Did the UAE freeze a French fighter jet deal after France arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?! Take a look at the viral claims and video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : UAE froze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
People are sharing news reports and/or an Al Jazeera video, which purportedly claim that the UAE just froze its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, over its arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
Firstpost : #FPWorld: Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended the deal with France for 80 warplanes, according to a report.
Financial Express : UAE cancels $20 billion Rafale deal with France despite Telegram CEO’s release
Kim Dotcom : The French Govt just lost $17 billion over the arrest of Pavel Durov. The UAE froze a deal to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets and says that the arrest of Pavel Durov is outrageous. Pavel is a citizen of the UAE and a close friend of the Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan Al Maktoum.
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Truth : UAE did not freeze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
This appears to be yet another example of Russian propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No evidence UAE froze French fighter jet deal
Let me start by pointing out that there is no evidence that the United Arab Emirates froze its 2021 deal to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets.
If that actually happened, it would have been announced by the UAE authorities, and condemned by the French government. As a public-listed company, Dassault would also have to issue a statement on such a shocking development. It would also have resulted in widespread coverage by the mainstream media.
Yet, none of that happened. This fake news appears to have proliferated mainly through Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).
Fact #2 : Al Jazeera video is fake
The viral Al Jazeera video, which claims that the UAE has frozen its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, is fake. Al Jazeera never created, nor posted, this video.
The last time Al Jazeera ever posted about any arms deal between the UAE and France, was on 4 December 2021, when it reported on the UAE and France signing an arms deal involving 80 Rafael fighter jets and 12 military helicopters.
To be clear – Al Jazeera never made or posted the viral video below, or its contents:
The UAE has frozen the contract actions for the purchase of 80 fighter aircraft from France. This comes after the arrest of businessman Pavel Durov in Paris.
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Fact #2 : Fake Al Jazeera report started in Telegram
Ironically, this fake Al Jazeera report appears to have originated in Telegram. According to Maria Dubovikova (archive) who traced this hoax, here is the timeline on 27 August 2024 (Moscow Time):
20:29 : Russian Telegram group Condottiero posted (translated) – “The UAE unilaterally suspended the contract for the purchase of 80 French fighter jets due to Durov’s arrest. Additionally, the Sheikhs are considering a complete blockade of trade operations with France, including in the defense sector.”
20:35 : Russian Telegram group Topaz posted (translated) – “The United Arab Emirates have frozen the contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. They are also considering the possibility of a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France.”
By 11 PM (23:00), a fake video appeared on X, mimicking an Al Jazeera news video with this information. This video was never on the Qatari outlet’s platforms.
The fake news then spread outside of Russian Telegram channels, after being shared by Western opinion leaders like Kim Dotcom, Candace Owens, Chuck Callesto, etc.
Fact #3 : No evidence Marwan Bishara ever mentioned Pavel Durov
I could also find no evidence that Marwan Bishara ever commented on Pavel Durov, or his arrest by French authorities, or any response by the UAE government or leaders.
In fact, Marwan Bishara has not written any opinion piece for Al Jazeera for more than half a year – his last piece was posted on 24 November 2023, and it was about the Gaza war.
Fact #4 : UAE to receive Rafale F4 fighter jets only in 2027
There is also the inconvenient fact that Dassault is only expected to ship its first Rafale F4 fighter jet to the UAE in 2027, which is 3 years away. So there is nothing to freeze, so to speak.
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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.
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