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Old March 23rd, 2018 #61
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Who is really interfering?



20 March 2018 - 20:40







We are used to our Western partners staging a dramatic show in the press before every election. We said it would be the same this time and we were asked to cite examples. So here are just a few and they are real eye-openers.

As it often happens, the tone was set by the ruling elite in a number of states that tried to present the Russian election as not honest, transparent, fair or legitimate. At the behest of politicians, the media – so-called independent observers and other “Russia experts” – amplified the message.

Thus, on March 16 of this year official spokesman for the US Department of State Heather Nauert said that the decision of the Russian Central Election Commission to deny independent media the status of observers shows that the Kremlin is afraid of transparency in the presidential election. Let’s recall that video cameras were installed at 43,271 voting stations so that all those interested could watch the course of voting live. The election was monitored by 1,513 foreign observers from 115 countries and covered by over 15,000 journalists from 3,000 media outlets, including 99 foreign ones. The decisions were explained at the 149th session of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation on March 16 of this year.

Combining their own speculation with that of all manner of “inside sources” that flooded the Russian media on the eve of the election, a number of Western media conducted a systemic policy aimed at discrediting the election.

On March 15, the Danish newspaper Politiken published the article “Russians threatened and lured into polling stations.” According to the article, voter turnout was controlled with cutting-edge technology – from mobile applications to social media at all levels – from companies to universities and cultural centres.

On March 14, the American magazine The Nation published the opinion piece, “In Russia, everyone is tired of national politics.” Its author argues that everyone in Russia – from the President to voters – is tired of the existing situation and can only wait for “Russia’s new renaissance,” but not without making a number of factual errors, like the claim that the Sleeping-2 series was shown on the television channel NTV, not Channel One.

As for political fatigue, with 99.84 percent of votes counted, the Central Election Commission announced that 73.37 million people voted, including about 400,000 who voted abroad, putting turnout at 67.47 percent.

On the eve of the vote, on March 17, the German tabloid Bild published a piece under the big headline “Bild congratulates President Putin on his election win,” in which it answers in its usual brief, detail-free way “the most important questions about the fourth term of Vladimir Putin.” Apparently, the author expected the readers to come away absolutely convinced that his thesis is correct: “Russia is holding an election and the winner is unknown – unthinkable in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”

On March 13, the French news website published an interview with Cyril Bre, an expert on Russia, under the title “Putin’s reelection: Are Russians masochists or are we missing something?” The expert claimed that in Russian elections the ability of governors to boost turnout is more important than the result itself. The BBC’s Russian service also expressed concern over turnout by publishing a series of reports of Russians being “coerced” into voting. A piece published on March 18 explored why Russians went to vote early in the morning. The authors were trying to figure out why the share of those voting in the morning had grown so much. They quoted the opinion of political strategist Valentin Bianki who described the high morning turnout as a “consequence of administrative mobilisation.”

On March 14, British newspaper The Guardian published a cartoon on the poisoning of Sergey Skripal. The image shows the Russian President as a blood red spider with a red star on its forehead crawling over the globe. It seems that the image was inspired by old propaganda guidelines taken by the British intelligence from the Third Reich. After all, the cartoon faithfully reproduces a poster made for a 1936 anti-Bolshevik exhibition under the title Der Bolschewismus.

It is clear that the US-financed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty could not stay out of this campaign. On March 20, 2018 it published an article “Russian researcher says Putin may have received 10 million fraudulent votes,” based on an interview with Sergey Shpilkin, who is presented as an expert “renowned for his studies of Russian elections.” This so-called expert Shpilkin claims that the winning candidate received several million falsified votes. Our advice for both the author and this would-be expert will be to file a complaint to this effect with the Central Election Commission, if they have any real evidence. Otherwise, all these conclusions can be viewed as outright propaganda. What this article and other publications by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have in common is their propaganda drive and the intent to instil in the Russian public a feeling that the popular vote was unfair.

One article stands out, however. It presents a cynical and sophisticated way of interfering in Russia’s election space. On March 12, Deutsche Welle’s Russian desk published an article “Five strategies of protest behaviour at Russian presidential election.” Demonstrating a total lack of respect for the Russian law, Deutsche Welle published nothing short of a guideline on ways to express disagreement with the current system of government, including election procedures. The Foreign Ministry views these articles as an outrageous violation of journalist ethics and the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs. We would like to note in this regard that Deutsche Welle received EUR 325 million from Germany’s federal budget in 2017 to finance its radio, television and online programming, as indicated on the website of the German federal government. I will leave it to you to draw the conclusions.

