Did a senior Ukrainian pilot just defect to Russia with his Su-27 fighter loaded with NATO missiles, and electronics?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainian Su-27 Pilot Defected To Russia
People are sharing two photos of a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet, claiming / suggesting that it was just flown to Russia by a defecting Ukrainian flight commander, fully-loaded with NATO missiles, radar, and electronic warfare equipment.
A Ukrainian “flight commander” flew a SU-27 jet over the Russian border and landed in one of our bases.
Can’t wait for the F-16…
Intelligence FRONT : A senior pilot who served as a squadron commander in the Ukrainian Air Force escaped with a Su-27 jet and took refuge in Russia. It is said that the pilot arrived with a large amount of information, documents and some intact western-made missiles, radar and electronic warfare pod on the plane. This is the first time such an incident has occurred, and the fact that the incoming pilot is a high-ranking figure with plenty of documentation, and that the planes are already NATO integrated and carry NATO equipment and missiles, constitutes a historical opportunity for the Russians regarding NATO air equipment and missiles. It was also a chance to obtain extensive information about the situation of the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense forces, as well as NATO activities in the country.
US Civil Defense News :🚨Update: Ukrainian flight captain decided he wanted to live and defected to Russia, flying and landing his fighter jet in Russia. They realize the war is over. They lost. It’s time to move on!!!
No Evidence Ukrainian Su-27 Pilot Defected To Russia!
This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS / VATNIK PROPAGANDA circulating on X (formerly Twitter), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Photos Were Taken At RIAT 1996
First, let me just point out that the claim or suggestion that a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet with the tail number 48 just defected to Russia is definitely false.
The two photos of the same Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft with the tail number 48 were not taken recently, or even in Ukraine or Russia.
The photos are of a Ukrainian Su-27S at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) show, was held at RAF Fairfore in Gloucestershire in the UK. They were taken in July 1996 – more than 27 years ago!
The photo above was taken by Mike Freer, who captioned it as a Ukrainian Su-27S “departing RIAT 96”.
The photo below was taken by Peter Fothergill, who took his photo on 19 July 1996, but only uploaded it to the AirFighters website on 1 September 2020.
Fact #2 : No Evidence Of Pilot Defecting With Su-27
Claims that a senior Ukrainian officer or flight commander defected to Russia with a Su-27 fighter jet loaded with NATO missiles and electronics have been circulating on X (formerly Twitter) since 18 November 2023.
However, none of those who posted the news have actually provided any evidence that such a defection took place.
The defection of a senior Ukrainian pilot would have been major news, especially if he flew a Su-27 fighter jet loaded with NATO missiles and electronics to Russia. Yet, Russian news media have not mentioned such a stunning development.
The claims appear to be based on a short report by the Russian state news agency, TASS. On 18 November 2023, TASS reported that a Ukrainian military pilot defected to Russia.
According to Alexey Voyevoda – a Ka-52 helicopter pilot who organised the flight, the pilot is now “consulting with the Federal Security Service”.
MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. A military pilot of the Ukrainian armed forces has defected to Russia, a Ka-52 helicopter pilot, who organized the flight, told TASS.
“The Ukrainian military pilot is in Russia, consulting with the Federal Security Service,” Alexey Voyevoda said.
Voyevoda explained that he cannot yet disclose the details of this operation.
You will note that the TASS report never said that it was a senior pilot, or a flight commander. It also never said that the pilot flew to Russia with a Su-27 fighter jet, much less one loaded with NATO missiles or electronics.
Fact #4 : Ka-52 Extraction Is Plausible
The Kamov Ka-52 Alligator (Hokum B) is a two-seater helicopter, seating a pilot and a gunner side-by-side.
While it is not capable of carrying any passengers, it is possible for a Ka-52 pilot like Alexey Voyevoda to fly into Ukraine without a gunner, to extract a defecting Ukrainian pilot.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did large crowds of Canadians protest Trudeau and Zelensky at the Royal York Hotel, forcing them to run away?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Major Canadian Protest Of Trudeau + Zelensky!
People are sharing a video showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving the Royal York Hotel, claiming that they were hounded by protestors who chased them away with insults:
Circulating on WhatsApp : BIG BREAKING NEWS – PM Justin Trudeau and Ukraine PM Zelensky had to run away from Royal York Hotel after massive crowd of Canadians greeted & chased them with “F*ck You, F*ck You, Get out of our country” slogans🔥🔥 This is a historic insult to the PM of any country in the history of this world. These 🐖s deserve it.
Kat Canada : TORONTO: Trudeau and Zelensky leave Royal York Hotel as an even bigger crowd of protesters shout “F**K YOU” “GET OUT OF OUR COUNTRY”
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Kyle Becker : “Get out of our country, Zelensky! Pay for your own f***ing war!”
Ukrainian President Zelensky is *ROASTED* coming out of the Royal York Hotel after meeting with Canadian PM Trudeau
Truth : Canadian Protest Of Trudeau + Zelensky Was Small
Let’s take a look at what went on before and during the viral video…
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded On 22 September 2023
The video appears to be recorded by Dacey Media on Friday night, 22 September 2023, just outside the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
Fact #2 : There Was Only One Guy With A Megaphone
While it may sound like many people were protesting Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, and/or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there does not appear to be many protestors.
The video actually shows a single person shouting using a megaphone. Perhaps 2-3 other protestors could be seen in the video. The other people standing around them appear to be bystanders, or just people walking past.
Fact #3 : Most Canadians Were There To Greet Zelenskyy
According to Toronto Sun reporter, Joe Warmington, most people who gathered outside the Fairmont Royal York hotel were there to greet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It was Zelensky, donned in his famous green battle fatigues, that the crowd was most excited to catch a glimpse of. And he didn’t disappoint.
The crowd clearly appreciated seeing Zelenskyy as well and could be heard chanting “stand with Ukraine.”
In the viral video, you can see that most people were holding their smartphones up to take photos or videos of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he came out.
He also shared that there was a group of anti-Trudeau protestors:
The Prime Minister also waved at onlookers and soaked up applause from the crowd — many tourists in for the weekend — while ignoring the taunts from a couple of dozen anti-Trudeau protesters.
The photo he took that day though only shows a few anti-Trudeau protestors.
Fact #5 : Zelenskyy Was Attending Round Table Discussion
While it has been claimed that Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau was meeting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the Royal York Hotel, or vice versa, that was not exactly the case.
Zelenskyy was at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel to take part in a roundtable discussion with Canadian business leaders at 6:30 PM. Justin Trudeau attended the roundtable with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Fact #6 : They Were Leaving For A Rally At Fort York
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau did not flee the hotel because of a protest. Neither did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy left the Royal York Hotel with Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland to attend a reception and rally at Fort York at 8:30 PM.
As this photo shows, many people were obviously very enthusiastic about meeting the Ukrainian leader at the Fort York event.
This may come across as peculiar to people in China and Russia, but Canadians enjoy the freedom of expression, which includes the right to protest peacefully.
If you look at the video, you will see police officers standing nearby to ensure that everything stayed peaceful. They were not there to block or prevent the protest or heckling. They were also not there to arrest the protestors.
Would a similar protest be possible in Russia or China? Can you imagine Russians heckling Vladimir Putin, without getting arrested by the police? Can you imagine Chinese netizens freely shouting similar insults at Xi Jinping? Of course, not.
The very fact that Canadians can shout insults at their own Prime Minister without fear, with the Prime Minister and the Canadian police ignoring all of that, is testament to the freedom of speech in Canada.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the US government steal $50 trillion worth of gold and oil from Iraq?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-09-19 : Refreshed with updated info Originally published @ 2022-04-12
Claim : US Gov Stole $50 Trillion Of Gold + Oil From Iraq!
People are sharing photos of US soldiers posing with gold bars, as evidence that the United States sold gold and oil from Iraq worth tens of trillions of dollars!
These photos was revived on the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as part of the information warfare surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also being shared and promoted on pro-CCP and pro-Russia groups on social media, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.
Here the US thieves in Iraq. Bringing democracy aka stealing a country’s gold. Same thing they want to do in Russia. But Russia is no Iraq or Libya.
The #US ransacked and plundered the whole of #Iraq. Banks, museums, all of their gold reserves. The US is the biggest gang of thiefs in the whole history. They have raped most of the planet in the last 50 years. #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #Putin #NATO
🇺🇸 “liberates” gold & oil while 🇷🇺 liberates humans.
#Denaƶification & #Demilitarization of #UkroNaƶiLand
Truth : US Gov Did Not Steal Gold + Oil From Iraq At All!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated to deflect criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : US Did Not Steal $30 Trillion Of Iraqi Oil
Claims that the US stole $30 trillion worth of oil from Iraq are false. The United States did lose track of 8.7 billion dollars worth of Iraqi funds though.
After the invasion of Iraq concluded, Iraqi oil was sold to help fund the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI). Other sources of funds include surplus funds (about USD 10 billion) from the UN Oil-For-Food Program, and the sale of seized Iraqi assets.
The United States did not truck away Iraqi oil, as claimed. In July 2010, the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) discovered that the US Department of Defense could not account properly for USD 8.7 billion of DFI funds.
This led the Iraqi Parliament to request the United Nation’s help in demanding that the US return $17 billion of “oil money” that it said was stolen from the Iraqi people :
All the indications are that the institutions of the United States of America committed financial corruption by stealing the money of the Iraqi people, which was allocated to develop Iraq, (and) that it was about $17 billion.
… Our committee decided to send this issue to you … to look into it and restore the stolen money.
Stealing $30 trillion worth of oil would require 1.7 billion oil trucks, or 46,000 of these trucks every day for 100 years!
Fact #2 : US Spent $60 Billion To Reconstruct Iraq
There is no evidence that the unaccounted money was repatriated to the United States, or officially taken by the United States.
Even assuming that it was not poor accounting and all of the $8.7 billion was truly stolen, that is a far cry (0.029%) from the $30 trillion that was “allegedly” stolen.
It is also rendered ludicrous by the fact that the United States spent US$60 billion in the reconstruction of Iraq – almost 7X of what it allegedly stole.
Also consider the fact that Iraqi oil production only reached 4.4 million barrels per day in 2016. Assuming an average sale price of USD 60 per barrel, it would take them 311 years to sell enough oil to make $30 trillion.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Steal $20 Trillion Of Iraqi Gold
The United States also did not steal gold from Iraq, certainly not $20 trillion worth of gold!
All those photos of US soldiers with Iraqi gold bars are genuine, but they only show them taking photos with the gold they seized in Iraq.
The Iraqi gold bars (as well as currency and other valuables) that US soldiers seized were transported to the US Army’s headquarters in Kuwait.
There, they were examined by the Secret Service and/or the US Department of Treasury to determine their authenticity and value, before being returned to the Central Iraqi Treasury or the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI).
This is a picture of Lt. Col. Scott Schmidt, who was in charge of the 230th Finance Battalion. The battalion’s job was to seize Iraqi assets like currency, gold bars and other valuables.
Fact #4 : The Entire World Does Not Have So Much Gold!
In 2003, Iraq had under 6 tonnes of gold reserves, worth less than $70 million. So how can the United States possibly steal 20 trillion dollars worth of gold from Iraq? $20 trillion worth of gold would weigh at least 1,714,285 tonnes in 2003.
Guess how much gold mankind has ever mined in history? Only 208,874 tonnes as of February 2023 – which is just 12% of what people are claiming that the United States stole from Iraq.
As of January 2023, the value of all the gold in the world is only USD 13 trillion – less than 2/3 of what the conspiracy theory claims the United States stole from Iraq… and that’s only because gold prices have gone up tremendously since 2003.
Even with the much higher gold price, it would take an additional 90 years of mining gold before the entire world has $20 trillion worth of gold for the US government to steal.
Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Ukrainian tourists attack a Russian woman with a Putin tattoo, only to end up getting beaten up instead?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainians Attacked Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are promoting a video that claims to show Ukrainian tourists attacking a Russian woman because she had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin, only to get beaten up instead!
❗️A group of Ukrainian tourists attacked a Russian woman holidaying on a Turkish beach who had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin.
😂Unfortunately for the Ukrainians – the Russian woman was a master in combat sambo.
The video, which is about 1 minute and 45 seconds long, is also being shared by pro-CCP netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) on WhatsApp and Western social media platforms.
Claim : Ukrainians Did Not Attack Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to diminish support for Ukraine’s fight to defend itself against Russian aggression, and here are there reasons why..
Fact #1 : The Video Was Originally Released On Telegram
First, let me start by pointing out that the original video was released by the Telegram account @BadShofer at 8:40 PM on 25 July 2023.
Fact #2 : The Video Was Recorded In Vladivostok
The video was not recorded in a beach in Turkey, as the viral message claimed. According to @BadShofer, the video was recorded in Vladivostok (Владивосток).
Vladivostok is a Russian city located near China and North Korea, and where the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet is located. Needless to say – you won’t find Ukrainian tourists in Vladivostok!
Fact #3 : The Video Was Edited
The original video was only 53 seconds long. The viral video is much longer, but actually stops playing after 53 seconds.
The original video also had a much taller 9:16 aspect ratio. The viral video was edited to crop out the watermark at the bottom, which makes it look more squarish. This was probably done to make it more difficult for fact checkers to trace the provenance of the video.
You can watch the original clip posted by @BadShofer below, with the watermark intact.
Just in case @BadShofer may be lying / mistaken, I took a closer look at the table umbrellas sponsored by Amstel, which have these Russian words printed on them:
C УВАЖЕНИЕМ К ДРУЖБЕ И [unreadable] С 1870 ГОДА
WITH RESPECT FOR FRIENDSHIP AND [unreadable]
SINCE 1870
A red Wall’s umbrella can also be seen with this Russian word:
МОРОЖеНОЕ!
ICE-CREAM!
They help to confirm that the location of this incident was not in Turkey, but in Russia.
Fact #5 : No Evidence Woman Had Putin Tattoo
The video itself shows no evidence that the woman had any Vladimir Putin tattoo. The only thing we can be certain of is that she has tattoos on both arms.
Since the incident occurred in Russia, if the lady was really attacked for having a Vladimir Putin tattoo, that must mean he’s really not very popular in Russia these days!
Regardless of the reason for this fight, it seems certain that no Ukrainian tourists were involved! It appears to be nothing more than a couple of Russian holidayers fighting with each other.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. However, it is being shared and promoted by Chinese netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russian missiles hit British ships that exploded and destroyed the port of Odessa in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russian Missiles Destroyed Port Of Odessa In Ukraine!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are promoting a video that claims to show Russian missiles hitting two British ships carrying explosives, trigging a massive explosion that destroyed the port of Odessa in Ukraine!
BULLSEYE ! 🎯.
The port of Odessa, Ukraine, was hit by four Russian missiles that hit two British cargo ships that were just below the ground, triggering a massive EXPLOSION.
Great shot. Brits ships carrying high explosives to Ukraine . . mischief tsk tsk ! 🤔🤨😱
The video, which is about 1 minute and 55 seconds long, is also being shared by Chinese netizens in the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) in WhatsApp and Western social media platforms.
Truth : Russian Missiles Did Not Destroy Odessa Or British Ships!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Those Videos Are Over 3 Years Old!
