systems." For related disinformation cases, see here.

Disinfo: The coronavirus represents the end of globalisation

The coronavirus epidemic represents the end of globalization. The open society is ripe for infection. Anyone who wants to tear down borders prepares the territory for the total annihilation of humanity. You can smile, of course, but people in white HazMat suits will put a stop to the inappropriate laughter. Only closedness can save us. Closedness in all senses – closed borders, closed economies, closed supply of goods and products, what Fichte called a “closed trade state.” Soros should be lynched, and a monument should be built for Fichte.

Mar 10, 2020
Disproof

An apocalyptic narrative, depicting the coronavirus as a "plague" that might lead to the end of civilisation as we know it. EU, national and international bodies are coordinating measures to handle the spread of the contagion, treat the infected and maintain societal functions. The narrative of the "imminent collapse" is one of the core instruments of pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets, used to sow discord, panic and diminish trust in national authorities, EU and international institutions. Read about EU's response on the coronavirus here. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus here.