We cited just a few articles with misleading information about the elections in Russia. Western propaganda agencies did all they could to undermine trust in the Russian elections by skilfully juggling facts, searching for the most incredible ideas on Russian social media and giving them credit. In doing so, they demonstrated a system-wide disdain for the Russian democracy and Russian voters, denying them the ability to make a conscious choice. They also appropriated the right to designate legitimate opposition candidates. They can indulge in wishful thinking as much as their hearts desire, but on March 18, 2018 the Russian people made it quite clear that they care about the future of their country, while all the attempts to influence the situation, including those coming from abroad, are doomed to failure.




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3132218
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
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Old June 8th, 2018 #62
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The Times article “Irish government denies visas to Russian embassy builders”



6 June 2018 - 10:45







The “Irish government denies visas to Russian embassy builders” published by the British newspaper The Times on May 13 has attracted our attention.

Despite official explanations given by a spokesperson of the Russian Embassy in Dublin, the article insists that the Russian diplomatic mission in Ireland is hiring builders to develop a ramified system of underground bunkers for covert operations. The writer affirms that the planned development will be used by the Russian special services for illegal intelligence activity in Ireland such as espionage or transmission of encrypted data on high technology, security, pharmaceuticals and the banking sector.

Once again, we have caught the British press, namely The Times, lying and attempting to incite anti-Russian hysteria. Paranoid fantasies about the Russian threat shall remain on the conscience of the journalist who submitted the material for publication. We hope to see a retraction published by the editors of The Times.



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i...ders-l8xh22hhw




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ynamic=novelty
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old July 18th, 2018 #63
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Article in the UK’s The Observer



16 July 2018 - 12:40







The Foreign Ministry took note of a July 8, 2018 article in The Observer, the Sunday newspaper of the Guardian media group, titled “Revealed: Leave.EU campaign met Russian officials as many as 11 times.”

Meetings between Russian diplomats and British businesses, what would otherwise be seen as routine work for a diplomatic mission, became a conspiracy under the pen of British journalists. In the article, the authors tried to count the contacts that Russian diplomats had, making them sound sensational and emphasising some kind of a covert link between the Russian Embassy in London and Leave.EU, an organisation founded by Arron Banks.

This was not the first would-be sensational article by these authors, who are now trying to find a link between the leave campaign financed by Arron Banks and his meetings with Russian diplomats.

The reality, as always, has nothing to do with the fake stories appearing in the British press. Any diplomat routinely communicates with political, economic, cultural and scientific elites in the country of stay. The authors can ask the staff of the UK Embassy in Moscow, who regularly meet with Russian politicians and business people. Moreover, diplomats contact representatives from the ruling party, as well as opposition leaders. Let us emphasise that this is an absolute norm for any professional diplomat.

Let us reiterate that Russia views all interactions related to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU as a domestic affair for Great Britain and something the British will have to take care of by themselves. Attempts to draw Russia or Russian missions abroad into decision-making related to the withdrawal from the EU are totally absurd. We strongly believe that the British people are able to determine their future on their own.



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ny-as-11-times




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3296619
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old August 13th, 2018 #64
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Greek newspaper Kontra News’ article on Moscow’s alleged role in planning riots in Thessaloniki



8.08.18 - 17:23







On July 23, the Greek newspaper Kontra News published an article entitled “Plot to disrupt the international fair in Thessaloniki: Riots planned by black front nationalists and forces linked with Moscow; illegal quasi-government structures are being mobilised.”

Citing an anonymous source in the Greek intelligence community, the newspaper claims that Greek street gangs “financed from Putin’s slush funds” (!!!) are planning protests during the annual Thessaloniki International Fair in September of this year. Apparently, the author of the article has a vivid imagination.

The article goes on to state that, in close cooperation with local radical groups and professional militants, Greece's National Front is planning major incidents during visits to the fair by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, prime ministers of Balkan countries and the US Vice President. Needless to say, “protests in Thessaloniki are being organised with funding from Russian agents of influence in Greece apart from ‘Putin’s slush funds’.”

But this is not all. Apparently the plan to disrupt the fair with a view to discrediting the Tsipras-Zaev agreement on Macedonia's name change is supported by some metropolitans of the Orthodox Church of Greece and business people “who have become agents on behalf of Moscow’s interests.” So, now Russia is also being accused of sinister plans to subvert the fair.

There is not a shred of truth in the Kontra News article. Greek pseudo-journalists should focus on the important news stories in bilateral relations that actually exist.