First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The videos were actually recorded at approximately 6 PM on Tuesday, 4 August 2020.
The explosions not only occurred 18 months before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, they occurred almost 3 years ago!
Fact #2 : The Explosions Occurred In Beirut, Not Odessa
The massive explosions in the viral video did not occur in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, but literally – a thousand miles away, at the port city of Beirut, Lebanon.
On 4 August 2020, a fire broke out in Warehouse 12 at the port of Beirut. Warehouse 12 contained 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, as well as fireworks.
About 20 minutes later, the first explosion at the warehouse sent a large cloud of smoke billowing into the evening sky, with bright firework flashes.
Then 35 seconds later, the fire triggered a much larger explosion with a massive shock wave that rocked Beirut, and was felt as far away as Israel and Cyprus – more than 240 kilometres away!
The force of the explosion was estimated to be around 500 to 1,100 tons of TNT, with the US Geological Survey measuring the event as equivalent to a 3.3 magnitude earthquake!
Even though many Western countries have provided Ukraine with billions in dollars worth of military equipment and other forms of aid, they are not being delivered with ships. That’s because Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea.
Even though ships were allowed to enter the port of Odessa under the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, they were only allowed to transport grain and other food products, and fertiliser.
Ships involved in this initiative were inspected to ensure they would not be carrying unauthorised cargo or people. So it is impossible for any British ship to transport high explosives to the Port of Odessa.
Fact #4 : UK Aid Are Delivered By Land + Air
The United Kingdom provides billions of dollars worth of military equipment, including high explosives and ammunition to Ukraine. However, none of them are being delivered through ships due to the Russian naval blockade, as mentioned above.
Instead, the military equipment and other aid are being delivered through at least three NATO countries adjoining Ukraine. To avoid accusations that NATO is directly involved in the Ukraine War, the equipment are transported or flown to the Ukrainian border.
After that, Ukrainians either transport the equipment over the border, or take possession of them at the border.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. However, it is being shared and promoted by Chinese netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Another Russian SAM battery tried to take down another Storm Shadow missile on yet another missile vs missile battle in the Ukraine War!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out who won this round!
Claim : Russian SAM Brings Down Storm Shadow Missile!
After the recent dramatic failure of the Russian Pantsir-S1 short range air defence (SHORAD) system in hitting the Storm Shadow cruise missile, they decided to go for Round 2!
In a now-viral video, another Russian short range air defence (SHORAD) system fired multiple missiles at an incoming Storm Shadow stealth cruise missiles the United Kingdom supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The video was shared by a pro-Russian Telegram user called Mikhail Solomin (Михаил Соломин), who claims that “another” Storm Shadow fell “like a stone” after being shot down by high quality surface-to-air missiles, before falling apart like the European Union after Brexit.
Очередная пiрiмiга, лягушатно-наглосаксонская вундервафля пошла камнем вниз после качественной работы расчетов Панцирей, и упала в чисто поле, развалившись как евросоюз после брексита. Поскольку прошлый подобный видос уперли все возможные и не возможные паблики , как то позабыв указать на первоисточник, вешаю плашку в полвидоса.
Another frog, the frog-arrogant Saxon prodigy went down like a stone after the high-quality work of the Shells’ calculations, and fell into an open field, falling apart like the European Union after Brexit. Since the last similar vidos was blocked by all possible and not possible publics, somehow forgetting to point to the source, I hang a die in half a vidos.
A Russian poet! But did the Russians finally bag the elusive Storm Shadow? Or did Anglo-French military technology win the day again for Ukraine? Take a look!
The viral video appears to have been taken by the Russian military at possibly a frontline airfield, with a flat terrain and low buildings – all censored to hide any identifiable features.
When the 38-second video starts, you can see two long contrails, which suggest that two longer-ranged missiles had already been fired earlier.
Then you can hear five successive surface-to-air missiles (SAM) being launched from two different missile launchers, possibly Pantsir-S1 SHORAD systems like in the earlier video.
None of them were heard exploding. But just before the video cuts out, the Storm Shadow missile is seen diving towards the right side of the screen and exploding in a big fireball.
Mikhail Solomin claims that this is evidence that the Russian missiles successfully took out the Storm Shadow missile through “the high quality work of the shells’ calculations“, because it hit an empty space to no effect.
Можно сравнить масштаб ракеты, и масштабы зацензуренных фрагментов, нет там не Панциря, не складов с боеприпасами, нет ни какого крупного и интересного объекта. Она просто упала в пустое место.
You can compare the scale of the rocket, and the scale of the censored fragments, there is no Shell, no ammunition depots, no large and interesting object. She just fell into an empty space.
Mikhail also claimed that the Storm Shadow’s nose cone was intact during its dive – evidence that it was not functioning properly during its dive:
“Подъём на высоту предназначен для достижения наилучшей вероятности идентификации цели и её пробития. Во время подрыва носовой конус отбрасывается, чтобы позволить термографической камере высокого разрешения (инфракрасное наведение) наблюдать за районом поражения.” (инфа с вики) А как видно на скришоте, обтекатель на месте, пiримига-недомога.
“Climbing to a height is designed to achieve the best probability of identifying the target and penetrating it. During the explosion, the nose cone is discarded to allow a high-resolution thermographic camera (infrared guidance) to observe the affected area.” (info from wiki) And as you can see on the screenshot, the fairing is in place, the frog is unwell.
It is true that the Storm Shadow / SCALP missile has a nose cone that is ejected on reaching the target zone, to allow its high-resolution thermographic camera to scan for, and locate, the target. However, the nose cone that is ejected is only a small portion of the Storm Shadow missile’s nose.
Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell from the few frames in the video whether the Storm Shadow still has its nose cone attached. The image is just too pixelated.
What the video clearly shows though is that the Storm Shadow SCALP missile was intact, and diving down (as intended) during its terminal approach. You can even hear its turbojet engine running.
This suggests that the Storm Shadow missile was not damaged by any of the five to seven surface-to-air missiles the Russians sent to intercept it.
To avoid interception, the Storm Shadow cruise missile “hugs the terrain” at very low altitude, and only pops-up on reaching the target area. So you will only see it diving down like that at its target area.
This tells us that, whether it still has its nose cone or not, the Storm Shadow missile in this video had already reached its intended target area, and did not just fall out of the sky because it got shot at with 5-7 Russian missiles.
Due to the heavy pixelation of the terrain, it is impossible to tell if the Storm Shadow missile merely slammed into open ground, or actually hit some kind of target. If it hit nothing of significance, then one has to wonder – why did the Russians so heavily pixelate all that “empty ground”?
Besides, the Storm Shadow missile could have been targeting an underground bunker. Its BROACH warhead has an initial shaped charge that is designed to clear the topsoil and/or penetrate a bunker, before its main charge explodes inside.
However, it is impossible to know for certain, because the video was heavily censored. One has to wonder why the Russians would pixelate the video if it truly showed a malfunctioning Storm Shadow missile hitting an open field.
An uncensored video would potentially allow OSINT teams like Oryx or Bellingcat to geolocate the action, and confirm or verify that the Storm Shadow missile really hit nothing of consequence.
Ukrainian bloggers are claiming that this incident occurred near Berdyansk, and the Storm Shadow hit a Russian armoured car. However, we really cannot see any evidence of that. And frankly speaking – no one in the right mind would fire a $3.2 million long-range cruise missile at an armoured car… unless Vladimir Putin himself is inside!
Based on the current evidence, it is likely that the Storm Shadow missile at least hit its target area (if not its actual target), and this viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the Russian Pantsir-S1 missile defence system successfully shoot down Storm Shadow stealth cruise missiles?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Pantsir-S1 Shot Down Storm Shadow Stealth Missile!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are sharing a video as evidence that the Pantsir-S1 missile defence system successfully shot down the Storm Shadow stealth cruise missiles the United Kingdom supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
⚡️Russian sources claim this footage shows a Storm Shadow Cruise missile getting shot down by the Pantsir-S1
Stormshadow missile shot down by #Russian Pantsir-S1.
Pantsir S1 shot down Storm Shadow
The 37-second video shows a tracking radar detecting the Storm Shadow missile in close proximity (appearing as a bright pink spot), before slewing to a second display showing it being tracked by the Pantsir-S1’s thermal imager, before two missiles are fired at it.
Truth : Pantsir-S1 Failed To Shoot Down Storm Shadow Missile!
The Russian government has done nothing but lie from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this new video is no different.
The truth is – the video actually shows the Pantsir-S1 self-propelled air defence system shoot two 95YA6 surface-to-air missiles at the Storm Shadow, and both failed to hit the Storm Shadow missile which apparently hit its target in a large explosion.
In the first second of the video, a white dot appears on the radar screen. This is presumably the first Storm Shadow missile.
Then at 0:03, a small dot appears next to the white dot, and they both become large and bright pink spots at 0:04. Presumably two Storm Shadow missiles were detected by the Pantsir-S1’s radar. The video then slews to the thermal imaging display, which appears to be tracking one of the Storm Shadow missiles in flight.
At 0:10, the Pantsir-S1 fires the first 95YA6 missile resulting in a white flash-out on the thermal imaging display. The missile is seen rapidly closing in on the Storm Shadow missile before turning away. The thermal imager loses track of the Storm Shadow missile for a moment.
At 0:16, the Pantsir-S1 fires a second 95YA6 missile and the thermal display whites out again. The missile is seen flying off into the distance, while the Storm Shadow missile eventually disappears and a large explosion is seen on the ground, before the video cuts out.
What the video clearly shows is that the Pantsir-S1 is capable of detecting and locking onto the Storm Shadow cruise missile. It even had the opportunity to fire off not one, but two 95YA6 surface-to-air missiles at it.
The 95YA6 missile (export version is known as 57E6) has a maximum speed of 1,300 m/s (Mach 3.8) during its booster phase, with a terminal speed of 780 m/s (Mach 2.3) at its “guaranteed launch range of 18 km). It is said to have a kill probability of 70% to 90%.
The Storm Shadow cruise missile, on the other hand, flies on a pre-programmed path at just under the speed of sound – 0.95 Mach (323 m/s). So the 95YA6 missile is definitely more than capable of intercepting it.
But even with guidance data from the Pantsir-S1 radar, the two missiles (which lack their own seekers) just could not come close enough to the Storm Shadow cruise missile, to detonate their high-explosive warheads to take it down.
According to the Ukrainian Defence Minister, all of the Storm Shadow missile launches were successful:
I can say that of the total number of Storm Shadow launches that have taken place, all 100% have reached the targets determined by the General Staff [of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – ed.]. 100 out of 100, absolutely impeccable.
While the Russian Defence Ministry claimed to have intercepted two Storm Shadow missiles, this video clearly demonstrates the poor performance of the Pantsir-S1 air defence system. This isn’t the first time the Pantsir-S1’s performance failed to live up to its reputation.
The UAE provided Russian Pantsir-S1 (NATO reporting name SA-22 Greyhound) systems to the Libyan National Army, where it initially performed well against slow-flying Bayraktar TB-2 drones. However, it was soon suppressed by Turkish electronic warfare systems, and some nine Pantsir systems were destroyed in drone strikes, while a tenth system was captured.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russia and Ukraine sign a peace agreement in Spring 2022, as Vladimir Putin claimed?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Vladimir Putin : Russia + Ukraine Signed Peace Agreement In 2022!
People are sharing a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin showing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a document, claiming that Russia signed a peace agreement with Ukraine in the spring of 2022!
Robert F. Kennedy Jr : Looks like the Biden Administration deployed Boris Johnson to scuttle a tentative peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in spring 2022. This was never about the Ukrainian people. It was always about engineering a war against Russia. #Kennedy24
@onlydjole : 🇷🇺‼️Putin: “Peace was signed between Ukraine and Russia in the spring of 2022.”‼️
#Putin publicly showed the previously unpublished document in front of South African President Ramaphosa.
(Nato reportedly sent disgraced US puppet Boris Johnson to force Kiev to back down.)
Richard Medhurst : BREAKING: Putin holds up a peace agreement that Ukraine & Russia signed over a YEAR ago, in spring 2022.
Not one word of this in mainstream media.
Russians are signalling they want a diplomatic settlement. Why isn’t this welcomed? How can they claim Russia sabotaged the talks?
Truth : Russia + Ukraine Never Signed Peace Agreement In 2022
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Vladimir Putin himself, and propagated by his supporters to diminish support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Russia + Ukraine Held Multiple Peace Talks In 2022
Russia and Ukraine held multiple rounds of peace talks during the 2022-2023 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The first round occurred within days of Russia’s invasion on the Belarus-Ukraine border – on 28 February, 3 March, and 7 March. More talks were held in Turkey on 10 March, and more negotiations started on 14 March.
Fact #2 : Sergei Lavrov Dismissed Ukrainian Peace Deal In April 2022
On 7 April 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow rejected a draft peace deal from Ukraine, saying that it contained “unacceptable” elements that deviated from proposals that both sides’ negotiators had earlier agreed on.
The new draft, according to Lavrov, said that the status of Crimea should be raised at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It also said that Ukraine can hold military drills with other countries without Russia’s permission.
He also said that peace talks with Ukraine were not progressing as quickly as Russia would like, and accused the West of trying to derail negotiations by accusing Russian troops of war crimes in Ukraine.
Such inability to agree once again highlights Kyiv’s true intentions, its position of drawing out and even undermining the talks by moving away from the understandings reached.
Fact #3 : Russia + Ukraine Peace Talks Failed By July 2022
By July 2022, both Ukraine and Russia announced that peace talks had failed:
July 13 : Ukrainian foreign minster Dmytro Kuleba said that peace talks are frozen for the time being
July 19 : Dmitry Medvedev said that “Russia will achieve all its goals. There will be peace – on our terms”
In other words – both Russia and Ukraine did not sign any peace agreement in the spring of 2022, as claimed.
Fact #4 : Vladimir Putin Rejected Ukrainian Peace Deal
On September 14, 2022, Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin rejected a provisional deal, in which Ukraine agreed to stay out of NATO.
His own chief envoy on Ukraine, Dmitry Kozak, told him that the deal would remove the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine, and recommended that Putin adopt the peace deal.
However, Putin decided to reject the provisional peace agreement Kozak hammered out with the Ukrainians, and pressed ahead with his “special military operation”.
According to sources close to Russian leadership, Putin changed his mind and decided that any peace deal must include the newly-annexed Ukrainian territory.
Fact #5 : Russia + Ukraine Said Peace Deal Was Impossible
It is funny for Vladimir Putin to now claim that Russia and Ukraine had earlier signed a peace agreement in 2022, when Russia continued its invasion of Ukraine.
On top of that, both Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said that for any peace plan to be acceptable, Ukraine must recognise Russia’s September 2022 annexation of its territory.
After that, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would not hold peace talks with Russia, while Putin remained Russian president, and even signed a decree to ban any further peace talks.
Then in January 2023, Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “there is currently no prospect for diplomatic means of settling the situation around Ukraine”.
Up till Putin’s remarkable claim in June 2023, both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly said that they cannot come to an agreement. Needless to say – no peace agreement was ever signed.
