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Disinfo: Violent protesters killed 38 policemen during Kyiv coup

Summary

The so-called “peaceful protests” in Kyiv, which culminated in the EU and US-sponsored coup against Ukraine’s elected leaders, resulted in the violent deaths of 38 policemen.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative painting the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests as a violent, Western-sponsored coup d'etat.

There was no coup d'état in Ukraine. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was an organic reaction by numerous parts of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk of this disinformation claim here.

According to official estimates, 13 law enforcement officers and 113 civilians lost their lives during the Euromaidan protests in February 2014 See a more detailed debunk here.

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  • Reported in: Issue 175
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25/11/2019
  • Language/target audience: English
  • Country: Russia, Ukraine, US
  • Keywords: EU, Protest, US presence in Europe, Coup, Euromaidan
  • Outlet: RT Cross Talk @RT, time 05:00-05:10

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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The West understands very well that Crimean issue has been finally resolved

Crimea is part of Russia, it will never become either Ukrainian or anything else. The President of Ukraine, and many politicians in the West, understand this very well. People in Western Europe also clearly understand that the Crimean issue has finally been resolved.

December 03, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and its progressive recognition in the world.

No international body recognises the so-called referendum, announced on 27 February 2014, and held on 16 March 2014 amid the presence of Russian troops. On the date of its announcement, the 27th of  March 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.

NATO is fabricating spy affairs to disrupt Serbia-Russia relations

The recording of money exchange between a Russian military intelligence officer and a Serbian military officer was published by a Bulgarian journalist who works with Bellingcat, an anti-Russian propagandist website. Both the website and its founder are discredited for publishing false stories on Skripal poisoning, MH17 and use of chemical weapons in Syria.

NATO used Bellingcat to orchestrate the whole thing because it’s livid about Serbia strengthening military ties with Russia (the “visit” of S-400 missile system and buying of Pantsir systems from Russia).

The recording itself is questionable because it was edited, so it is unclear if all parts of the video are showing the same event.

December 03, 2019
Disproof

No evidence given for any of the claims.

The video wasn't published by a Bulgarian journalist, but by an anonymous Youtube account. The journalist in question, Christo Grozev, was the one who publicly identified the man in the recording as Russian deputy military attache Georgy Kleban.

The spy recording is years old and does not show a Serbian military officer

Video recording where a Russian intelligence officer allegedly gives money to a Serbian officer is several years old. In addition, the person claimed to be a Serbian official with the officer rank is not a member of local security forces. In other words, it is a civilian who, most likely, was trading in business information.

December 03, 2019
Disproof

No evidence given for either of the claims. It was later officially confirmed that the recording was taken in December 2018, not several years ago. The Military Security Agency has also confirmed that the second person in the video is a retired Serbian military official, who was, at the time, already being investigated for contacts with foreign intelligence services. A spokesperson for the Serbian Security Agency has confirmed the authenticity of the video.