For example, this year will mark 25 years since the signing of the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and Greece. This is a fundamental document defining key areas of bilateral cooperation. Reflecting the close friendly ties between our countries and peoples, the treaty ensures their continuity and immunity from opportunistic considerations and their orientation to the future. It reaffirms the striving of the two states to actively and consistently promote mutual confidence and develop relations in all areas on the basis of the principles of respect for political independence, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual benefit. We are guided by these principles in our efforts to further enhance and expand our cooperation.

This year we will also celebrate the 190th anniversary of Russia-Greece diplomatic relations. Our countries are tied by centuries-long links and common values, inter-religious cooperation and a common history. Importantly, Russia has never encroached on the sovereignty, public order or national security of Greece. Why would our country plan to disrupt events in Greece?

Such hostile and frankly stupid anti-Russian insinuations are a stain on Greek journalism. The allegations of Kontra News are absurd given our warm feelings and respect for Athens as an equal partner. We will add this article to the list of tabloid fakes about Russia.



https://www.kontranews.gr/sites/defa...20sel%2001.jpg




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...nguageId=en_GB
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old August 14th, 2018 #65
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Australia’s Channel 7 "Dirty Money" Sunday show



9.08.18 - 17:37







Australian "Channel 7" aired its "Dirty Money" show on July 29 featuring William Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, who was charged with tax evasion, failure to comply with the duties of a tax agent and deliberate bankruptcy by Russia’s investigative authorities. Once again, Mr Browder, without citing specific facts and just referring to alleged evidence, accused Russia’s leadership of involvement in money laundering. Matt Doran, the show’s host, instead of trying to sort out this complicated matter, built his “investigative report” solely on supporting Browder's accusations. The programme left the impression of a propaganda-based thriller, where Russians speak with an accent, and the source of so-called revelatory videos is unknown. Of course, Mr Browder was portrayed as “Vladimir Putin’s victim.” This story was further aggravated by the now traditional speculations in the Western media around the cases of Litvinenko, Skripal, Magnitsky and Perepelichny. As always, without trial or investigation, without facts or evidence, Russia and Vladimir Putin personally are to blame for everything.

The Australian television programme didn’t mention it, but we would like to fill the gap and remind everyone that Mr Browder stole over $1.5 billion from Russia and was convicted twice in 2013 and 2017. In February 2018, another criminal case was opened against him by the Russian investigative authorities, which, among other things, focuses on his attempted perjury in a US court during the US versus Prevezon hearings. Browder's activities were commented upon in detail by Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Artyom Kozhin at a briefing on July 26.

http://www.mid.ru/en/press_service/s...:Err,58:17:EZF

In general, this Australian TV show is another example of biased anti-Russia propaganda where the result of a “journalistic investigation” was predetermined, the word was given primarily to one side, the “accuser” (the arguments provided by political scientist Alexander Nekrasov were deliberately ridiculed by the journalist, and Nekrasov was given almost no airtime), while a frightening image of Russia was created through footage manipulation, among other things.

Dirty Money is a vivid example of the professional degradation of Australian television, which willingly gave the floor to William Browder, a businessman with a stained reputation.




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...nguageId=en_GB
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old August 27th, 2018 #66
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Euronews’ article 'Russia will help Syrian refugees return from Lebanon'



21 August 2018 - 15:08







We took note of an article published by Euronews’ Russian desk titled “Russia will help Syrian refugees return from Lebanon,” released following the August 20 talks between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Lebanese Republic Gebran Bassil.

The article says that “the Russian minister was critical of the actions by the West and UN agencies, including the UN Security Council and UNHCR, who do everything they can to prevent Syrians from coming to the territories controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s government.” It is telling that Euronews even provided a link to the transcript of Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a relevant news conference on the Foreign Ministry’s website. However, it seems that the reporters did not bother to read this transcript carefully. Otherwise, they would have noticed that Sergey Lavrov did not criticise the UN Security Council, let alone accuse the UN Security Council of attempting to prevent Syrians from returning to the territories controlled by the legitimate Syrian government.

Here is what Sergey Lavrov said: “Of course, we are drawing the attention of the UN Security Council to this situation (meaning the artificial attempts to delay the return of refugees by refusing to contribute to the restoration of Syria’s infrastructure) that does not meet any requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Considering this absolutely destructive US position, the UN Security Council will hardly be able to make any positive decisions on this issue at this time. We will continue working with the countries who understand the urgency of the measures on returning the refugees and the creation of conditions for this. These are countries that have accepted refugees from Syria (mostly, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey) and the European states that are also coming to realise the need for specific steps to this end. This was confirmed by the recent joint Russian-French humanitarian act on the delivery of cargo to Eastern Ghouta by a Russian aircraft from France and the talks between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Mesenberg the day before yesterday. They discussed Syria and, in particular, the refugee issue.”

