Fact Checks
Friday 27 September 2024
-
![Maria Zakharova]()
Maria Zakharova
Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry
"Having analyzed the social media of the detained Ryan Routh, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, journalists came to the conclusion that representatives of the Kiev regime most likely involved him in recruiting foreigners, including from Afghanistan, to replenish the brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
Source: Mid.ru, September 20, 2024Read more...Neither the Russian authorities nor the Kremlin-aligned social media influencers provided evidence connecting the Ukrainian government to Ryan Routh. Kyiv denied any collaboration with Routh. The FBI said it has no information to suggest Routh wasn't acting alone. -
![Samia Suluhu Hassan]()
Samia Suluhu Hassan
President of Tanzania
“The statements that have been made [by Western ambassadors], instructing us to do one, two, three — we know what to do as Tanzanians and as a country.”
Read more...American and European diplomats called on the Tanzanian government to abide by fundamental human and civil rights, which is a universal value and does not imply interference in the nation’s domestic affairs. -
![Aziz Nasirzadeh]()
Aziz Nasirzadeh
Iran's defense minister
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly continue to support the legitimate and legal government of Mr. Maduro with all its strength, as it has in the past.”
Source: Press TV, September 18, 2024Read more...Venezuela’s opposition, facing a post-election crackdown, has offered ample evidence Maduro lost the July 28 presidential poll. -
![TASS]()
TASS
Russian state-owned news agency
The most brutal Ukrainian units operating in the Kursk direction [in the Kursk region of Russia] are made up of mercenaries ... The mercenaries are the ones who are the most brutal towards civilians.
Read more...Western media found no evidence of cruelty by the Armed Forces of Ukraine toward civilians in Ukraine-controlled areas of Russia's Kursk region. Ukraine asked the United Nations and Red Cross to verify the situation. Foreign volunteers in Ukraine officially join its Armed Forces via contracts. -
![Dmitry Peskov]()
Dmitry Peskov
Kremlin spokesman
We are watching this closely, but we have never interfered in this in any way, and we are not interfering now.
Read more...Russia's efforts to amplify political divisions in the United States and influence the November 5 presidential election are well-documented. -
![Birhanu Jula]()
Birhanu Jula
Ethiopia Chief of General Staff
"Egypt made us landlocked by causing Eritrea to secede from Ethiopia."
Read more...Egypt ruffled Ethiopia’s feathers after Cairo sent military aid to Somalia, which had accused Ethiopia of planning to annex its territory. The two countries are locked in yet another battle over a dam Addis Ababa has been constructing on a major tributary of the Nile River. -
![Abbas Araghchi]()
Abbas Araghchi
Iranian foreign minister
“Iran has NOT delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. Period.”
Read more...Iranian officials have previously touted delivery of missiles to Russia, while Moscow has used Iranian drones to wreak havoc across Ukraine. -
![Maria Sarungi Tsehai]()
Maria Sarungi Tsehai
Social media influencer
@SuluhuSamia through her security has overseen the abductions of opposition leaders and activists, threatened activists like @TitoMagoti and she is on a roll! THEY WANT TO SPREAD FEAR! She is not stopping or slowing down as elections are looming and internal polls show her unpopular …
Read more...Investigations by international human rights groups and witness testimonies provide evidence of government agencies' involvement in the disappearances of at least three prominent opposition figures as well as mass arrests. -
![Fikrejesus Amahazion]()
Fikrejesus Amahazion
Educator and research analyst, Eritrea
“China and its positive constructive relationship with Africa has delivered myriad tangible benefits to both sides.”
Read more...Through its “debt trap diplomacy,” China became the major shareholder controlling most of African natural resources, infrastructure and other assets. Beijing-owned businesses in Africa practice child labor, fund violent insurgency, and sustain corruption, illegal trade and money laundering. -
![Leonid Slutsky]()
Leonid Slutsky
Chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament’s lower house
U.S. sanctions against the media group Rossiya Segodnya, RIA Novosti, RT and Sputnik are a clear example of a ‘witch hunt,’ pressure on freedom of speech and vulgar censorship.
Read more...The U.S. Justice Department indicted RT employees for FARA violations and money laundering in a $10M “malicious influence campaign” meant to upend American society and impact the outcome of the presidential election. The State Department imposed visa restrictions and labeled Rossiya Segodnya and its subsidiaries as Foreign Missions. The Treasury sanctioned 10 individuals. -
![Sergey Lavrov]()
Sergey Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister
“[I]f someone raises questions about why such closeness [between Mongolia and Russia] — well, probably, these are the people who once again began to slip Nazi overtones into their actions, not only their thoughts, which is reflected in support for the Kyiv regime.”
Read more...The United States and European Union expect Mongolia to adhere to its commitments as a state party to the International Criminal Court to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on alleged war crimes charges. -
![Andrei Kelin]()
Andrei Kelin
Russia’s Ambassador to the UK
"We understand very well that this [the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov] is a big blow to freedom of speech. ... What they are trying to achieve -- of course, Paris did it on certain advice from the United States -- they want the keys to this messenger."
Read more...French law enforcement accuse Durov of withholding information critical to criminal investigations. There is no evidence suggesting U.S. involvement in his arrest.