This is just another example of fake news created to reduce support for Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Russia proudly declared that its forces destroyed eight Leopard tanks, but guess what – they were apparently just farming tractors!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Russia : Our Troops Destroyed Eight Leopard Tanks!
On Tuesday, 6 June 2023, the Russian Defence Ministry proudly announced that its troops destroyed eight Leopard tanks while fighting off a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The Russian Ministry of Defence released a video on Telegram, showing three of those Leopard tanks being destroyed as evidence.
Кадры уничтожения иностранной бронетехники, в том числе танков Leopard
Footage of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks
The 47-second video shows missile strikes on two vehicles in the distance, from the gunner’s perspective.
While the Russian Ministry of Defence did not mention whether its troops destroyed the newer Leopard 2 tanks, or the much older Leopard 1 tanks, Ukraine has only received Leopard 2 tanks, so killing eight of them would be a tremendous coup.
Truth : Leopard Tanks Russia Destroyed Were Just Tractors!
The Russian government has done nothing but lie from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this is no different.
Those Leopard tanks that it allegedly destroyed were really just farming equipment! That’s why they don’t appear to be moving in the video clip. Just sitting still in the open fields like sitting ducks.
Ironically, it was not the Ukrainians or Western government officials who exposed this new example of Russian government fake news, but pro-Russian military bloggers!
Just hours after the Russian Ministry of Defence triumphantly released its video showing at least two Leopard tanks being blown up, the video was thoroughly debunked by the pro-Russian Telegram channel, Military Informer.
These “Leopard tanks” were identified as John Deere 9000 and 700 series combine harvesters, which are commonly used in Ukraine.
And this “Leopard tank” was identified as a John Deere 4830 sprayer tractor. Also commonly used in Ukraine.
The Russian military military bloggers even highlighted the tractor’s wheels, which the Leopard tanks do not have.
A detailed comparison of the silhouettes of vehicles from the DoD video with agricultural vehicles, to which these silhouettes are most similar.
These are American combine harvesters John Deere 9000 and 700 series, as well as tractor-sprayer John Deere 4830. This equipment is quite popular in Ukraine.
Why it was necessary to give out frames with an erroneous defeat of agricultural equipment for an actual video of the defeat of the Leopards, we do not know.
It is unknown what ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) were used to destroy these farming machines of death (to wheat and insects), but those missiles likely cost more than the tractors that got blown up.
Just in case there’s any confusion, this is what the real Leopard 2 tank looks like, and its silhouette. As you can see, its 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore cannon does not have a muzzle that bends downwards. Neither does it have four large wheels.
Another pro-Russian military channel also fumed about this ridiculous claim, “Why the fuck did they pass these off as Leopards?”
This pathetic propaganda effort notably comes after the same Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it “stopped” the Ukrainian counteroffensive, killing 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers and 109 armoured vehicles, including the eight Leopard tanks.
Wagner Group head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, even publicly called it “absurd science fiction“, and sarcastically suggested that this meant that “we [Russian forces] have already destroyed the entire planet five times over“.
Prigozhin also quipped that the war can now end because Russia has “no one left to fight“, and he would now get a tattoo of Defence Minister Sergei Shogun, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov “to mark this wonderful occasion“. What a burn!
Just in case you are wondering, this is not a photo of a Leopard 2 tank destroyed by Russian forces. It’s actually a Leopard 2A4 tank that was reportedly involved in a training accident somewhere in Poland. It apparently collided with another Leopard tank, causing a barrel strike that lifted the turret right off the chassis.
Ultimately, the viral video is just another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the State Bureau of Investigation investigating President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for High Treason against Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukraine SBI Is Investigating Zelenskyy For High Treason!
People are sharing an article by Scotland Today online, which claims that the Ukraine SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) is investigating President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for High Treason!
Similar claims are also being made by pro-Russia (vatnik) websites and social media accounts. The article is long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Zelenskyy to be investigated for “High Treason,” by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation
The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv issued a ruling to oblige the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation to start a pre-trial investigation in connection with the possible treason of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former Verkhovna Rada deputy Geo Leros said on May 30 in his Telegram channel.
“Let me remind you that the pocket SBI refused to investigate Zelenskyy’s high treason when he appointed FSB agents to key positions in the SBU, but we were obliged by the court to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations and begin a pre-trial investigation,” the former deputy said.
He cited a photograph of a copy of the ruling of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, by which the court obliges the State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a pre-trial investigation at the request of Leros. In his message on the Telegram channel, the deputy clarified that the court ordered to initiate a criminal case “against Zelensky and co” under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason).
According to Mr Leos, Zelenskyy himself, the head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak, his deputy Roman Mashovets, as well as the ex-chairman of the SBU Ivan Bakanov and the former deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Ruslan Demchenko are the main defendants, thanks to whom FSB agents were allegedly appointed to the special services.
According to Mr Leros, these appointments have led to tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians. The MP demanded that the traitors be held accountable for serious crimes against the Ukrainian people.
Truth : Zelenskyy Pre-Trial Investigation Is Just Protocol
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS promoted by pro-Russia activists to diminish support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Geo Leros Is Accusing Zelenskyy Of High Treason
The accusation that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy committed high treason was not brought by the state of Ukraine itself, but by one of the former members of his own party, Geo Leros.
Geo Leros is a Ukrainian Member of Parliament, who was elected to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) as a member of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party. However, he soon turned against his colleagues, and started accusing Zelenskyy of violating election promises, and Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, of corruption.
He was since expelled from the Servant of the People’s party, and has since been actively working to bring down the Zelenskyy administration. In March 2023, he accused the Ukrainian authorities of censoring TV broadcasts, and corruption – with over 20 million dollars transferred to TV oligarchs.
Now, Geo Leros is accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of committing high treason against the state of Ukraine, by appointing Russian FSB agents to key positions in the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine).
Committed to open a criminal case of Article 111 (treason) against Zelensky and co!
I remind you that the pocket SBR refused to investigate Zelensky’s treason when he appointed FSB agents to key positions in the SBU, but we were obliged by the court to report to the Yardr and start a pre-trial investigation.
Zelensky, Ermak, Mashovets, Bakanov, Demchenko should be questioned as the main figures of the appointment of FSB agents in the Security Service of Ukraine.
These freaks must show who and how much paid them for these appointments, because these appointments have led to tens of thousands of dead Ukrainians.
I will not allow these traitors to escape responsibility for serious crimes against the Ukrainian people!
The letter that Geo Leros posted on Instagram, and shared excitedly by pro-Russian websites and social media accounts, appears to be genuine. Here is a machine translation of the letter:
PECHERSKY DISTRICT COURT OF THE CITY OF KYIV
Document No. 757/21124/23-k
RESOLVEDIN THE NAME OF UKRAINE
On May 30, 2023, the Investigating Judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv – T.V. Ostapchuk, under the secretary – K.S. Lymar, with: complainant – Leros H.B. representative of the complainant – lawyer Sayenko V.V. Having considered in an open court session in the courtroom in Kyiv the proceedings on the complaint of Leros Geo Bagratovych about the inactivity of the investigator, regarding the failure to submit information to the EDPR according to the application No. 23d9/7-2023/88804 dated 04/26/2023, –
Guided by Part 2 of Art.376 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, investigating judge, –
УХВАЛИВ:
Complaint of Leros Geo Bagratovych against the inaction of the investigator, regarding the failure to provide information To the ERDR according to the request dated 04/26/2023 No. 23,9/7-2023/88804 – to satisfy.
Oblige authorized persons of the State Bureau of Investigation to enter information into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations based on the application of Leros Geo Bagratovych dated 04/26/2023No. 239/7-2023/88804 on the commission of a criminal offense and to start a pre-trial investigation, about which to inform the applicant.
Praise is not subject to appeal.
The full text of the resolution will be announced on June 2, 2023 at 1:50 p.m.
Fact #3 : The Court Order Did Not Order Criminal Investigation
While the letter is being framed as evidence that Geo Leros succeeded in opening a criminal investigation of High Treason against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other members of his administration, it is merely protocol.
In November 2012, a new Code of Criminal Procedure was introduced in Ukraine, in which Article 214 states that all reports of criminal offences must be registered for Pre-trial Investigations within 24 hours.
This is a standard procedure for all accusations or reports of criminal offences, regardless of whether they are genuine or not.
The investigator, interrogating officer, prosecutor immediately, but no later than 24 hours after filing an application, reporting a criminal offense or after independently identifying from any source circumstances that may indicate the commission of a criminal offense, is obliged to enter the relevant information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations to start investigation and, 24 hours after entering such information, provide the applicant with an extract from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.
What the Pecherskyi district court ordered in the letter is merely to order that the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) comply with Article 214 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and file Geo Leros’ report of high treason for Pre-trial Investigation.
According to Article 2019 of the same code, the SBI has 18 months to conduct a Pre-trial Investigation of “grave and especially grave crimes”. After that, the SBI is obliged to either close the proceedings if it finds no evidence of a crime, or send an indictment to the court.
This is just another example of fake news created to reduce support for Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the United States just send nuclear capable AEGIS missiles to Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : US Sent Nuclear Capable AEGIS Missiles To Ukraine!
US Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently claimed that the US government sent nuclear capable AEGIS missiles to Ukraine!
In 2019 actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky ran as the peace candidate winning the Ukrainian presidency with 70% of the vote. As Benjamin Abelow observes in his brilliant book, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine,” Zelensky almost certainly could have avoided the 2022 war with Russia simply by uttering five words — “I will not join NATO.”
But pressured by NeoCons in the Biden White House, and by violent fascist elements within the Ukrainian government, Zelensky integrated his army with NATO’s and allowed the U.S. to place nuclear-capable Aegis missile launchers along Ukraine’s 1,200-mile border with Russia.
These were provocations that senior U.S. diplomats like post-WWII foreign policy architect George Kennan, former U.S. Defense Secretary Bill Perry, and former U.S. ambassador to Moscow Jack Matlock had long described as “red lines” for Russian leadership. Let’s face it, the Neocons wanted this war with Russia, just as they wanted war with Iraq.
He followed up by explaining that it’s because the AEGIS system is compatible with Tomahawk missiles which carry nuclear warheads.
The Aegis system advertises its tubes as compatible with Tomahawk missles which carry hydrogen bomb warheads with explosive power 10x the size of the Hiroshima bomb.
Truth : US Did Not Send Nuclear AEGIS Missiles To Ukraine!
This is another example of MISINFORMATION shared by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : AEGIS Is An Anti-Ballistic Missile System
Let me begin by pointing out that AEGIS is a missile defence system that is designed to defend against short to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
In other words, AEGIS is not an offensive weapon. It is a defensive surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.
Fact #2 : AEGIS Is Not Nuclear Capable
As a defensive missile system, there is no need for AEGIS missiles to be nuclear-capable. Hence, there are no nuclear-capable AEGIS missiles or AEGIS missile launchers.
It is ludicrous for any missile defence system to use nuclear-tipped missiles since they would necessarily intercept incoming ballistic missiles in mid-flight.
The resulting explosion would cause massive destruction to the ground below, which would likely be in the territory of the defending country!
Fact #3 : There Are No AEGIS Missile Systems In Ukraine
AEGIS missile systems are complex and require extensive training, and are only deployed by American and NATO forces. They are also primarily based on ships, although NATO decided to develop the land-based AEGIS Ashore in 2014.
The first AEGIS Ashore site was deployed operationally in Deveselu, Romania, in 2016, while the second site was opened in Redzikowo in Poland, in 2022. There are no other AEGIS Ashore systems in the world, and certainly none in the Ukraine.
It takes many years to develop an AEGIS Ashore site. Even if the US government decided to setup an AEGIS Ashore site in Ukraine today, it wouldn’t be operational for many more years to come!
Note : The AEGIS Ashore facility is behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This launcher to his left is the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) launcher that was emplaced during AEGIS Ashore construction.
Fact #4 : AEGIS Is Not Compatible With Tomahawk
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems to be confusing the AEGIS missile system, with the Tomahawk cruise missile. They are both different systems. The AEGIS missile defence system is not compatible with the Tomahawk cruise missile system.
What he does not appear to understand is that ships that carry the AEGIS systems (AEGIS ships) use the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) which was upgraded to be backward compatible with other missiles. This allows the ships to use a standard canister launching system for different missiles.
Originally, the Mk 41 VLS was designed to fire the RIM-66 Standard missile used by the AEGIS system. But for greater flexibility, the launching system was upgraded to accommodate the larger canister used by Tomahawk missiles. The current Mk 41 VLS now accommodates a variety of different missiles:
RIM-66 Standard
RIM-67 Standard
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3
RIM-174 Standard ERAM
RGM-109 Tomahawk
RUM-139 VL-ASROC
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow
RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)
Joint Strike Missile
While the launcher itself supports different missiles (which are stored in their own containers), the actual systems controlling those missiles are different. An AEGIS system for example, cannot fire Tomahawk missiles out of Mk 41 VLS launchers.
Fact #5 : There Are No Operational Nuclear Tomahawk Missiles
It is true that Tomahawk cruise missiles were originally designed to accept nuclear warheads, but they were withdrawn long ago, and are no longer in service:
BGM-109A Tomahawk Land Attack Missile – Nuclear (TLAM-N) had a W80 nuclear warhead, but was retired from service by 2013.
BGM-109G Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) had a W84 nuclear warhead, but was withdrawn from service in 1991 to comply with the INF Treaty.
There are currently no Tomahawk missiles with nuclear warheads in active service. So the claim that US deployed nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles anywhere is nonsense.
Fact #6 : There Are Easier Ways To Attack Russia With Missiles
With heavy fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine, it doesn’t make sense for the US to deploy Tomahawk missiles, nuclear capable or otherwise, in that country.
For one thing, it would be taken as casus belli by Russia. Even if it chose not to escalate the war, it is easier for Russia to attack the AEGIS / Tomahawk missile launchers in Ukraine.
But more importantly, there are easier ways to hit Russia with Tomahawk missiles than deploying them in Ukraine, where Russian forces (including air defences) are deployed in great numbers.
It would be far easier and safer for the United States / NATO to attack Moscow (for example) using Tomahawk or other missiles deployed in Latvia or Estonia, which are both NATO members.
Fact #7 : Robert F. Kennedy Jr Admitted He Was Wrong
Almost a week after he made those false claims, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. finally admitted that he was wrong. But even his correction reasserted the false claim that Russian fears of AEGIS precipitated the 2023 invasion of Ukraine.
Latvia and Estonia are NATO members, where AEGIS Ashore missile systems can potentially be installed, and Tomahawk systems deployed. Attacking Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, does not change that calculus.
This only goes to show how ill-prepared he is to be Commander-in-Chief of the United States.
ERRATA: Apologies for my earlier tweet reporting that the U.S. had installed nuclear-capable Aegis Missile systems in Ukraine. This was incorrect. The U.S. installed the Aegis batteries in Romania and Poland.