As for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, here is what he said at the news conference: “We stated our view that there are other donors besides Western ones, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees should not look like a ‘branch’ of a group of Western countries.”

In this connection, we ask Euronews reporters to keep strictly in line with what was said and avoid interpretations that can be misleading for readers when writing articles on the Foreign Ministry official position. We have sent a number of inquiries to Euronews with a view to stressing the need to verify the accuracy of published materials in a more thorough manner.



http://ru.euronews.com/2018/08/20/ru...ticising-unhcr




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...nguageId=en_GB
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old August 27th, 2018 #67
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Article in the Dutch newspaper Trouw on alleged Russian mercenaries abroad



23 August 2018 - 09:18







On August 2, 2018, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an article by its international news desk head Marno de Boer, saying that journalists risk their lives if they try to dig too deep into Russia’s questionable affairs.

The author says that Russia is playing an unfair foreign policy game in the Middle East as well as on the African continent.

We state that Marno de Boer’s innuendos are groundless. He distorts public information about official Russian military staff and civil instructors abroad; the Foreign Ministry regularly informs the public about them. There is detailed material about Russia’s cooperation with the states mentioned in the article (the Central African Republic, Syria, Sudan, etc), including in foreign languages.

Taking into account the position of the author, it is hard to suspect him of incompetence and a lack of understanding. We believe that the Trouw international news desk head is doing the political and commercial bidding and is involved in nothing else but in producing low-quality fakes.



https://www.trouw.nl/home/huurlingen...rika~accb43bd/




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...ent/id/3323512
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old October 16th, 2018 #68
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Comment on the article “Revealed: Russia’s secret plan to help Julian Assange escape from UK” in The Guardian



21.09.18 - 19:36







On September 21, the British newspaper The Guardian published an article entitled, “Revealed: Russia’s secret plan to help Julian Assange escape from UK.” Quoting unnamed sources, the newspaper claims that Russian diplomats held secret talks with Assange’s representatives in London to find out whether they could help him escape from the UK. The article contains many similar Russophobic insinuations.

We would like to emphasise that Russian diplomats have not contacted either the officials at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London or Assange’s representatives with a view to helping him leave Britain. Let’s make a note that attempts to present meetings with Ecuadoran diplomats in the Russian Embassy as part of some conspiracy are beyond criticism. The Russian Embassy in London maintains a broad range of contacts and conducts numerous regular meetings with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the UK, which is normal diplomatic practice in any country.

We would also like to quote Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks about the situation involving Assange during the annual news conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy on January 15 of this year: “I fully agree that this problem should definitely be solved in one way or another. We accept the actions taken by the Ecuadorian authorities with understanding. I hope that all other participants, too, will be guided by common sense, including our British and Swedish colleagues, who seem to be ready to display goodwill and finally resolve this problem.”



http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...e_iOSApp_Other




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...nguageId=en_GB
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 1st, 2018 #69
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Thanks for giving us alternative point of view on global events. Western media and Hollywood portray Russians and Serbs as enemies, they've been demonizing us for centuries.
 
Old December 2nd, 2018 #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by srbin1389 View Post
Thanks for giving us alternative point of view on global events. Western media and Hollywood portray Russians and Serbs as enemies, they've been demonizing us for centuries.
Thank you very much






The Sun alleges Russia interferes in Libya



22.10.18 - 14:26







On October 9, The Sun, a British tabloid, published an article titled “Russia is moving troops and missiles into Libya in a bid to enforce a new stranglehold on the West.” The article purports that Russia is openly carrying out military and political interference in Libya’s domestic affairs, seeking “to make the war-torn North African country ’its new Syria’.” The article is written in an emphatically alarmist style, and is designed to frighten ordinary British readers with a mythical Russian military threat.

The Russian Foreign Ministry would like to emphasise that the British media, including The Sun, are part of a global media campaign to denigrate Russia. In this case, the British title offers a new set of allegations to the international community, this time related to “Russian interference in Libya.” At the same time, just as before, these insinuations lack any logic or supporting evidence.

We reiterate that Russia acts strictly in keeping with the UN Security Council resolutions regarding Libya. In all our undertakings, we focus on collective efforts with all the responsible parties in Libya in the interests of the speedy implementation of the roadmap for national reconciliation, prepared by the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Libya Ghassan Salamé.

We recommend that journalists from the British media rely on first-hand information, including from the Foreign Ministry’s official website, when working on articles on Russian foreign policy.



https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/744807...libya-warlord/




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...nguageId=en_GB
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 4th, 2018 #71
Alex Him
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Allegations of Russian diplomats’ interference in Montenegrin politics



14 November 2018 - 13:47







Montenegro’s pro-government Pobjeda newspaper published an article on November 3 about a Russian diplomat taking part in the constituent meeting of the Podgorica local committee of the True Montenegro party.

