Are President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders addicted to Adrenochrome and children’s blood?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Zelensky is addicted to Adrenochrome and children’s blood!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders are addicted to Adrenochrome and children’s blood!
Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Adrenochrome Whistleblower: ‘Zelensky and Other Leaders Are Addicted to Children’s Blood’
Hundreds of Ukrainian children living in slavery were liberated by Russian special forces this week as Putin’s Adrenochrome Task Force made a series of grisly discoveries deep inside Ukraine.
Reports from the front line reveal that hundreds of children were found in degrading “factory farm” conditions at a location in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the focal point of Russia’s slow advance along the eastern part of the front line.
Russian soldiers are describing finding children with fragile, emaciated bodies hooked up to intravenous drips while their bodies were expertly drained of blood and adrenal fluid for the global adrenochrome trade.
The adrenochrome industry in Ukraine is larger than previously expected and Putin is determined to use the leads generated to destroy the global adrenochrome supply chain and punish those committing crimes against children – including the politicians and celebrities who are hooked on the drug he calls “the devil’s work.”
Following orders from Putin, the FSB launched a worldwide initiative to track down and eliminate adrenochrome manufacturers, sellers, buyers, middlemen, and anyone involved in the production and export of the pharmaceutical cocktail.
Soldiers selected for Putin’s Adrenochrome Task Force in Ukraine are known as the creme de la creme of the Russian military – experienced veterans who thought they had experienced everything this evil world has to throw at them.
But as reports begin to emerge from Ukraine, even these hardened soldiers are finding it impossible to comprehend the inhumanity and horror of the global adrenochrome industry and the network of factory farms discovered throughout Ukraine.
As the soldier explains, the Task Force is actively gathering crucial information on the inner workings of the adrenochrome trade and collecting invaluable intelligence on the high-profile buyers funding this sinister industry.
Truth : Zelensky is not addicted to Adrenochrome or children’s blood!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Russians did not liberate Ukrainian child slaves
This is silly but it has to be said – Russian special forces did not liberate hundreds of Ukrainian children living in slavery in a factory farm.
If that actually happened, it would have been widely publicised by the Russian government, and Russian media outlets, even if mainstream media outlets do not believe them.
Yet, there was no announcement by the Russian government, or even coverage by Russian media outlets. That’s because it was all made up!
There are no child factory farms in Ukraine. What are child factory farms anyway? It’s all made-up nonsense.
Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its claim that Russian special forces liberated hundreds of Ukrainian child slaves who were being milked for Adrenochrome.
Fact #2 : Putin did not form any Adrenochrome Task Force
I should also point out that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not create any Adrenochrome Task Force. In fact, there is no evidence Putin ever mentioned adrenochrome even once!
If Putin actually created an Adrenochrome Task Force, it would have been reported widely across the world, not only by the Russian media. And Western governments and media outlets would be laughing at him for believing in such a ridiculous conspiracy theory.
Yet, that never happened… because it was all made up! Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.
Fact #3 : No One Is Harvesting Children For Adrenochrome
The People’s Voice article is based on a far-right conspiracy theory about adrenochrome being harvested from children’s blood or adrenal gland, and used as a drug or elixir of youth.
Truth be told – that’s a really silly conspiracy theory, as there is currently no medical use for adrenochrome, and it can be synthesized in a laboratory. So there is absolutely no need to kill any child to produce adrenochrome.
Fact #4 : Zelensky and Ukrainian leaders are not addicted to Adrenochrome
Regardless of whether you believe adrenochrome has any use (it has no medical use), it is not addictive. Therefore, there is no reason for President Volodymyr Zelensky or any Ukrainian leader to be addicted to adrenochrome.
Yet again, the The People’s Voice article provided no evidence President Zelensky or any Ukrainian leader has ever used adrenochrome for any purpose, never mind become addicted to it.
Fact #5 : Putin Wanted For Abducting Children From Ukraine!