According to former top NATO military planner Col. Douglas Macgregor and historian Benjamin Abelow, the Russian government’s fear that the U.S. was about to install the same systems in Ukraine was one of several national security anxieties that motivated Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Russia had been deeply concerned that new U.S. missile systems, deployed as close as 400 miles from Moscow, could increase the chance that, in a crisis, the U.S. might believe it could carry out a decapitating preemptive first strike.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did CNN hide its video reporting on Ukraine attacking Donetsk and killing innocent civilians there?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : CNN Hid Video Of Ukraine Attacking Donetsk!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, TikTok, and Facebook, which apparently shows CNN hiding its video reporting on Ukraine attacking Donetsk.
In the viral video, former Fox News presenter, Clayton Morris, appears to say that CNN hid a video showing Ukraine killing civilians in Donetsk.
CNN does not want us to see this video. That’s why they’ve hidden it on their website. But thanks to the Internet, we’re going to show it to you now.
This is CNN covering Donetsk. The Donbass being attacked by Ukraine. Watch.
The video then shows a CNN news report, in which the CNN reporter states:
Petro Poroshenko will have a hard time winning back hearts and minds in this city, as the people of Donetsk sweep up the debris of their homes and livelihoods. They’re hardened against the president they say is killing his own people.
We are Ukrainian, but they kill us, this man says, so we probably need our own country. The people in Kiev, they’re not brothers for us.
The shells hit these homes days ago, but the tears are still fresh. Two people were killed outside this block of flats last Wednesday. One of them was a 50 year-old woman, the other a 34 year-old woman.
Her husband, who won’t talk to us says he’s in shock, managed to make it down the cellar with their little child, but she just didn’t have the time, and this is a story that repeats itself over and over in dozens of apartment blocks, with civilians being killed by the constant shelling around Donetsk.
The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, are also promoting the video, with comments like:
With 14,000 casualties, among them, 3,500 women and children in the Donbas Region of Ukraine, between 2014 and February 2022, the MSM gave news black out to the war in Ukraine until Russia intervened in February 2022. To many people around the world, the war in Ukraine started in 2022. In reality, it started in 2014.
Truth : CNN Did Not Hide Video Of Ukraine Attacking Donetsk!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Original Clayton Morris Video Cannot Be Located
First, I need to point out that I am unable to locate the original Clayton Morris video, and so cannot verify if it was edited or not.
The examples shared on WhatsApp and Facebook appear to originate from a TikTok account called crazyballheads2, which posted it on 12 April 2023.
Fact #2 : CNN Video + Report Was Never Hidden
It took me less than 5 minutes to locate the original CNN video, and the accompanying news report, that was posted by Diana Magnay and Laura Smith-Spark on September 2, 2014.
Misery in Ukraine as deadly conflict drives civilians from homes
Donetsk, Ukraine CNN — In the city of Donetsk, the devastation wrought by weeks of fighting between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces is all too apparent.
And as the civilians caught in the crossfire sweep up the debris of their homes and livelihoods, they are hardened against a president they say is killing his own people.
So the claim that CNN hid the video on their website is nonsense. It is easily accessible by anyone on the CNN website.
Fact #3 : Ukraine Was Trying To Regain Donetsk From Rebels
The Ukrainian army was attacking Donetsk because Russian-backed rebel forces took control of the Donbass region, after Russia annexed Crimea. For those who forget their history, here’s a quick recap:
In February 2014, Ukrainian protestors ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych from office. In retaliation, Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, before supporting an armed insurgency in the Donbass region.
By April 2014, Russian-backed rebels seized government buildings in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces (oblasts), and proclaimed the creation of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. That started the armed conflict between Ukrainian armed forces and the Russian-backed rebels.
At first, Russia quietly supplied and helped the rebels with armaments and irregular troops. That led to the downing of MH17 by DPR forces using a Buk missile launcher that just arrived from Russia that day, and was quickly moved back across the border after that. The Buk missile launcher was later traced to Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
By August 2014, Russia dispensed with the pretence, and Russian forces actively participated in the conflict, helping to capture more Ukrainian territory.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Fake News About Ukraine War
This is just another example of fake news created about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Here are other examples you may have seen on social media:
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Truth : Viral Video Does NOT Show Pension Riot Damage In France!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS shared on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video
First, let me just point out that the viral video clip was recorded in Paris, but is not new.
The original video was recorded on Saturday, 24 December 2022, and is therefore unrelated to the 2023 protests over pension reforms in France.
It appears to have been recorded and posted by Rémy Buisine, a French journalist.
Fact #2 : The Riot Occurred After Attack On Kurdish Cultural Center
The riot captured in the video video occurred one day after a man opened fired at the Ahmet-Kaya centre – a Kurdish cultural centre on Rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The gunman also fired at a hairdresser’s and a restaurant on that street. One woman and two men were killed, and at least three other people were seriously injured.
The gunman was a 69 year-old retired train driver who has been described as a “white supremacist” who had recently been released from detention while awaiting trial for a sabre attack on two Sudanese refugees at a refugee camp in Paris a year ago.
In response, the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F) called for people to gather at the Republic Square for a protest. Protesters later clashed with riot police near the scene of the shootings.
Fact #3 : This Riot Was Much Smaller Than 2023 Pension Reform Protests
This December 2022 riot appears to be very violent, with several cars overturned and at least one car on fire. However, it was a short-lived riot, and involved only hundreds of Kurds near the location of the shooting in Paris.
The 2023 pension reform protests are much larger, involving over a million strikers and demonstrators all over France, and has been ongoing since January 19. While they set fire to garbage and damaged some storefronts, there appears to be less violence and damage.
Fact #4 : This Is Just Another Example Of Pro-Russia Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of fake news created to mock France for its support of Ukraine, and mislead people about the carnage Russia is wreaking in its invasion of Ukraine.
Here is just the latest dozen the other Russian and Chinese propaganda articles and videos that I looked at so far:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin kneel before Chinese President Xi Jinping, to kiss his hand?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Vladimir Putin Was Forced To Kneel Before Xi Jinping!
People are claiming on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, that Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to kneel before Chinese President Xi Jinping, and kiss his hand!
…Slava Ukraini…braveness of Ukraine soldiers has led the cruest current dictator Putin to kneel before China Xi jinping…Putin can’t believe the strongness of Ukrainians… Slava Ukraini
#putin gives #xi a kiss and kneels
We all wonder does Putin need to go on his knees in order to get Weapons from China?
Back in the old day Leaders often Visited Leaders and needed to kneel down while requesting support. #leaders #china #russia #Criminals
#Russian propaganda loved to spread the slogan “Russians won’t kneel.”
Truth : Vladimir Putin Did Not Kneel Before Xi Jinping!
This is yet an example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by pro-Ukrainian groups to mock Russia and China, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported This
No legitimate Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese or international media outlet reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to, or voluntarily chose to, kneel before Xi Jinping during the Chinese President’s state visit to Russia.
The very act of a Russian head of state kneeling before his Chinese counterpart would have caused massive outrage in Russia, and shock in Ukraine, the West and even in China.
Yet no legitimate media outlet reported on it? That’s because it never happened.
Fact #2 : Photo Appears To Be AI-Generated
A closer examination of the photo shows several artifacts that suggest that it was AI-generated.
The man on the left appears to lack thumbs, and his two hands appear to melt together.
The nose and left ear on Xi Jinping’s head appears to be misplaced.
Vladimir Putin’s head is overly large in proportion to his body, and his ear is strangely misplaced.
Vladimir Putin’s legs appear to be distorted with the right leg appearing much larger than the left leg.
Vladimir Putin’s right knee mysteriously appears behind the heel of his left leg.
Based on those anomalies, this photo is very likely generated by a text-to-image generator.
Fact #3 : Photo Originated In A Ukrainian Telegram Group
This viral photo of Vladimir Putin kneeling before Xi Jinping to kiss his hand appears to have originated in a Ukrainian Telegram group called УНИАН – новости Украины (UNIAN – news of Ukraine).
Fact #4 : OP Indicated The Photo Was Edited / Generated
The person who originally posted the photo in the Ukrainian Telegram group, indicated that it was Photoshopped.
Хейтеры скажут, что фотошоп, но мы-то знаем, что х*йло давно хотел облобызать нефритовый стержень товарища Си 😅
Haters will say it’s photoshopped, but we know that x*ylo wanted to kiss Comrade Xi’s jade rod for a long time 😅
Fact #5 : Background Do Not Match Actual Meeting Room
The furniture and walls in the viral photo also do not appear to match the official photos of the room where Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met.
Instead of a dark green and white columns, the actual meeting room has a light green wall with gold trims and white columns.
The chairs in the viral photo are dark brown with beige cushions, while the real chairs are white, with off-white cushions. The actual table is also white, while the table in the viral photo is dark brown.
Fact #6 : This Is Just Ukraine War Fake News
This is yet another example of fake news created around the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and here are other examples:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The viral photo of the Luxembourg Prime Minister and his wife is FAKE!
Here is what you need to know about that viral photo!
Updated @ 2023-03-20 : Updated with some additional details First published @ 2022-05-20
Claim : This Is Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel + His Wife!
People have been sharing this viral photo since 2019, but it is going viral again in pro-Russia and pro-CCP groups.
Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel arriving for a function with his wife, Gauthier Destenay.
卢森堡总理和他妖艳的妻子，留着胡子穿 着鱼尾裙，很fashion，你觉得呢？
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg and his coquettish wife, with beards and fishtail skirts, are very fashionable, what do you think?
卢森堡首相贝泰尔携”夫人”昨天抵京，开始对华访问。这是全球首个首相同性恋, 可拭目以待！！
Luxembourg Prime Minister Bettel arrived in Beijing yesterday with his “Madame” and started his visit to China.This is the world’s first gay prime ministerCan wait and see!!
Truth : Viral Photo Of Luxembourg PM + His Wife Is FAKE!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS designed to disparage the LGBT community and/or European / NATO leaders.
The very fact that this claim was resurrected from 2019, after Europe heavily sanctioned Russia for invading Ukraine, tells us that this is hardly coincidental.
It then went viral again in March 2023, right after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In any case, here are the reasons why this is NOT a photo of the Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, or his wife.
Fact #1 : Xavier Bettel Is Married To Gauthier Destenay
Xavier Bettel is Luxembourg’s first openly gay Prime Minister, and he married his partner, Gauthier Destenay, a Belgian architect.
Bettel and Destenay had been civil partners since 2010, but was able to marry each other on 15 May 2015 – a year after the Luxembourg Parliament approved same-sex marriage.
Here are real photos of Luxembourg Prime Minister Bettel (right) with his partner, at their town hall wedding.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, right, puts his hand around the shoulder of his partner Gauthier Destenay after their marriage at the town hall in Luxembourg, on Friday, May 15, 2015. The marriage comes one year after the parliament approved legislation to turn Luxembourg into an increasing number of countries allowing for same-sex marriages. Bettel and Destenay have been civil partners since 2010. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Fact #2 : That Was Photo Of Conchita Wurst + Andre Karsai
The viral photo is actually of famous Austrian singer and drag queen, Conchita Wurst, and her business manager and the executive director of her company, Andre Karsai.
Conchita is actually the drag queen persona of Thomas Neuwirth, with a fictional backstory – Conchita was born in the mountains of Colombia, and married to French burlesque dancer Jacques Patriaque (Neuwirth’s actual friend)
He says this Conchita Wurst persona is similar to Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce alter-ego, and uses it as a way to protect his private life.
Neuwirth is gay but not a trans woman. He uses the he/him pronouns when referring to himself, but uses she/her to describe his Conchita Wurst character.
Conchita Wurst is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. She also had a cameo in the 2020 movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Here is an interesting fact about the character’s name. Conchita is a Spanish slang word for vagina, while Wurst is a German slang word for penis. So Conchita Wurst literally means vagina penis!
In 2019, Neuwirth introduced a new mononymous persona called WURST, which would allow for a “more masculine expression”.
Fact #3 : That Photo Was Taken At 2019 Vienna Opera Ball
The viral photo was taken at the Vienna Opera Ball that took place 28 February, 2019, by Jeff Mangione of Kurier magazine. Here is Conchita Wurst with the Austrian Minister of Justice, Dr. Josef Moser.
And this was her Instagram post at Wiener Opernball 2019 :
Fact #4 : Luxembourg PM Bettel Visited China Twice
As Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Bettel paid two official visits to China :
11-14 June 2017 : Bettel visited China together with two ministers.
27-28 March 2019 : Bettel visited China to witness the signing of several bilateral agreements, and to speak at the Boao Forum for Asia.
There is no evidence that his partner, Destenay, ever accompanied him on his trips to China.
Just in case Chinese netizens are “confused”, let me be clear – that viral photo was not taken in China during Bettel’s official visit.
Here is an actual picture from Bettel’s official visit to China in 2017.
This photo is being circulated in pro-Russia and pro-CCP groups, as a way to both disparage LGBTQ people and EU / NATO leaders during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen caught pretending to be in danger in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral photo, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : BBC Journalist Was Caught Pretending To Be In Danger!
People are sharing a photo of Jeremy Bowen lying on the ground, claiming that the BBC journalist was caught pretending to be in danger!
So brave this BBC western media reporter bringing us life story.
BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, pretends to be on the frontline, whilst a woman looks on, seemingly bemused, carrying her shopping!
Even the Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United States, Dmitry Polyanskiy shared the viral photo, claiming that:
An illustration of the quality of @BBCWorld’s ‘professional journalism’.
Western media is fighting at NATO’s proxy war with Russia in Ukraine like a rank-and-file soldier, instead of providing objective information to its readers!
Truth : BBC Journalist Was Not Caught Pretending To Be In Danger!
This is yet another example of Chinese and Russian propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Viral Photo Is Screenshot From Video
First, let me just point out that the viral photo is actually a screenshot from a BBC News video, recorded on 6 March 2023.
It was part of BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen’s report on the Battle of Irpin, during which the city was wracked by fierce street fighting and artillery shelling.
Fact #2 : Jeremy Bowen Was Taking Cover From Artillery Shelling
If you watch the BBC News video in its entirety, you can see Jeremy Bowen and his crew accompanying the woman in question, as well as other civilians, as they try to leave the city of Irpin.
Even in the short clip that I posted below, you can see the group suddenly falling to the ground, as shells pounded nearby.
The screenshot occurred as Jeremy Bowen laid on the ground while reporting on the shelling. The woman and other people can be seen crouching, only getting up to move on when the shelling stopped.
While that screenshot made it look like Jeremy Bowen was pretending to be in danger, the truth is – he was in danger, as were the people he was accompanying. A woman and two children were killed by Russian mortar fire that same day, as they tried to flee the city.
Fact #3 : This Is Just Another Example Of Pro-Russia Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of Russian and Chinese propaganda created to mislead people about the carnage Russia has been wreaking in its invasion of Ukraine.
Here is just the latest dozen the other Russian and Chinese propaganda articles and videos that I looked at so far:
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Does a viral CGTN video show how the US government blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : CGTN Video Shows How US Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines!
People are sharing a CGTN video that claims to show how the US government blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Here is a transcript of the video which I will share in two parts below, but feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.
How they blew up Nord Stream
On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian crisis erupted. Before and after that, the U.S. politicians have repeatedly threatened an attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.
US President Joe Biden : If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream will cease to exist.
US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland : If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.
119 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, several members of the task force, allegedly led by U.S. President National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, flew to Norway to find a suitable place to plant explosives under the pipeline.