The authors claim that attendance of an open meeting of an opposition party’s local committee by a diplomat from the Russian Embassy in Podgorica is contrary to diplomatic practice and amounts to Russian interference in domestic Montenegrin affairs.

We interpret this statement by Montenegrin journalists as an attempt to put pressure on Russian diplomats and tell them who they can associate with and which public events they can attend. This is also an attempt by some Montenegrin journalists to force local politicians and public figures to restrict their association with Russian diplomats.

We would like to remind those who like to expose “Russian imperialism” and claim to be experts on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 that the daily work of diplomats around the world includes “ascertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in the receiving state, and reporting thereon to the government of the sending state.” Attending public events at an official invitation, such as Pobjeda newspaper has reported, is part of this work.

Russian diplomacy has always strictly complied with the fundamental principles of international relations and will continue to do so in the future.



https://www.pobjeda.net/protected/li...l/page-1.html#




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...ent/id/3408895
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 9th, 2018 #72
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Danish media whipping up hysteria about alleged secret arms shipments by Russian vessels



16 November 2018 - 13:16







On November 6, the Danish newspaper Information published an article, “Russian ships secretly transporting hazardous goods through the Great Belt.”

According to Information, the Russian cargo ship Sparta III (owned by the Russian state company Oboronlogistika), heading from St Petersburg to Haiphong, Vietnam, transported weapons through Danish waters without notifying the maritime authorities. The journalists claim that the Russian crew deliberately failed to declare the ship was loaded with military cargo. With reference to some experts, the Danish newspaper has thus planted the Russian arms smuggling topic, adding that other Russian ships are secretly transporting weapons with false documents. The Danish commentators and experts seem especially outraged by Russian smugglers’ choice of that country’s waters.

The Danish Ministry of Defence has responded to this fake. It promptly issued a comment refuting the Information’s report. The military explained to the general public what seafarers know as common truth: the open sea corridors used by the cargo ships mentioned in the article are international waters, and the only place where the Danish authorities had to be notified was the Great Belt strait.

The Sparta III did not violate the procedure for entering data into the international Automatic Identification System (AIS) either, the Danish ministry stressed. The crew provided the necessary information before entering the Great Belt strait in full compliance with international rules. The Danish ministry even pointed out to Information the obvious flaws in its journalistic probe – only the ships’ names, their type and route are entered in the AIS, and there are no requirements to enter information about the cargo.

This time, the anti-Russia fake was exposed by specialists from the Danish Ministry of Defence. All that is left for us to do is to note the low level of professional training of this Danish media outlet’s commentators.



https://www.information.dk/indland/2...ebaelt-skjulte




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/nedostovernie-publ...ent/id/3410553
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 4th, 2019 #73
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Accusations against Russian instructors in Central African Republic



1 March 2019 - 10:09







On February 12, 2019, Radio France Internationale published a report titled “Central African Republic: The UN investigates torture accusations against Russians.” This fake was circulated by a number of foreign media outlets.

Below is a translation of the respective paragraph from a confidential report by a panel of experts on the sanctions against the Central African Republic coordinated by French citizen Romain Esmenjaud, a report that was recently circulated among UNSC members. Apparently, the authors of the fake publication referred to that UN report – although it was strictly confidential and public access to it was restricted.

The document specifically states that “the panel of experts collected information regarding the unlawful detention, harsh treatment and torture of a 38-year-old Muslim man who lives in the Bornu quarter, which took place in Bambari. On January 11 around 8 am, the man was stopped outside the municipality building by two officers of the CAR Armed Forces. He was taken to a military base (where Russian military instructors are also based) and interrogated about his alleged affiliation with the Union for Peace group. Despite the fact that a local commander of the CAR Armed Forces attempted to interfere and demanded that the detained man be released, the victim was taken to a nearby camp. The victim was held in the camp with his arms and legs tied until January 16, when the local gendarmerie were informed about the incident and released him. The UN Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic opened an investigation. The panel of experts will be working to determine the persons involved in the incident as well as their superiors responsible for the event.”

We would like to point out that the Russian instructors were invited to the Central African Republic by the country’s leadership to provide assistance in the training of Central African troops and law enforcement officers. So far, Russian specialists have trained over 2,000 troops and law enforcement officers in the CAR, who have already started performing urgent tasks involving the protection of civilians, maintaining security and establishing the government’s authority across the entire state.

CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra as well as Minister of National Defence and Reconstruction of the Army Marie-Noëlle Koyara have repeatedly expressed high regard for Russia’s assistance in enhancing the performance of Central African troops.

