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William Echols

Produced by William Echols

October 15, 2019
Pro-Russia Separatist in Ukraine Claims Mortar is NATO-Made

A separatist spokesman in eastern Ukraine claimed a mortar round targeting civilians must have come from NATO countries because of its caliber. But Ukraine manufactures a 60-millimeter mortar round, and other aspects of the report also miss the mark.
October 10, 2019
Russian TV Host Claims Ukraine Bashing Not on Purpose

After Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian state media should not paint Ukraine in an unfavorable light, Rossiya-1 state television host Olga Skabeyeva claimed she had never trashed the country on purpose. The data, however, suggests Ukraine-bashing is Russian state-media policy.
October 04, 2019
New Sanctions Against ‘Putin’s Chef’ Prompt Latest Russian Election Meddling Denial

After “Putin’s Chef,” Yevgeniy Prigozhin faced another raft of sanctions for funding efforts to influence the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, Russian state media have once again falsely claimed charges of Russian interference are unfounded.
September 25, 2019
RT Avoids 800-Pound Gorilla in Top-6 Corruption story

A recent article published on RT’s website claimed to detail Russia’s six top corruption scandals. However, it omitted the most prominent corruption scandals in Russia in recent years, while sidestepping graft allegations leveled at Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
September 17, 2019
Russian TV Claims U.S. Arming Islamic State in Yemen

Russian TV has seized on a Bulgarian journalist’s report to claim the U.S. is covertly selling weapons to Islamic State in Yemen. The Bulgarian journalist, however, often jumps to conclusions not backed by evidence, while the Russian media report makes unsubstantiated claims.
September 12, 2019
Putin Spokesman Downplays Alleged U.S. Spy

After reports the CIA extracted one of its most valuable assets from Russia in 2017, the the Kremlin's spokesman downplayed the alleged spy as a non-senior official who was fired years ago. However, the alleged CIA asset held a “top group” civil service rank equal to a major general in the military.
September 02, 2019
Russia Claims Baltic States Never Turned Democratic

Following their liberation from Soviet occupation, the Baltic states have transformed into democracies and been accepted into the European Union and NATO, among other international groups and alliances. By every metric available, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s claim that the Baltics failed is false.
August 27, 2019
RT Questions Tusks’ Claim Ukraine a Better G7 Fit than Russia

After the EU Council President Donald Tusk said Ukraine would be a better fit than Russia for the next G7 summit, RT claimed Tusk had failed to justify that suggestion based on Ukraine's economic woes. Tusk, however, was clearly arguing on behalf of Ukraine's democratic and not economic advances.
August 22, 2019
Post-Skyfall Blast, Kremlin Denies Responsibility for Radiation Monitoring Stations

Following reports that a nuclear-powered “Skyfall” cruise missile test in northern Russia went south, two Russian nuclear monitoring stations closest to the test site went offline. Amid fears of nuclear fallout, the Kremlin claims it is not responsible for the facilities.
August 17, 2019
Pelosi Accused of Applauding Hong Kong Violence Over Tiananmen Candle Vigil Praise

A Chinese official in Hong Kong directed his ire at Western politicians he claimed had “applauded violence as 'a beautiful sight to behold'.” He was citing Nancy Pelosi’s words, which did not applaud violence, but praised a peaceful candlelight vigil for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
August 14, 2019
Russian State TV Puts Out Hit Piece on Moscow Opposition Protest

Russian state TV ran a hit piece on a recent opposition rally, claiming it was cooked up abroad by Russia’s enemies while the attendees were primarily interested in music. That report fits into a Kremlin narrative, seeking to neuter protests which have brought thousands to the streets of Moscow.
August 07, 2019
Russia’s UK Embassy Fires Back at Skripal Poisoning Sanctions

Following additional U.S. sanctions on Russia over the March 2018 Novichok poisoning, Russia's U.K. embassy claimed there is no proof linking Moscow to the attack. However, the presence of Russian GRU officers near the Skripals’ Salisbury home and other evidence points to the Kremlin's culpability.
August 02, 2019
Pro-Kremlin Pundit Blames Demonstrators for Police Crackdown on Moscow Protest

After protests against a ban on opposition candidates in Moscow’s upcoming municipal elections turned violent, a pro-Kremlin pundit claimed that the protesters had tried to provoke a harsh police response. But journalists and rights organizations say the police crackdown was swift and unprovoked.
July 30, 2019
RT Head Speaks Out Against U.K. Watchdog Fine

After being fined for breaching U.K. media impartiality rules, RT’s editor in chief Margarita Simonyan weighed in on the penalty via. However, she failed to mention the Salisbury attack, which prompted the spike in offending broadcasts, while downplaying RT's lack of impartiality.
July 24, 2019
Despite Rumors, Turkmen Leader Likely Alive

Following reports that Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had died, Turkmen embassy officials called the claim an “absolute lie.” And while most signs point towards Berdimuhamedov being alive, in closed societies like Turkmenistan, rumors of the president’s demise are difficult to verify.
July 19, 2019
RT Loses Plot on Italian Neo-Nazi Missile Bust

After a missile was seized in raids on Italian neo-Nazis, RT accused Western media of anti-Russian bias for reporting the extremists had fought with Russian-separatists in eastern Ukraine. But RT itself "skipped fact-checking" when denying that neo-Nazis are waging war on Russia's behalf in Donbas.
July 15, 2019
Vladimir Putin Speaks with Oliver Stone: New Interview - Old False Claims

In U.S. film director Oliver Stone’s latest interview of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president covers a variety of topics -- from former U.S. President Barack Obama’s alleged broken promises to conspiracy theories about Georgian snipers on Ukraine's Euromaidan.
July 10, 2019
Russian Pundit Claims Liberal Governments at War with Religion

A Russian political analyst claimed on state TV that liberal democracies morph into atheistic regimes which conduct religious witch hunts. But the evidence shows that illiberal and authoritarian regimes, including Russia itself, pose a far greater threat to religious freedom.
July 05, 2019
Putin Tells Elton John Russia ‘Unbiased’ Toward LGBT Community

After Elton John criticized him for his attitude towards LGBT people, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russia has a “neutral” attitude toward sexual minorities. However, from courts to rights groups, systemic discrimination against the LGBT community has been documented in Russia.
July 02, 2019
Is S-400 a Cut Above Missile Defense Competition?

With India and Turkey opting to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defense system despite U.S. objections, the former vice chief of the Indian Air Force claims the S-400 is top-flight. Whether or not it is peerless, the S-400 arguably stacks up well against the world’s best air defense systems.

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