116 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, a U.S. aircraft carrier has arrived in the Baltic Sea to participate in NATO’s annual naval exercise Baltops-22.
113 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, the Baltops-22 military exercise has begun. The manoeuvres continued in the Baltic Sea for 13 days.
During the exercise, the U.S. planes regularly circled over the sites of future gas pipeline explosions. The minimum flight altitude was less than 600 meters.
Underwater explosive placement training was performed during the military drills in the water area near the gas pipelines.
103 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, presumably, a group of Americans in plain clothes arrived at the exercise site by helicopter, and met with the Vice Admiral of the Sixth Fleet of the U.S. Navy, as well as a group of men in plain clothes.
The Americans then went on a deep dive. They placed the C4 explosive on pipes with a protective concrete coating. The operation lasted six hours.
24 days prior to the Nord Stream explosions, U.S. Navy helicopters circled the sites of future pipeline explosions.
On the day of the explosions, a P8 reconnaissance plane allegedly flew over the Baltic Sea and dropped a hydroacoustic buoy that detonated C4 explosives on the gas pipelines.
The explosive destroyed three out of the four gas pipelines. Methane from the pipelines began to spread across the surface of the water. The operator of Nord Streams [sic] estimates that the repair work will cost more than $500 million and take at least a year.
However, due to the U.S. and Western sanctions, the repair of the Nord Streams [sic] is not yet possible. The longer the repairs are delayed, the more difficult they will be.
4 days after the explosions at Nord Streams, Anthony [sic] Blinken said, “This is also a great opportunity to end Europe’s energy dependence on Russia once and for all.
148 days after the explosions at Nord Streams, on February 21, 2023, at Russia’s request, the UN Security Council held a meeting on the North [sic] Streams explosions where a heated debate about the incident and its investigations erupted.
No Evidence CGTN Video Shows How US Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines!
This is yet another example of Chinese propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : CGTN Is An Official Chinese State Media Outlet
China Global Television Network (CGTN) is a state-run and -funded news channel owned by Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television, and controlled by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
While it portrays itself as offering an alternative view of world affairs, it is known as a vital Chinese government propaganda outlet, with its accuracy often questioned.
Even here at Tech ARP, I have personally fact checked CGTN on several occasions.
Fact #2 : CGTN Video Is Based On Seymour Hersh’s Claims
The CGTN video appears to be based entirely on claims by American journalist, Seymour Myron Hersh, and does not offer anything new to add to the story.
Fact #3 : CGTN Video + Seymour Hersh Offered No Actual Evidence
Like Seymour Hersh’s Substack article, the CGTN video is loud and dramatic. Quite unlike the Nord Stream explosions that took place underwater.
However, if you actually analyse both the CGTN video and/or Seymour Hersh’s article, you have to ask – where actually is the evidence?
Seymour Hersh himself based his article on a single anonymous source. Even more concerning, no one else has been able to corroborate his claims more than 5 weeks later.
The viral CGTN video just repeats whatever Seymour Hersh claimed, without offering any evidence. It is important to note that this video was created by what is ostensibly a news organisation that is supposed to verify the facts before publishing.
The US government has naturally disputed Seymour Hersh’s claims, calling his article “utterly false and complete fiction”.
What’s concerning to me, as a common person, though is that some of Hersh’s claims are suspect and easily fact checked. Take for example, his claims that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was a committed anti-communist who had been cooperating with US intelligence since the Vietnam War.
It would be quite a feat for Stoltenberg to work with US intelligence during the Vietnam War since he was born in 1959, and would have been only 4-16 years old at that time! Stoltenberg was also pro-Communist as a young teen, and opposed US involvement in the Vietnam War by participating in protest rallies against the US embassy in Oslo.
Seymour Hersh’s claim that an Alta-class minesweeper was used in BALTOPS 2022 is also in dispute. Joe Galvin, OSINT editor of The Outlaw Ocean Project, showed that no Alta-class minesweepers were in the area at that time!
Hersh’s claim that the explosions were triggered by a sonobuoy dropped by a Norwegian P-8 Poseidon aircraft is also in dispute. Norway has five P-8 Poseidon aircraft, but none of them were seen in the area on the day of the explosion – September 26, 2022.
A US Navy P-8 aircraft was spotted in the area, but that aircraft only arrived 90 minutes after the first blast occurred! So it could not have been the P-8 aircraft that triggered the explosions as Hersh claimed.
Fact #5 : Both Nord Stream 1 + 2 Were Not Operational
It is true that both US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden were against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and President Biden threatened to “end Nord Stream” if Russian invaded Ukraine.
However, Nord Stream 2 never became operational, after Germany suspended its certification on 22 February 2022 – two days before Russia invaded Ukraine.
More importantly, Russia cut or interrupted gas supplies on Nord Stream 1, before shutting it down completely in the months following its invasion of Ukraine:
June 2022 : Russia cut Nord Stream 1 gas supply by 75%.
July 2022 : Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 for 10 days. It reopened at 12.5% of normal capacity.
August 2022 : Russia shut down Nord Stream 1 completely.
Both Nord Stream pipelines had long ceased to supply Europe with gas, long before explosions tore holes in them. There is simply no advantage for the Americans to destroy two pipelines that were no longer supplying Europe with gas.
Fact #6 : Europe Refused To Resume Gas Supply
Only three of the four gas pipelines were destroyed by the explosions, with Pipe B of Nord Stream 2 surviving. Russia offered to resume gas supply to Europe, which was promptly declined.
The refusal shows that Europe itself is eager to wean itself off Russian gas, and not because of earlier US threats to “end Nord Stream”.
The Americans did not have to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, because Russia’s own actions in disrupting gas supplies and invading Ukraine already did that for them.
Fact #7 : Many Countries Had Plausible Reasons To Destroy Nord Stream
As far as plausible reasons go, many countries had plausible reasons to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines:
US : To prevent allies in Europe from being held hostage by their reliance on cheap Russian gas.
UK : To encourage allies in Europe to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Russia : To stop supplying Europe without breaking its gas supply contracts, and/or to divide Europe.
Ukraine : To unite Europe against Russia.
While motive is important, it is not evidence that a country has committed the crime. There has to be actual evidence that the US / UK / Russia / Ukraine did it.
Regardless of what CGTN or Seymour Hersh may claim, there is simply no conclusive evidence YET that any of those countries are responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did the Mossad just reveal massive NATO losses in the Ukraine War, evidence that it is losing to Russia?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Mossad Just Admitted NATO Is Losing Ukraine War!
The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are sharing this article which claims that the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, just revealed massive NATO losses in the Ukraine War, evidence that it is losing to Russia!
It’s rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
The military loss data of Russia and Ukraine disclosed by Mossad, Israel’s world-renowned intelligence agency:
Russian military losses: 23 aircraft, 56 helicopters, 200 drones, 889 tanks and armored vehicles, 427 artillery pieces, 12 air defense systems, 18,480 killed, 44,500 injured, and 323 captured. The number of soldiers involved in the war was 418,000.
Ukraine lost 302 aircraft, 212 helicopters, 2,750 drones, 6,320 tanks and armored vehicles, 7,360 cannons, 497 air defense systems, 157,000 killed, 234,000 injured, 17,230 prisoners, and 734,000 soldiers, is in the ninth domestic mobilization of 100,000 soldiers to fill the gap.
234 NATO officers, trainers, and agents died (US, UK)
2458 NATO soldiers died (Poland, Germany, Lithuania…) A total of 5360 mercenaries died.
The war between Russia and Ukraine made us have to care about international affairs after retirement. In this war between Russia and Ukraine, the victory or defeat of Russia will definitely affect the way of life and living conditions of us and future generations! Judging from the current battle situation, our current prediction results are all wild guesses.
But there are a few signs that have been exposed. It can be seen that this battle: the United States was defeated, the EU was fooled, NATO was stunned, Ukraine was smashed, public officials were silenced, and the third world was awakened. It has made private property unholy, free speech, science and art have borders, cats and dogs have original sins, Switzerland is no longer neutral, and the hegemony of the US dollar is no longer stable. The Americans found that the third brother was disobedient. The Germans discovered that no matter how high the GDP is, it cannot keep warm. The Chinese discovered that no matter how loud the speech is, it is not as good as having more nuclear weapons.
I don’t know how this battle will end, but the above results are a large class of realism education, which makes us realize more deeply how far-sighted our great leader Chairman Mao was. Under such difficult and difficult conditions, he developed two A wise decision to bomb one star! This battle will cause the brainwashing and rhetoric techniques that the West has painstakingly worked on for a hundred years to collapse and be destroyed in one battle. This battle has awakened the Chinese people. The country is rich, the people are strong and the army is stronger. If you have ammunition in your hands, you must have food. The real economy and the public ownership system play a leading role. This battle further shows that peace depends on nuclear weapons and military strength! Peace is really made!
We should also soberly remember that Chairman Mao once said, “We must support whatever the enemy opposes, and we must oppose whatever the enemy supports.” In recent decades, some wealthy and government officials have not only deposited money in American banks, Swiss banks, and European Union banks, but also sent their wives and children to live in these countries. Now these people are restless and regretful! This is like putting meat next to a wolf’s mouth, and sooner or later, the wolf will eat the meat into its stomach!
The above article is reposted, it is really well written!
Truth : Mossad Did Not Admit NATO Is Losing Ukraine War!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Mossad Does Not Comment On Ukraine War
Mossad is the national intelligence agency of Israel, and has a policy of not commenting publicly on its operations. Neither does it comment on geopolitics and current events.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there is no such Mossad report on NATO losses in the Ukraine War, or any Mossad statement that NATO was losing the war in Ukraine against Russia.
Fact #2 : There Are No NATO Forces In Ukraine
Even if Mossad does actually comment on current events, it would be ludicrous for it to announce NATO losses, because there are NO NATO forces in Ukraine!
NATO Allied Land Command had long confirmed that “there are no NATO forces or leaders in Ukraine in any capacity“.
While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country.
So the claim that 2,458 NATO soldiers died is utter nonsense. Like Russia, Ukraine has foreign volunteers, but these are not NATO forces.
Fact #3 : Russian Losses Far More Than Ukrainian Losses
While Russia has not revealed its losses, Ukraine has publicly posted Russian losses on a daily basis. Of course, Ukrainian figures have not been verified, and are likely inflated.
But the open source intelligence website, Oryx, has been keeping track of material losses on both sides. It collects visual evidence, to verify those losses.
I created this table of the latest Russian and Ukrainian material losses, based on the latest Oryx intelligence results published on Thursday, February 24, 2023.
What is readily obvious is that, with few exceptions, Russia has suffered 3-4X more material losses than Ukraine.
Fact #4 : Chairman Mao Zedong Killed Millions Of Chinese Citizens
The article spoke highly of Chairman Mao, so it is incumbent upon me to remind everyone that Mao Zedong is responsible for the deaths of millions of Chinese citizens.
When Chairman Mao initiated land reforms and his Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries, millions of Chinese citizens were killed. Mao himself claimed that 700,000 people died as “counter-revolutionaries” from 1950-1952.
But nothing beat his Great Leap Forward, which killed approximately 15 to 55 million Chinese citizens from famine, and several million more would die from torture by CCP militia, or suicide.
If that’s not enough, Mao would go on to trigger the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which saw a million or so additional Chinese citizens killed. With glorious leaders like Mao Zedong, China does not need enemies.
Fact #5 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.
Here is just the latest dozen the other wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Are Nazis from Japan fighting for Ukraine against Russia?!
Take a look at the viral photos, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Nazis From Japan Are Fighting For Ukraine Against Russia!
The Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens are sharing photos of what they suggest are Nazis from Japan in Ukraine, helping to fight against Russia!
Japanese Nazis are fighting in Ukraine
Team Japanese in Ukraine
Anarchy is alive and in Ukraine
Note : I placed the misleading overlay to prevent the photos from being further abused.
Truth : Nazis From Japan Are Not Fighting For Ukraine Against Russia!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Photos Are Unrelated
After investigating the viral screenshot, I was able to confirm that they consist of two sets of photos that are unrelated.
The first set of photos, which show four soldiers in Ukraine, was posted by @rattionyade on February 10, 2023.
The second photo is completely unrelated to the first set of photos, and was posted by @xenovampiro (as well as other people) on February 12, 2023.
Fact #2 : Rising Sun Flag Is Not Japanese Nazi Flag
The Rising Sun flag is not the Japanese version of Germany’s Nazi flag. This is actually the Imperial Japanese Navy ensign called Jyūrokujō-Kyokujitsu-ki (十六条旭日旗) that was adopted on May 15, 1870 – over 150 years ago!
The Imperial Japanese Navy used it until the end of World War 2 in 1945. However, it was readopted and has been used by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force on all its ships since June 30, 1954.
Fact #3 : Japanese Nazi Flag Photo Was From 2014
The photo showing men carrying Japanese Rising Sun and Nazi Germany flags was not taken recently, or even in Ukraine.
It is unknown who took this photo, but it was possibly a photographer from the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, as the photo was posted by Asahi Shimbun editorial board member Itaru Tominaga (@tanutinn) on Twitter on August 2, 2015, with the description:
東京での日本の国家主義者のデモンストレーション。
彼らは安倍首相と彼の保守的な政治を支持している。
Japanese nationalist demonstration in Tokyo. They are supporting PM Abe and his conservative administration.
On further investigation, I found out that Tominaga deleted the tweet because it was misleading when he posted it – it was taken almost a year ago, on April 20, 2014 – the 125th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler.
On that day, about 40 Japanese protestors marched through the busy entertainment area of the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo, bellowing racist chants about South Korea and China. While the Asahi Shimbun article is no longer available online, you can download a copy here.
In short – this viral photo was taken in Tokyo, Japan, on 20 April 2014, and had nothing to do with Ukraine or the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fact #4 : Ukraine Has Foreign Volunteer Battalions Since 2014
Informal volunteer military groups were formed in spring 2014, from local militias and paramilitary groups, in response to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
The Ukraine Ministry of Defence later formed 32 volunteer battalions called “Territorial Defence Battalions”, and the Ukrainian parliament voted on 6 October 2014 to allow foreign fighters to join the military. In December 2014, President Petro Poroshenko promising Ukrainian citizenship to foreign fighters who signed up to fight.
Ironically, volunteers from Russia formed the largest group of foreign fighters in Ukraine! Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, about 3,000 Russian citizens signed up to fight for Ukraine.
Fact #5 : Volunteers From 60 Countries Now Fighting For Ukraine
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian government established the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine.
By 6 March 2022, more than 20,000 volunteers from 52 countries signed up to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. So it would not be surprising to find volunteers from Japan fighting for Ukraine.
@rattionyade, who posted the viral photo on the left, appears to be one of the Japanese volunteers fighting for Ukraine, as he often posts about his life in Ukraine.
Back in November 2022, it was revealed that volunteers from 60 countries are now fighting for Ukraine. Here are some of the units that were formed from those volunteers:
Canadian Brigade : Ukrainian-Canadian volunteers, including former servicemen from Canada
Norman Brigade : veterans from Canada, the United Kingdom, United States, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, and Poland.