We believe that the accusations of involvement in the interrogation and torture of a CAR citizen in Bambari laid by Radio France Internationale against the Russian instructors operating in the CAR are defamatory. We would like to specifically point out that the confidential report by the panel of experts on the sanctions against the CAR that Radio France Internationale refers to does not contain any mention of the Russians’ involvement, along with CAR personnel, in any unlawful actions in the territory of the Central African Republic.

In this context, we would like to note recent statements by CAR Minister of Public Security and Territorial Administration Henri Wanzet Linguissara, who in his conversation with a Federal News Agency (Russia) correspondent said that the report about a MINUSCA investigation into torture involving Russian military instructors is a blatant lie. He said that the Mission does not have a mandate to conduct any investigation that is not directly related to the activities of the peacemaking organisation. “As Minister of Public Security, I confirm that the Russians accused of torture are simply instructors and any investigations are within the competence of police and gendarmerie under the jurisdiction of the investigative committee and the court of appeal of Bambari, in this case,” he stressed in an interview with the Federal News Agency.



http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20190212-r...portees-russes




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3549631
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 5th, 2019 #74
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Italian media reports on Russian funding in Italian domestic politics



4 March 2019 - 11:53







On February 24, Italian L'Espresso magazine ran an article entitled “Three Millions for Salvini,” which suggested that the conservative League party led by Matteo Salvini (topping the opinion polls in the Apennines with a 34 per cent support rating before the European Parliament elections) could have received about 3 million euros from Russia’s Rosneft – the sum matching the Russian oil giant’s profit from selling diesel fuel to the Italian state energy company Eni. L’Espresso journalists alleged the money was being injected into the party to promote its victory in the election to the European Parliament.

These ideas were actually expressed in the subjunctive mood, suggesting the writers did not have any reliable data on such a deal. Yet, L’Espresso came to the unequivocal conclusion that since the League’s emissaries often visited Moscow and met with high-ranking representatives of the Russian authorities and the business community, their misuse of Russian financial support must be an obvious fact that did not require any proof.

There is another interesting aspect. Despite the obvious absurdity of the accusations against Russia, the authors of the article are clearly going to put on a multi-act media show. It was announced that The Black Book of the League, disclosing the alleged Russian connections and other crimes by party members, was being prepared for publication in Italy. The publicity announcing the forthcoming book reads: “They support Putin’s course, propagandise the ideas of his philosopher [Alexander] Dugin, call for the lifting of the sanctions imposed against Moscow and, in cooperation with Russian partners, seek to move production to Eurasia.”

The date for setting off this information bomb was certainly not chosen at random. It was right before the regional elections in Sardinia, with the obvious aim of playing the Russian card. The politically-motivated publication in L’Espresso is just an attempt by the Italian press to follow the same track as the American and British media. The idea is not new, and neither is the scenario – it can be safely labelled: “Designed in Washington, assembled in Rome.” What we are now witnessing in the Italian media is the well-tested US scenario of using the mythical threat of Russian interference in internal political affairs. Russia has repeatedly pointed out that there are no facts proving Russia's interference in any foreign presidential elections. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underscored this in his speech at the Munich Security Conference: “One can publish just about anything. We can see growing numbers of accusations, allegations and statements… until we have the facts, everything else is bunk, pardon my not too diplomatic turn of phrase.”



http://espresso.repubblica.it/attual...lvini-1.332104




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3554869
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 5th, 2019 #75
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Slanderous articles in the British media



4 March 2019 - 21:10







The British media reacted to the anniversary of the Salisbury incident with a slew of anti-Russian pieces. For example, the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday published on March 3 the results of its “investigation” into the activities of Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko. The author of the article accused Yakovenko of involvement in espionage during his time at the USSR’s Permanent Mission at the UN in the 1980s. As a key piece of evidence cited is that Yakovenko was awarded a military medal 'For Merits to the Fatherland' in 1996, an accolade often given to spies... for his successful “espionage work.”

Following on the Russian Embassy in London, we confirm the slanderous character of this article.

Yakovenko worked at the Soviet mission at the UN from 1981 to 1986 and came home upon the completion of his foreign posting.

The assertion that the medal “For Merits to the Fatherland” is a military medal betrays the absolute incompetence of the author, who does not know anything about the system of state decorations in Russia.

The substance of the matter is that in 1993-1998 Yakovenko headed the Russian delegations at the talks on the launching of the International Space Station. This was a major international project with the participation of Russia, the US, EU states, Canada and Japan. The talks were successful, resulting in an agreement signed in Washington in 1998. The leaders of the Russian Federation decided to present Yakovenko with the medal “For Merits to the Fatherland, Second Class” for his personal contribution to the complicated multilateral negotiations. Against this backdrop, the link drawn by The Mail on Sunday between the award and spying looks completely absurd.