Freedom of Russia Legion : former servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other Russian and Belarusian volunteers.
Russian Volunteer Corps : formed from Russian volunteers who have been fighting for Ukraine since 2014.
Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion : Mostly Chechen volunteers who fought in the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War against Russia.
Pahonia Regiment : Belarusian volunteers
Fact #6 : Russia Also Has Foreign Volunteer Forces
Foreigners have also signed up to fight on the Russian side, either as members of the Russian diaspora, for ideological reasons, or as mercenaries hired by the Russian government.
Serbian foreign fighters : International Brigade, Seventh Brigade, Serbian-Hussar Regiment, Ural Unit, First Slavic Unit, Batman Unit, Rezanj Unit, Jovan Šević Detachment
Spanish foreign fighters : Carlos Palomino International Brigade, DKO (Volunteer Communist Unit), Interunit
White nationalists, neo-Nazis, fascists and Christian extremists from Europe and North America : Continental Unity, Orthodox Dawn Battalion, Legion of Saint Istvan.
Syrian Arab Army : 25th Special Mission Forces Division
Fact #7 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda
This appears to be yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.
Here is just the latest dozen the other wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far:
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russia just destroy a NATO convoy of tanks, armoured vehicles, and other armaments destined for Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia Just Destroyed NATO Arms Convoy To Ukraine!
People are sharing seven short video clips, which claim to show Russian forces quickly destroying a NATO convoy of tanks, armoured vehicles, and other armaments destined for Ukraine?!
The video clips are being shared with this message:
Truth : Russia Did Not Destroy NATO Arms Convoy To Ukraine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Russians, or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and spread by pro-CCP and pro-Russian netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : That Video Was From A Video Game
The viral video clips do not show any actual combat in Ukraine. They are merely gameplay videos from the computer game, ArmA 3.
ArmA 3, which is also known as ArmA III or Armed Assault 3, is an open-world, military tactical shooter game by Bohemia Interactive.
I’ll admit – this wasn’t easy to confirm, as the viral video clips were small. Hunting down the original video took considerable time and effort, but with a little luck, I found it!
The seven video clips appear to be edited from a YouTube video called Ukrainian soldier Blow up a pontoon bridge with Russian Military Convoy – Arma 3 by USF WARRIOR.
Here is one example of the seven video clips, so you can see how realistic (or not) it looks.
In the example video I posted above, you can see the outline of a missile launcher. That is not a Russian missile launcher, but the M220 launcher for the American TOW BGM-71E anti-tank missile.
In other words – the video does not show Russian forces destroying a NATO convoy of tanks and other armoured vehicles. It actually shows Ukrainian forces using American weapons to destroy a Russian convoy in the ArmA 3 game.
Here is a comparison of the screenshot of the viral video (right) and a screenshot of the same TOW missile launcher (left) in the ArmA 3 game.
Interesting fact : the screenshot on the left is actually from another fake ArmA 3 video created but the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Understandably, it’s not easy to locate the original video. But even if you are not able to confirm that this was an Arma 3 gameplay video, any military buff or gamer would have quickly realised how ridiculous the claims are.
For example, these are Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopters. Some NATO countries like Czechoslovakia, Lithuania and Latvia used to own and operate them, but they should have long been disposed of.
Fact #4 : Those Are Russian Mil Mi-28N Helicopters
While it may be plausible for NATO countries to source and perhaps supply Ukraine with old Mi-17 helicopters, it would be impossible for them to supply Ukraine with these Russian Mil Mi-28N “Havoc” helicopters!
Only four countries have access to these Havoc helicopters – Russia, Iraq, Algeria and Uganda. NATO countries, even those who were formerly part of the Soviet Union, do not have these helicopters.
So it would be impossible for NATO to provide Ukraine with Mil Mi-28N helicopters.
Fact #5 : Those Are Russian BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carriers
Those are Russian BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers. Granted, they are rather ubiquitous, with many examples worldwide.
However, the only NATO member with an abundance of these armoured personnel carriers is Turkey, and Turkey has not announced giving Ukraine any BTR-80s.
So if you see BTR-80s in Ukraine, it’s either Ukrainian or Russian vehicles.
Fact #6 : That Is A Russian 76N6 Clam Shell Radar
That is a Russian 76N6 Clam Shell low altitude search and acquisition radar for the Russian SA-10A/B (S-300) Grumble surface-to-air (SAM) missile system.
While the S-300 SAM system is rather ubiquitous as well, only one NATO member has ever donated an S-300 battery to Ukraine, and that’s Slovakia, which donated its only battery in April 2022.
Since then, no other NATO member country has any operational S-300 systems left. So it would be impossible for NATO to supply these radars together with the SAM missile batteries to Ukraine.
Fact #7 : There Are No NATO Forces In Ukraine
NATO Allied Land Command confirmed that “there are no NATO forces or leaders in Ukraine in any capacity“.
While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country.
So the claim that NATO sent a convoy of tanks, armoured vehicles, and other armaments to Ukraine. Any military armaments supplied to Ukraine are transported into Ukraine by the Ukrainians, not NATO forces.
Even such convoys would never be close enough to the frontlines for Russian forces to attack.
Fact #8 : This Is Just Another Example of Pro-Russian Propaganda
This is yet another example of pro-Russian propaganda. Here are some other examples I fact checked in the past:
Please watch out for similar fake news created by Russia and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛)!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russia just destroy four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia Just Destroyed 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
People are sharing a video of Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov claiming that Russian forces destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) in Ukraine!
Here is the accompanying message, which I machine-translated into English.
💥 За сутки боевых действий на данном направлении противник потерял 11 танков, 17 боевых машин пехоты, в том числе четыре БМП «Брэдли» производства США, 10 других боевых бронированных машин, 5 пикапов с крупнокалиберными пулеметами и более 150 военнослужащих.
💥 During the day of hostilities in this direction, the enemy lost 11 tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, including four US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 10 other armored combat vehicles, 5 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns and more than 150 military personnel.
Truth : Russia Did Not Destroy 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS spread by pro-Russian netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded On 4 September 2022
The video is genuine, but it isn’t new. It was actually posted on the official Russian Ministry of Defence’s Telegram group on 4 September 2022.
In that longer video, Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov was giving a report on the state of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
⚡️ Сводка Министерства обороны Российской Федерации о ходе проведения специальной военной операции на территории Украины (04.09.2022 г.)
⚡️ Report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (04.09.2022)
Fact #2 : Bradley Fighting Vehicle Donation Only Announced In January 2023
President Joe Biden only announced that the US government would be sending Ukraine about 50 Bradley M2A2 ODS Fighting Vehicles on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
That’s exactly four months after Russia claimed to have destroyed four of them!
Fact #3 : There Are Still No Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine
Even today, it is impossible for Russian military forces to have destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine, because the Ukrainian army still does not not have any!
Yes, President Biden announced a new $2.8 billion weapons package on January 4, 2023 that would include about 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, but those vehicles will take months to deliver.
As Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced on January 5, 2023 – the Bradley Fighting Vehicles have not been delivered to Ukraine.
You will see when Bradleys arrive on the battlefield. Let Ukraine announce it.
Fact #4 : Ukrainians Need To Train On Bradley Fighting Vehicles First!
Logistically, the US Army has about 4,000 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and can easily deliver the 50 vehicles to Ukraine in weeks, if not days.
However, Bradley Fighting Vehicles are complex vehicles, and it will take several weeks for each vehicle and maintenance crew to learn how to use and maintain them. And that is expedited training.
In fact, the Ukrainians will only start training on the Bradley M2 vehicles this week in Germany, as announced by Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder in a briefing last week.
Training will mostly start next week in Germany. We expect this training to last weeks, not months.
Regardless of when the US government sends the Bradley M2 vehicles to Ukraine, they will only appear on the battlefield after there are trained Ukrainian crews.
This is nothing more than old but official Russian propaganda that is being used by pro-CCP and pro-Russia netizens and groups to promote the perception that the United States is wasting resources in Ukraine.
Be wary of such claims, because there are plenty spreading on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media platforms. Here is a selection of similar Russian propaganda that I fact checked in the past:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Donald Trump just prevent World War III, with Russian President Putin’s help?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : Trump Just Averted World War III, With Putin’s Help!
On 16 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that Donald Trump just prevented World War III
It is really long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
It was President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday who urged the U.S. military to change its defense posture to Defcon-3 “Roundhouse” after hearing that Russian missiles splashed down in Poland and killed at least two people, but he rescinded that order after receiving an impassioned telephone call from Vladimir Putin and examining photographs of the wreckage.
When news of the attack, or accident, broke, Trump at once reached out to Marine Corps General David H. Berger, who, in accordance with the Insurrection Act of 1807, took charge of the nation’s nuclear command codes when Trump ceded provisional authority of the country to the military prior to departing Washington in January 2021. As Real Raw News has previously reported, White Hats, not the Biden regime, have sole access to the codes controlling the country’s nuclear triad, and sources say this still holds true; otherwise, Biden would have already sparked nuclear Armageddon.
Mar-a-Lago sources told RRN that although Trump immediately suspected a False Flag, he asked Gen. Berger to raise the nation’s alert level, just in case.
Minutes after speaking to Gen. Berger, Trump received a call from none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, who insisted that any ordnance that might have struck Poland were not of Russian origin and were not launched from Russian soil.
Real Raw News reported last February, March, April, and May that Trump and Putin have kept an open line of communication since the latter began his “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. The reason Putin speaks to Trump and not Biden is that Putin still acknowledges Trump as the lawful President of the United States.
Putin sent Trump images of the damage, including a picture of what appeared to be a metal fragment of the missile. He admitted it was a Russian-built S-300 air defense missile, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later exported to foreign countries, including Ukraine, and pointed out that mangled remnants had been stamped with Ukrainian writing, which would not be present on any of Russia’s current stockpile.
Putin suggested two possibilities: Either a Ukrainian-owned S-300 accidentally hit Poland, or Ukraine fired on Poland to trigger a False Flag war.
A beleaguered President Trump, exhausted from months of campaigning for midterm candidates, handling daughter Tiffany’s wedding, and preparing his own presidential announcement speech, had his military advisors evaluate images and video of the missile strike. They affirmed Putin’s assertions—the missile indeed belonged to Ukraine.
Trump then phoned Gen. Berger and told him to stand down, deescalating the nation’s defense condition and preventing the globe from being enveloped in a cloud of radioactive ash.
“White Hats are working to ascertain if this was an accident or an attempt to ignite a nuclear war,” our source said. “This really could have gone sideways, had cool heads not prevailed.”
Truth : Trump Did NOT Avert World War III, With Putin’s Help!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Trump Working With Putin To Avert War
Only Real Raw News has published this fantastical account of Donald Trump working with Russian president Vladimir Putin to avert World War 3. That’s because Michael Baxter / Tuffin made it up as usual.
In fact, everyone else reported that it was US President Joe Biden who calmed everyone down by stating that preliminary information suggested that the missile did not originate from Russia.
How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story” that never happened?
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #3 : DEFCON Level Is Controlled By Sitting US President
Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the DEFCON level is primarily controlled by the sitting US President, and the current US Secretary of Defense.
That would be President Joe Biden, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Not former President Donald Trump.
Only in his fevered mind would the US military take orders from a former US President, especially an infamously erratic and ignorant one like Donald Trump.
Fact #4 : US Has Been At DEFCON 3 Since October 2022
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump asked the US military to increase its defense posture to DEFCON 3, and then rescinded it, insinuating that the United States is now at DEFCON 4.
Michael Baxter / Tiffin is apparently unaware that the United States increased its defense posture from DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 3 in October 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The US remains at DEFCON 3 today.
Fact #5 : Only US President Has Authority Over Use Of Nuclear Weapons
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Marine General David H. Berger has control of the nuclear launch codes.
Only the sitting US President has the authority to order the use of nuclear weapons. That command though must be authenticated by another high-ranking official, like the Vice President or Secretary of Defense.
Once authenticated, the order goes to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and to the US Strategic Command, and so on.
In no scenario ever, do nuclear weapons come under the authority of a lowly general from the US Marine Corps.
US Strategic Command is, after all, a separate unified command under the direct control of the US Department of Defense.
Fact #6 : Donald Trump Claimed The Missile Originated From Russia
Real Raw News falsely claimed that Donald Trump worked with Vladimir Putin to ascertain that the missile came from Ukraine, thus averting World War III.
The truth is – it was President Biden who said that “preliminary information” suggested that the missile that hit Poland did not originate from Russia.
I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate. But it is … it’s unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia. But we’ll see. We’ll see.
Then minutes later, Donald Trump announced that he would be running for President in 2024, and immediately claimed that the missile came from Russia.
Even just today a missile was sent in probably by Russia to Poland, 15 miles into Poland.
If anyone averted a war between Russia and NATO, and possibly World War III, it was President Biden, not Donald Trump.
Fact #7 : Missile Landed In Poland, Not Russia
It is also hilarious that Real Raw News readers actually swallowed Michael Tuffin’s bullshit claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Donald Trump photos of the missile fragments.
Hello? The S-300 missile landed in Poland, not Russia! So the photos could not have originated from Putin or the Russians. They would have to be taken by the Polish authorities!
Fact #8 : US + Poland Confirmed Ukraine Origin Of Missile
US and Polish officials rushed to investigate the origin of the missile, and soon evaluated that it could only come from a Ukrainian missile battery that was trying to intercept a Russian missile.
From the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side. It is highly probable that it was fired by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense. – Polish President Andrzej Duda
We have seen nothing that contradicts President Duda’s preliminary assessment that this explosion was most likely the result of a Ukrainian air defense missile that unfortunately landed in Poland. – US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson
Donald Trump had ZERO INPUT into this. He not only did not defuse the situation, he inflamed it by insisting that the missile came from Russia.
The Russians, including President Vladimir Putin also had no involvement in the investigation.
Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Ukrainian Army claimed to have killed 70,000 Russian soldiers, together with over 2,600 tanks, as it prepares to liberate Kherson!
The retreat of the Russian army in multiple areas of Ukraine has even made it difficult for the Kremlin to decide on the exact borders of the regions it annexed!
On Saturday, October 29 2022, the Ukrainian Army (UA) announced that its forces destroyed 19 Russian tanks and 23 armoured vehicles, and killed another 550 Russian soldiers in a single day.
This brings the total of Russian dead to over 70,000, with over 2,650 tanks and over 5,400 armoured combat vehicles destroyed in just 8 months of the Ukraine War.
Ukraine’s lightning counteroffensives to the east and south have slowed in the autumn rain and mud that have stymied Napoleon in 1812, and Hitler in 1941.
But the Ukrainians continue to make progress against Russian forces, as they try to recover the city of Kreiminna in Luhansk, and Kherson in the south.
The only place where Russian forces appear to still be attacking is the city of Bakhmut. Even so, they failed to gain significant ground despite repeated attacks and heavy bombardment.
More Trouble For Russian Soldiers : US + Canada Approves More Aid!
Russia has mobilised 300,000 reservists, and deployed at least 41,000 of them to Ukraine so far, but they will likely end up as nothing more than cannon fodder.
That’s because the US and Canadian governments just announced additional aid for Ukraine.