We hope this article is just an unfortunate misunderstanding by the Mail on Sunday and will be retracted by its Editor-in-Chief Ted Verity before long. Attempts to fan the flames of the artificial anti-Russian spy mania in Britain in the context of the anniversary of the Salisbury incident by discrediting Russia’s highest representative in the UK are unacceptable.

The conspiracy theorists from The Times dreamed even bigger. On March 3 the newspaper published a report entitled “Establishment flocks to dine at Kremlin-linked Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society.” In their telling, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) is an international spying organisation of the Kremlin whose networks directly threaten the highest echelons of the British aristocracy this time. To support this claim, the author of the article makes what he thinks is a rock-solid argument – the IOPS is headed by former FSB chief Sergey Stepashin while Russian Ambassador to the UK Yakovenko takes part in its public activities in London.

Founded in 1882, the IOPS is one of the oldest and most reputable organisations in the world. After the 1918 October revolution it was renamed the Russian Palestine Society and placed under the USSR Academy of Sciences. After the collapse of the USSR it continued its activities under its original historical name Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. Since its foundation the IOPS has had the same areas of focus: Middle East scholarship, humanitarian cooperation with the peoples of the Middle East and support for Orthodox pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It has never had and cannot by definition have anything to do with “spy games.”

The fanning of anti-Russian popular sentiment by the British media is reaching dizzying heights, calling to mind the anti-Soviet propaganda of McCarthy-era America and the unforgettable quote from those times: “The Russians are coming! They are right around. I’ve seen Russian soldiers.”

To sum up, there is every indication that our ambassador in London is being harassed by media controlled by the UK establishment. As such, it is possible that additional slanderous articles about Yakovenko will appear.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...pelled-US.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/n...iety-2zmg8dbkb




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3557212
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 10th, 2019 #76
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Regarding a Nezavisimaya Gazeta article on Transnistria



5 March 2019 - 17:49







We are compelled to respond to an article by the director of the newspaper’s coverage of politics in countries of Russia's near abroad, Svetlana Gamova, on Moldovan and Transnistrian issues entitled “Moldova may open a second Transnistrian front,” published in Nezavisimaya Gazeta on February 20 of this year. This article contains many factual errors.

The following excerpts require revision:

1) “The sides have agreed to mutual recognition of the diplomas of Moldovan and Transnistrian universities.” However, the signed protocol does not endorse such recognition but only the authentication of diplomas of Taras Shevchenko Transnistria State University by the Ministry of Education of Moldova;

2) “They built a bridge across the river that was destroyed way back in 1992.” This bridge was built in Soviet times and repaired in 2012. The relevant protocol provides for the official opening of traffic on it;

3) “The trilateral peacekeeping mission.” This name is incorrect because Ukrainian observers take part in this mission along with Moldova, Transnistria and Russia; OSCE representatives also participate in the work of the United Control Commission (UCC);

4) “Additional Moldovan military units are ready to enter the Security Zone.” A Moldovan delegation refuted this rumour two weeks ago and presented on the following day written assurances that Moldova does not intend to take this action;

5) “Just before, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Moldova announced the doubling of polling stations in the Security Zone, once again without informing the UCC about this.” On the contrary, on February 13, the CEC of the Republic of Moldova announced the withdrawal of practically all polling stations from the Security Zone to Moldovan territory.

We were perplexed by some of the conclusions reached by the journalist. For example, Gamova claims that "the 5+2 negotiating format may trigger a new conflict on the Dniester," implying that Russia – a participant in this format, as well as a mediator and guarantor of the Transnistrian settlement process – will encourage armed clashes. Such a statement shows that the author fundamentally misunderstands the issue, or writes with the intention of provoking.

Chisinau, the article alleges, “is changing the formula of dialogue with Transnistria.” Moldovan leaders have regularly made similar statements since 2012 but without any results.

We believe that these facts show that Gamova was irresponsible in her preparation of this article for print and does not understand the complicated political situation in the region, particularly given that the piece was published ahead of the parliamentary election in Moldova on February 24. We hope this was not a piece of deliberate disinformation addressed to the world public during the election campaign, which could undermine trust in this Russian publication.



http://www.ng.ru/cis/2019-02-20/6_7513_front.html




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3559898
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 27th, 2019 #77
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Critique of Russia’s law against fake news by Algemeen Dagblad



27 March 2019 - 09:15







On March 12, 2019, the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad published an article titled ‘Russia introduces steep fines for insulting the country and politicians’ (Rusland kondigt torenhoge boetes aan voor beledigen van land en politici). The piece contains a number of critical observations regarding a law that has been recently adopted in Russia to tighten penalties for spreading fake news, as well as introduce a system of fines for those insulting Russian government institutions or state symbols.