On October 28, the Biden Administration announced it will be sending up to $275 million worth of military hardware to Ukraine, consisting of:
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
2,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
More than 1,300 anti-armor systems;
125 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
Small arms and more than 2,750,000 rounds of small arms ammunition; and
Four satellite communications antennas.
With this latest allocation, the United States will have committed to supply Ukraine with more than $18.5 billion worth of military assistance.
The additional allocation of HIMARS rockets will be most welcomed by the Ukrainians, as they have been instrumental in surgically targeting and destroying Russian command centres and supply dumps far from the frontlines.
While this MItsubishin L200 with a rocket launcher (cannibalised from a Russian BM-21 MLRS) looks impressive, it is nothing compared to HIMARS.
On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new and additional measures to help Ukraine fight against the Russian invasion.
Canada will offer government-backed Ukraine Sovereignty Bonds, which Canadians can purchase at major banks to support the Ukrainian government and people.
Canada will impose sanctions on 35 senior officials of energy entities, and six energy sector entities; as well as members of the Russian justice and security sectors.
$55 million to help Ukrainians prepare for the winter, including shelter, blankets, clothing and heating appliances.
$15 million for equipment and help to de-mine Ukrainian territory.
In total, Canada will have committed $2 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine, most of which have already been disbursed.
He also shared that the 39 armed combat support vehicles (ACSVs) that Canada promised Ukraine in June has arrived, and Ukrainian forces are being trained on them.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Russian government was just caught red-handed fabricating evidence that Ukraine was preparing a dirty bomb!
Take a look at their claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Russian Gov : Ukraine Is Creating A Dirty Bomb!
The Russian government has recently been promoting the claim that Ukraine is creating a dirty bomb.
On Sunday, October 23, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told his counterparts in the US, Britain, France and Turkey that Ukraine was preparing to use a dirty bomb.
He then repeated his claim in a phone call with the Indian defence minister on Wednesday, October 26.
To convince the world of that dastardly plot, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA Russia) shared “evidence” on October 24 that Ukraine has “directly ordered” two organisations to create a dirty bomb!
💬 Russian Defence Ministry: According to the information at hand, two organisations of Ukraine have been ❗ directly ordered to create the so-called #dirtybomb.
☢️ The works are at their concluding stage.
Note : We added a Misleading overlay to avoid these photos from being further misused.
The Russian government has done nothing but lie and lie, from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this is no different.
Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by the Russian government.
Fact #1 : Radioactive Waste Photo Was From Slovenia In 2010
The Slovenian government came out to publicly call out the Russian government in fabricating their evidence of a Ukrainian dirty bomb.
It identified this photo as a Slovenian Radioactive Waste Management Agency (ARAO) photo from 2010, that had been “misused and used without the knowledge of ARAO”.
The objects are simply smoke detectors placed inside plastic bags labelled Radioaktivno, which is radioactive in Slovenian. For context, radioactive in Ukrainian is Радіоактивний (Radioaktyvnyy).
The photo was created by ARAO and used as a “stock image” for their presentations and does not actually contain any radioactive materials.
Since its 2010 release, this ARAO stock image has been used in a 2014 presentation by the Center for Eco-Toxicological Research in Montenegro, and a 2016 story about Mexican authorities finding a stolen truck with radioactive materials.
Fact #2 : Dirty Bomb Design Was From 2016
The schematic of what Russian military intelligence claimed was a Ukrainian dirty bomb was actually expropriated from a Radiology Key article that posted it on 1 June 2016.
This is simply a stock diagram to explain how a dirty bomb – also known as a radioactive dispersal device (RDD), works.
It also skews more towards the terrorism aspect, hence the use of fertiliser, a metal drum and a time fuse. Military forces would not resort to such ad hoc designs.
Honestly, it looks less like actual “military intelligence” and more like whoever came up with this just did an image search for “radioactive dispersal device” and voila!
Fact #3 : Scientific Research Reactors Are In Russia
The scientific research reactors that the Russian government identified as sources for the Ukrainian dirty bomb are both located in Russia.
As Benjamin Strick, Director of Investigations for the Centre for Information Resilience pointed out:
the photo on the left is from the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station in the Sverdlovsk Oblast in Russia
the photo on the right is a flipped screenshot of the Novosibirsk Scientific and Industrial Complex, also in Russia.
If Russia wants to create a dirty bomb, it would possibly need help from both facilities, but certainly not the Ukrainians.
Fact #4 : Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Is Under Russian Control
The top left photo shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was captured by Russia on 4 March 2022.
On 12 March 2022, it was placed under control of the Russian state nuclear power company, Rosatom. While the Zaporizhzhia NPP continues to be operated by Ukrainian staff, it has been under Russian control since March 2022.
Therefore, it would be absurd to claim that the Ukrainians would use nuclear material from this power plant to create a dirty bomb.
Fact #5 : Detonating A Dirty Bomb Would Contaminate Ukraine For Years
Russian claims that the Ukrainians would detonate a dirty bomb on their own land are ludicrous, because:
a) The Ukrainians are winning
Ukrainian counteroffensives in the south and east are working – they are winning back land previously occupied by Russian forces.
It would not make sense to detonate a dirty bomb, which would contaminate the land and stymie their counteroffensives.
b) The lands would be contaminated for years, if not longer
Dirty bombs are nothing more than conventional bombs paired with radioactive materials. When they explode, they disperse and contaminate the surrounding area with the radioactive material.
Detonating one in Ukraine would contaminate their own lands for many years, even decades. Why on Earth would they do that?
Ukraine is keenly aware of the dangers of radioactivity, having bore the brunt of Soviet incompetence during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident that resulted in 2,600 km2 of Ukrainian land uninhabitable for the next 300 years or more.
Fact #6 : This Is Just Russian Propaganda
This is just another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual.
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Elon Musk has officially withdrawn SpaceX’s demand for more Starlink funding in Ukraine!
Elon Musk Withdraws Demand For Starlink Funding!
Elon Musk was seen as a saviour to Ukrainians, after his company – SpaceX, shipped thousands of its satellite terminals to Ukraine, and activated its Starlink satellite Internet services.
But he came under fire after a SpaceX letter demanding more funding leaked, exposing how most of Starlink service in Ukraine was being funded by third party entities, including the US, UK and Polish governments.
The backlash resulted in an angry “The hell with it” retort by Musk, which could either mean he was going to continue subsidising a small part of Starlink services in Ukraine, or he was just being sarcastic.
That was finally clarified when he tweeted that SpaceX officially withdrew its request for (additional) funding.
SpaceX has already withdrawn its request for funding
He could barely hide his indignation at being “exposed” for only subsidising a small percentage of Starlink services in Ukraine, with his follow-up tweet to “clarify” that SpaceX was only getting paid for 42% of Starlink users in Ukraine.
To be precise, 25,300 terminals were sent to Ukraine, but, at present, only 10,630 are paying for service
While that sounds “bad”, the truth is – SpaceX was charging an ultra-premium $2,500 for its Starlink service in Ukraine, when most users only needed the much cheaper $500 connectivity, or the $60 consumer connectivity.
That’s like charging them for Gigabit broadband, when they only need 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps connectivity. The cost is the same, but the company gets to claim that they are being fleeced, when the truth is – they are looking to profiteer off a country desperately trying to fight off a Russian invasion.
Elon Musk / SpaceX Is Making Money Off Starlink In Ukraine!
As a capitalist and a corporation respectively, Elon Musk and SpaceX are entitled to profit off the Starlink satellite service. But it is also important to note that Ukraine has offered SpaceX a unique opportunity to showcase the advantages of the Starlink system.
The overwhelmingly positive media coverage of Starlink’s importance in the Ukraine War is something money can’t buy. So it is important that Elon Musk and SpaceX do not abuse their unique position, to focus on profit, profit, profit.
Not only do they stand to lose that positive news coverage, it could also open a bag of worms… like when the leaked letter exposed that SpaceX was not as charitable as everyone thought.
According to the leaked SpaceX letter, about 85% of the 20,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine were paid or partially paid for by countries like the US, the UK and Poland. Those countries also paid for about 30% of the Internet connectivity, which costs $4,500 per month per unit.
That service cost was also brought into question since it was their top-tier pricing, when the majority of users in Ukraine only needed the much cheaper $500 per month connectivity, and consumer connectivity only cost $60 per month. It looked like SpaceX was profiteering off Ukraine’s desperation.
The SpaceX letter naturally rankled the Pentagon, with one senior defence official saying that SpaceX has “the gall to look like heroes” and present them with a bill for tens of millions of dollars, when Starlink service in Ukraine was already being sponsored in large part by outside sources.
Let’s hope that Elon Musk and SpaceX has learned their lesson on trying to profit off the Ukraine War…
Earlier : SpaceX Will No Longer Pay For Starlink In Ukraine!
According to an exclusive report by CNN, SpaceX’s director of government sales wrote a letter to the Pentagon, warning that it can no longer continue to fund the Starlink service.
SpaceX delivered about 20,000 Starlink satellite terminals to Ukraine so far, with CEO Elon Musk stating on Friday that the “operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year“.
We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.
In the letter that was sent in September, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to fund the Ukraine government’s use of Starlink, which would cost $124 million for the rest of the year, and could cost as much as $380 million for the next 12 months.
Here is a breakdown of Starlink costs in Ukraine, and who paid for what:
USAID – about $3 million on hardware and services
Poland : almost 9,000 Starlink terminals
US : almost 1,700 terminals
SpaceX priced the two Starlink satellite terminal models it sent to Ukraine at $1,500 and $2,500, even though the consumer model is cheaper at just $599.
SpaceX claims to have paid for about 70% of the service provided to those Starlink terminals, but that’s based on their claim to have offered the highest level of service at $4,500 per month, even though the majority only signed on for the cheaper $500 per month service. Starlink consumer service in Ukraine, in comparison, costs just $60 per month!
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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Amidst the recent funding controversy, Elon Musk has begrudgingly agreed to keep (partly) funding Starlink services in Ukraine!
Elon Musk To Keep (Partly) Funding Starlink In Ukraine!
Elon Musk was seen as a saviour to Ukrainians, after his company – SpaceX, shipped thousands of its satellite terminals to Ukraine, and activated its Starlink satellite Internet services.
Starlink has been critical in providing the Ukrainian government and military forces with secure communications, and the ability to control drones to monitor or attack Russian forces.
But that burnish was just soiled by the raging controversy over SpaceX’s reluctance to “keep paying” for Starlink in Ukraine, especially when it’s revealed that most of the “free” terminals and services were funded by other parties!
In what appears to be a rage post, Elon Musk begrudgingly agreed to keep (partly) funding Starlink services in Ukraine on Saturday, October 15, 2022:
The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.
Of course, that could be nothing more than Musk’s sarcastic response to what he probably perceives as a lack of appreciation for SpaceX’s efforts.
Elon Musk / SpaceX Is Making Money Off Starlink In Ukraine!
As a capitalist and a corporation respectively, Elon Musk and SpaceX are entitled to profit off the Starlink satellite service. But it is also important to note that Ukraine has offered SpaceX a unique opportunity to showcase the advantages of the Starlink system.
The overwhelmingly positive media coverage of Starlink’s importance in the Ukraine War is something money can’t buy. So it is important that Elon Musk and SpaceX do not abuse their unique position, to focus on profit, profit, profit.
Not only do they stand to lose that positive news coverage, it could also open a bag of worms… like when the leaked letter exposed that SpaceX was not as charitable as everyone thought.
According to the leaked SpaceX letter, about 85% of the 20,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine were paid or partially paid for by countries like the US, the UK and Poland. Those countries also paid for about 30% of the Internet connectivity, which costs $4,500 per month per unit.
That service cost was also brought into question since it was their top-tier pricing, when the majority of users in Ukraine only needed the much cheaper $500 per month connectivity, and consumer connectivity only cost $60 per month. It looked like SpaceX was profiteering off Ukraine’s desperation.
The SpaceX letter naturally rankled the Pentagon, with one senior defence official saying that SpaceX has “the gall to look like heroes” and present them with a bill for tens of millions of dollars, when Starlink service in Ukraine was already being sponsored in large part by outside sources.
Let’s hope that Elon Musk and SpaceX has learned their lesson on trying to profit off the Ukraine War…
Earlier : SpaceX Will No Longer Pay For Starlink In Ukraine!
According to an exclusive report by CNN, SpaceX’s director of government sales wrote a letter to the Pentagon, warning that it can no longer continue to fund the Starlink service.
SpaceX delivered about 20,000 Starlink satellite terminals to Ukraine so far, with CEO Elon Musk stating on Friday that the “operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year“.
We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.
In the letter that was sent in September, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to fund the Ukraine government’s use of Starlink, which would cost $124 million for the rest of the year, and could cost as much as $380 million for the next 12 months.
Here is a breakdown of Starlink costs in Ukraine, and who paid for what:
USAID – about $3 million on hardware and services
Poland : almost 9,000 Starlink terminals
US : almost 1,700 terminals
SpaceX priced the two Starlink satellite terminal models it sent to Ukraine at $1,500 and $2,500, even though the consumer model is cheaper at just $599.
SpaceX claims to have paid for about 70% of the service provided to those Starlink terminals, but that’s based on their claim to have offered the highest level of service at $4,500 per month, even though the majority only signed on for the cheaper $500 per month service. Starlink consumer service in Ukraine, in comparison, costs just $60 per month!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
SpaceX is no longer willing to pay for Starlink satellite service in Ukraine!
SpaceX Will No Longer Pay For Starlink In Ukraine!
The stars are shining for once on Russian President Vladimir Putin in his invasion of Ukraine!
According to an exclusive report by CNN, SpaceX’s director of government sales wrote a letter to the Pentagon, warning that it can no longer continue to fund the Starlink service.
SpaceX delivered about 20,000 Starlink satellite terminals to Ukraine so far, with CEO Elon Musk stating on Friday that the “operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year“.
We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.
In the letter that was sent in September, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to fund the Ukraine government’s use of Starlink, which would cost $124 million for the rest of the year, and could cost as much as $380 million for the next 12 months.
Here is a breakdown of Starlink costs in Ukraine, and who paid for what:
USAID – about $3 million on hardware and services
Poland : almost 9,000 Starlink terminals
US : almost 1,700 terminals
SpaceX priced the two Starlink satellite terminal models it sent to Ukraine at $1,500 and $2,500, even though the consumer model is cheaper at just $599.
SpaceX claims to have paid for about 70% of the service provided to those Starlink terminals, but that’s based on their claim to have offered the highest level of service at $4,500 per month, even though the majority only signed on for the cheaper $500 per month service. Starlink consumer service in Ukraine, in comparison, costs just $60 per month!
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service has been vital to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield, proving its government and military with secure communications and Internet connectivity.
It not only provides Ukrainian forces with secure communications, it allows them to control drones to monitor and even attack Russian forces.
However, that reliance on SpaceX and its Starlink satellite service is a double-edged sword – it appears to be highly reliant on whims and fancies of its erratic CEO – Elon Musk.
Revelations about this letter raises concerns about Musk’s allegiance in the Ukraine War, after his much-derided Ukraine peace plan on October 3, 2022.
Not only did Elon Musk personally block the use of Starlink in Russia-occupied Crimea, the Ukrainian counteroffensives in the South and East were recently stymied by outages on the battlefield.
That has affected every effort of the Ukrainians to push past that front. Starlink is the main way units on the battlefield have to communicate.
According to SpaceX, about 85% of the 20,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine were paid or partially paid for by countries like the US, the UK and Poland. Those countries also paid for about 30% of the Internet connectivity, which costs $4,500 per month per unit.
The SpaceX letter rankled the Pentagon, with one senior defence official saying that SpaceX has “the gall to look like heroes” and present them with a bill for tens of millions of dollars, when Starlink service in Ukraine was already being sponsored in large part by outside sources.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Elon Musk personally blocked Ukraine from accessing Starlink in Russia-occupied Crimea over concerns it could start a nuclear war!
Elon Musk Personally Blocked Starlink In Crimea!
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Elon Musk and the US government have provided Kyiv with thousands of Starlink systems, providing Ukrainian forces with satellite communications.
The low energy requirements of the Starlink satellite receivers also made it useful in controlling reconnaissance drones which provide valuable, real-time intelligence on Russian forces.
So it’s no wonder Elon Musk has been kind of a hero to the Ukrainian people, until he suggested that Russia should be allowed to keep Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.
After that suggestion met with a collective “Fuck off” from Ukrainian diplomat Andrij Melnyk and the Ukrainian government in general, Musk was embroiled in more controversy.
According a report published on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Elon Musk personally rejected a request by Ukraine to use the Starlink satellite Internet service in Russia-occupied Crimea.
Apparently, the SpaceX CEO feared that a Ukrainian assault to retake the peninsula from Russia could lead to a nuclear war after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer, Elon Musk was asked by the Ukrainian defence ministry to activate Starlink in Crimea, which had been annexed by Russia since 2014.
Musk “refused, given the potential for escalation“, after recently speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin who said that he was “prepared to negotiate“.
That was what apparently led to Elon Musk to propose his much-derided Ukraine peace plan on October 3, 2022.
Ukraine-Russia Peace:
– Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people.
– Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake).
– Water supply to Crimea assured.
– Ukraine remains neutral.
This is highly likely to be the outcome in the end – just a question of how many die before then
Also worth noting that a possible, albeit unlikely, outcome from this conflict is nuclear war
Elon Musk Denies Speaking With Putin, But Not Blocking Starlink
Elon Musk flatly denied speaking with Vladimir Putin recently, stating that his last conversation with the Russian President was “18 months ago” on “space“.
He also stated that it was “pointless” to speak with Putin, as “there is currently no overlap between Russian and Ukrainian demands” and that “it’s not even close“.
The Russian government backed Musk, with a Kremlin spokesperson stating on Tuesday that Musk and Russian President Putin had a phone call around a year and a half ago, but didn’t specify what was discussed.
Interestingly, even though Elon Musk was quick to deny any recent contact with Putin, he did not deny personally blocking Ukraine from using Starlink in Crimea.
That decision to block Starlink would likely make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Ukrainian forces to send drones to monitor or attack Russian forces in Crimea.
It is also troubling that Musk has the personal power to make decisions that directly affect Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian aggression.
On one hand, Ukraine needs Starlink for secure communications. On the other hand, their secure communications is now dependent on the whims and fancies of one man – Elon Musk.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Ukrainian Army claimed over 60,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, together with over 2,400 tanks, as it liberates even more territory in Kherson!
The retreat of the Russian army in multiple areas of Ukraine has even made it difficult for the Kremlin to decide on the exact borders of the regions it annexed!
On Tuesday, October 4 2022, the Ukrainian Army (UA) announced that its forces destroyed forty four Russian tanks and 27 armoured vehicles, and killed another 370 Russian soldiers in a single day.
This brings the total of Russian dead to almost 61,000, with over 2,400 tanks and over 5,000 armoured combat vehicles destroyed in just 7 months of the war.
More importantly, Ukraine was making slow but noticeable headway on the southern front, taking the villages of Zolota Balka and Myrolyubivka in the Kherson region on the same day.
While these successes may not seem as significant as their lightning advance in Donetsk, the pressure they put in the south are preventing Russia from diverting significant forces to reinforce its retreating forces in eastern Ukraine.
Our warriors from @ng_ukraine reported that the village of Zolota Balka, Kherson region, has been liberated. russians control less territories in Ukraine each day. pic.twitter.com/zPTOsafHmv
The Ukrainian flag has been raised in the village of Myrolyubivka, Kherson region. The Ukrainian offensive in the South is ongoing. 🎥 128th Mountain Assault Brigade 🎶 @Vopli & Taras Kompanichenko pic.twitter.com/baMb9jU4Na
Moscow In Trouble Over Losing Territory It Annexed In Ukraine
Due to the continuous retreat of the Russian army, it has become difficult for the Kremlin to define the borders of the regions it officially annexed on Friday, September 30.
On Monday, October 3, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow will “continue consulting” with the local populations before establishing the borders of its annexed territories.
That’s because the annexed territories be considered part of Russia, and it would be disastrous psychologically to lose any Russian territory to the Ukrainian Army.
This announcement came after Russia was forced to pull back its forces from Lyman – its critical eastern logistics hub.
Ukrainian soldier throwing away the Donetsk Republic flag in Lyman.
Just one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed documents claiming to annex Lyman, thousands of Russian soldiers trapped there fled the city, forcing the Russian Ministry of Defence to admit that its forces had “withdrawn to more advantageous lines“.
The next day, on Sunday, October 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Lyman was fully cleared of Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces pushed into the Luhansk region a day later, heading towards Lysychansk – the last Ukrainian city to holdout in that oblast (province) before the its capture in July.
As long as Ukrainian forces continue to keep Russian forces in retreat, the Kremlin will find itself between the rock and a hard place in annexing the four oblasts it claims.
Any annexed territory that is captured will not only be seen as a liberation of stolen lands by the Ukrainians, it will be seen as a loss of Russian territory and face by supporters of Vladimir Putin and his disastrous invasion of Ukraine.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out why the US, Canada and Ukraine repeatedly voted against an anti-Nazi resolution in the United Nations!
Claim : US, Canada, Ukraine Voted Against Anti-Nazi Resolution!
Pro-Russia and pro-CCP netizens, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are claiming that the US, Canada and Ukraine are the only three of four countries to vote against the anti-Nazi resolution in the United Nations.
Here is a recent example, which refers to a 2014 UN Resolution called “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance“.
Why are the US, Canada, and Ukraine the only three of four countries in the world to vote NO to the UN resolution to combat Nazism and Neo-Nazism? In fact most European countries abstained, while the vast majority of the global south including China, India, Russia voted yes
Note : This photo has often been used as “evidence” that Ukraine and the US are pro-Nazi. The truth is – this is a digitally manipulated photo.
Here’s Why US, Canada, Ukraine Voted Against Anti-Nazi Resolution!
At first glance, it is easy enough to see why pro-Russia and pro-CCP netizens actually believe that the US, Canada and Ukraine are Nazi supporters.
Let’s go through the facts of this UN resolution, and find out why US, Canada and Ukraine voted against an anti-Nazi resolution.
Fact #1 : US, Canada, Ukraine Voted Against Anti-Nazi Resolution
First, let me confirm that the US, Canada and Ukraine did indeed vote No to a 2014 UN resolution called 2014 UN Resolution called “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance“.
Here was how the voting went :
Total voting membership : 193
Members voting Yes : 132
Members voting No : 4 (US, Canada, Ukraine, Palau)
Members abstaining : 51 (including all EU member states)
Members who did not vote : 6
Fact #2 : This Is Old News From 2014
This is old news from 2014 that is being resurrected due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia calls their invasion of Ukraine a “special operation” to “denazify Ukraine”, and they justified it by claiming that Ukraine is full of Nazis.
Hence, pro-Russia and pro-CCP groups, including the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), have been promoting this story as “evidence” that the US, Canada and Ukraine are pro-Nazi.
Fact #3 : Resolution Was Presented By Russia To Justify Annexation Of Crimea
The 2014 UN resolution was presented by Russia as a way to justify its annexation of Crimea in March 2014.
That was why Ukraine joined the US and Canada in voting against the resolution. All European Union member states abstained en masse from the resolution for the same reason.
Speaking to European Voice before the vote, Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, said that “no one should doubt that we are condemning fascism”, but, he continued, “under cover of this condemnation, Russia is pursuing its own agenda”.
It was not that those countries support Nazism or facism. It’s because they do not agree that Russia should use it as a pretext to attack other countries.
Fact #4 : Ukraine First Voted No In 2014
This resolution has actually been presented on a yearly basis since 1980, but Ukraine only started to vote no in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea.
Their official reason for Ukraine voting No though was because the document did not reflect the crimes of the Stalin regime :
Andrey Tsimbalyuk, Ukraine’s Representative in the UN, said in 2014: “Until Stalinism and neo-Stalinism are judged with the same degree, as Nazism, neo-Nazism and other forms of intolerance, Ukraine will not be able to support this document.”
This is why pro-Russia and pro-CCP netizens only mention the 2014 resolution, but not the earlier versions. That was the first time Ukraine voted against the resolution.
Did Russian annexation of Crimea turn Ukrainians into Nazis? Or did they simply dislike Russia’s use of Nazism to justify their illegal invasion of Ukraine?
Thanks to a CCP supporter, Wan Chun Hong, I confirm that United States has voted against each instance of this resolution as far back as 1985.
The United States also abstained from voting for this resolution in the 1980 resolution, together with 17 other countries.
The US reason for voting against the resolution was to defend the freedom of speech. As Nicholas Hill, the Deputy US Representative for ECOSOC explained on November 12, 2021 :
The United States Supreme Court has consistently affirmed the constitutional right to freedom of speech and the rights of peaceful assembly and association, including by avowed Nazis, whose hatred and xenophobia are vile and widely scorned by the American people. We nevertheless firmly defend the constitutional rights of those who exercise their fundamental freedoms to combat intolerance and express strong opposition to the odious Nazi creed and others that espouse similar hatreds.
For these reasons, the United States has voted against each new version of this resolution since 2005 and is, again, compelled to vote “No” on this resolution, and calls on other States to do the same.
Nazism is also far less of a problem today than white nationalism, or Russian and Chinese aggression against their neighbours.
CCP supporter, Wan Chun Hong, intended to use the 1985 UN Resolution as evidence that Western countries were really supporters of Nazism.
There is one problem though – two countries voted No against the measure called “Measures to be taken against Nazi, Fascist and neo-Fascist activities and all other forms of totalitarian ideologies and practices based on racial intolerance, hatred and terror“.
One was the United States. The other was Israel. Does Israel voting against that anti-Nazi resolution mean that the Israelis are also pro-Nazis, like the United States?
CCP supporters would like us to believe that, because they think we are idiots.
Fact #7 : Russia Is Using Resolution To Justify Attacks On Neighbours
Russia has been using this resolution to justify its attacks on its neighbours, as Nicholas Hill also pointed out in the same November 12, 2021 explanation :
[T]he United States must once again express opposition to this resolution, a document most notable for its thinly veiled attempts to legitimize Russian disinformation campaigns denigrating neighboring nations and promoting the distorted Soviet narrative of much of contemporary European history, using the cynical guise of halting Nazi glorification.
Here is a list of territories that Russia has occupied so far :
Transnistria : seized from Moldova in 1992
Abkhazia and South Ossetia : seized from Georgia in 2008
Crimea, and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk : seized from Ukraine in 2014
Parts of Donetsk and all of Luhansk : seized from Ukraine in 2022 (ongoing)
This is really nothing more than Russian propaganda to justify their invasions of other countries, reminiscent of what Nazi Germany did in the 1930s.
Russian and Chinese propaganda have also tried to introduce fake claims like NATO had been planning to invade Russia from Ukraine, or that they created COVID-19 in Ukrainian biological labs.
Fact #8 : Russia Colluded With Nazi Germany In World War 2
Russian and Chinese propaganda avoid mentioning how the Soviet Union colluded with Nazi Germany, and was responsible (in part) for starting World War 2 in Europe.
The fascist ideology of Nazi Germany did not gel well with the communist ideology of the Soviet Union, which was why relations between the two countries deteriorated once Hitler came into power.
But the Soviet Union warmed up to the Nazis, and actively colluded with Nazi Germany before and during World War 2… up until Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.
Multiple commercial agreements provided Nazi Germany with desperately needed raw materials, including oil.
The Soviet Union invaded Poland in partnership with Nazi Germany.
The Soviet Union invaded Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, just after Germany invaded France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The Soviet Union tried to join the Axis Pact, which consisted of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Soviet Union provided Nazi Germany with the means to avoid the economic blockade, and continue their invasion of Europe.
If Hitler did not make the mistake of invading the Soviet Union, it was likely that Europe would have been divided between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany as per the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
In these pictures from 23 August 1939, you can see Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact; and Stalin shaking hands with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, after signing the pact.
Vyacheslav Molotov signs the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (left), Stalin shaking hands with Ribbentrop after signing the pact (right)
Fact #9 : United States Was Anti-Nazi Long Before Russia
Russian and Chinese propaganda always skim over the inconvenient fact that the United States was anti-Nazi long before Russia.
While Russia was actively colluding with Nazis, and partnering with Nazi Germany in dividing up Central Europe; the United States not only prepared for war against Germany, it shared critical technology with Britain and provided them with tremendous amounts of armaments through the Lend-Lease Act.
Russia would also end up benefiting from the US Lend-Lease Act, which saw the US producing and shipping US$50.1 billion worth of military equipment and supplies (equivalent to US$690 billion in 2020) to Allies.
Fact #10 : United States Prevented Soviet Union’s Collapse
Russian and Chinese propaganda also (intentionally?) forget to point out that it was the United States that helped to prevent the Soviet Union’s collapse during the German invasion in 1941.
It took the German armed forces less than 6 months to advance within 20 miles of the Kremlin. The complete capitulation of Russia was stopped, in part, by a prodigious amount of arms and equipment sent by the United States :
400,000 jeeps & trucks
14,000 airplanes
8,000 tractors
13,000 tanks
1.5 million blankets
15 million pairs of army boots
107,000 tons of cotton
2.7 million tons of petrol products
4.5 million tons of food
Reminiscent of the military aid that Ukraine is now receiving from the United States and other members of NATO, the US Lend-Lease Act supplied the Soviet Union with $11.3 billion ($180 billion in 2020 currency) worth of aid from 1941 to 1945.
Without such large amounts of aid from the United States, it was likely that Russia would today be part of a Greater Nazi Germany, or at least a vassal state of Nazi Germany.
Stalin himself acknowledged the value of American support to his aide and future USSR leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who said :
I would like to tell about some remarks Stalin made and repeated several times when we were “discussing freely” among ourselves. He stated bluntly that if the United States had not helped us, we would not have won the war. If we had had to fight Nazi Germany one on one, we could not have stood up against Germany’s pressure, and we would have lost the war.
We should note that the US helped Russia, even though the US was at that time a neutral country, and Russia was responsible for kicking off World War 2 by colluding with Nazi Germany to invade Central European countries.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