For instance, the article’s author Joost Bosman claims that “legal initiatives designed to fight fake news in Russia can be compared to a bartender trying to fight alcohol abuse in his own bar: there is an agency in St Petersburg from where trolls spread lies throughout the world 24/7 using social media.”

By accusing Russia head-on of making fakes, the journalist in turn contributes to spreading inaccurate information by once again raising the subject of the so-called Olgino trolls, which has become a meme within Russia’s media community. As is always the case with fake news, Joost Bosman neither provided the address nor the telephone numbers of the St Petersburg agency, and did not refer to any sources.

Joost Bosman also shared his assumptions on the alleged plans by the Russian government to use the new law as a tool for suppressing the opposition and eliminating dissent in Russia.

If Joost Bosman closely follows political developments in Russia, we believe that he should refrain from distorting the reality and twisting facts about the Russian opposition that is broadly represented in the country’s political and social life, and has access to a wide range of media outlets for expressing its point of view.



https://www.ad.nl/buitenland/rusland...tici~ace5f349/




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3591615
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 29th, 2019 #78
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False publication in London newspaper Al Arab



27 March 2019 - 10:39







On March 9, 2019, London’s Arabic-language daily Al Arab published an article, Russian Book of Suggestions in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.

At the beginning of the article, without giving any references, the author took the liberty of employing the generic phrase traditionally used in many commissioned articles and in fake news: “As reported by the Russian sources,” and then gave a prefabricated false statement that Sergey Lavrov allegedly expressed “dismay” over the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Tehran.

We believe that this provocative false information was planted in the context of an information war launched against the legitimate Syrian authorities by well-known countries, the so-called global coalition, who witnessed the defeat of the militants under their wardship on the ground and who now continue to drive a wedge between the states participating in the multi-format productive cooperation within the framework of the Astana process to ensure the settlement of the Syrian conflict.



https://alarab.co.uk/%D8%AF%D9%81%D8...88%D8%B3%D8%B7




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3591760
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old June 2nd, 2019 #79
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Disinformation spread by some Israeli media outlets



19 April 2019 - 18:37







On April 14, a number of Israeli media outlets published reports to the effect that Russian representatives allegedly took Eli Cohen’s remains out of Syria. An agent of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, he was executed in Damascus in 1965.

We can confirm that these reports are blatant disinformation. We urge Israeli journalists to adhere to the highest standards of accuracy, professionalism and honesty in covering such sensitive subjects. It is necessary to recognise that responsibility for the potential consequences of this provocation rests not only with its organisers but also with its executors.



https://www.mako.co.il/news-world/ar...d7d1a61004.htm

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/261851

http://www.newsru.co.il/mideast/15apr2019/koen_701.html

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/...-Report-586858




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3620408
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old June 2nd, 2019 #80
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Another anti-Russian piece in the British media



26 April 2019 - 13:23







A piece of “investigative journalism” about the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and last year’s election of its head was published in a Sunday edition of Britain’s The Financial Times on April 4.

This article charges our country with under-the-table dealings, pressure on national delegations and machinations which, according to the author, make it possible for Russia to remain a leader in the world of chess.

The great Soviet grandmaster Mikhail Botvinnik was right when he said that chess players live and operate in a world permeated with politics.

It appears that the people from The Financial Times judge others by themselves. Russia has no need to resort to the methods they describe, as our country has a rightful place among the leading chess powers. Alexander Alekhin, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik and Sergey Karyakin are the greatest Russian and Soviet chess players, and the world knows their names.

Also, we dismiss the claims about the "pressure" allegedly exerted by the Russian Foreign Ministry on the national delegations. Informing partners about a national candidate for a particular position at an international organisation is common practice. Organising such work is a part of the direct professional duties of the Russian and other diplomats, including in the context of FIDE. Seeing such work as “pressure” means confusing responsible journalism with blatant propaganda.

We consider the article in The Financial Times as another inappropriate attempt to politicise this game, which does not meet the interests of the international chess community. Releasing such fakes, The Financial Times simply fulfils an order by the British establishment and works to increase the “toxicity” of the information background surrounding Russia. Moreover, this is done to the detriment of an objective and unbiased coverage of sports events, in this case, chess.




The source of information - http://www.mid.ru/en/nedostovernie-p...ent/id/3626668
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
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