It is ludicrous for The People’s Voice to suggest that Vladimir Putin would want to do anything to save children. After all, he has sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Russian boys and men in his invasion of Ukraine.
But even more ironically, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on 17 March 2023, for abducting children from Ukraine!
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022.
There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute), and (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).
Fact #6 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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)
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.
Did Russia just rescue hundreds of children from an Israeli ship trafficking them for the adrenochrome industry?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia rescues “Adrenochrome” children from Israeli ship!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that Russian special forces just rescued hundreds of children from an Israeli ship trafficking them for the adrenochrome industry!
Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Putin’s Adrenochrome Taskforce Intercept Israeli Ship Trafficking Hundreds of Kids
Russian special forces have liberated dozens of children from an Israeli-registered ship, as President Putin’s war against the global adrenochrome industry kicks into high gear.
Following the discovery of a factory farm operation in Ukraine, Putin formed an “adrenochrome task force” of special agents and handpicked Spetznas to deal with the growing crisis.
According to reports, Israeli-registered ship was apprehended within the Russian sphere of influence in the Black Sea on July 10, and children were being held captive in atrocious conditions.
Hardened Russian soldiers who thought they had seen it all fought tears as they described the horrors of finding so many children with fragile, emaciated bodies hooked up to intravenous drips while their bodies were expertly drained of blood and adrenal fluid for the global adrenochrome trade operating out of Israel.
This is a significant discovery and Putin is determined to use the leads generated to destroy the global adrenochrome supply chain and punish those committing crimes against children.
According to the Kremlin, President Zelensky’s Kiev regime has been earning hundreds of millions of dollars per year by raising children in degrading factory farm conditions and selling them to the highest bidder on the international market – no questions asked.
As Putin explains, the Western elite have been stuffing their bellies with human flesh for centuries and the time has come to call it out and hold them to account.
Thanks to Putin’s adrenochrome task force, pedophile cult leaders around the world can no longer rest assured that their crimes against children will be swept under the carpet like they are in the West.
Truth : Russia did not rescue “Adrenochrome” children from Israeli ship!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Russia has no Adrenochrome task force
This is silly but it has to be said – Russian President Vladimir Putin did not establish any “adrenochrome task force” to destroy “the global adrenochrome supply chain”, as the article claims.
If Putin actually established such a task force, it would have been reported widely across the world, not only by the Russian media. And he would have been mocked for believing in such conspiracy theories. Yet, that never happened… because it was all made up!
Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.
Russia did not rescue children from Israeli ship
Needless to say – Russian special forces most certainly did not rescue any children being trafficked on any Israeli ship for adrenochrome harvesting.
If that actually happened, it would have been reported widely across the world. Yet none of that happened, because it was all made up as well!
Yet again, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its claim that Russian special forces rescued kidnapped children from an Israeli ship in the Black Sea.
No one is harvesting children for Adrenochrome
The People’s Voice article is based on a far-right conspiracy theory about adrenochrome being harvested from children’s blood or adrenal gland, and used as a drug or elixir of youth.
Truth be told – that’s a really silly conspiracy theory, as there is currently no medical use for adrenochrome, and it can be synthesized in a laboratory. So there is absolutely no need to kill any child to produce adrenochrome.
It is ludicrous for The People’s Voice to suggest that Vladimir Putin would want to do anything to save children. After all, he has sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Russian boys and men in his invasion of Ukraine.
But even more ironically, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on 17 March 2023, for abducting children from Ukraine!
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022.
There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute), and (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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)
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.
Did Vladimir Putin just vow to shut down the Hollywood adrenochrome supply chain in Ukraine?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Putin Vows To Shut Down Adrenochrome Supply Chain!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin just vowed to shut down the Hollywood adrenochrome supply chain in Ukraine!
Here is an excerpt of the long and (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Putin Vows To Shut Down Hollywood Adrenochrome Supply Chain
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to shut down the adrenochrome supply chain servicing Hollywood after Russian forces made a series of horrifying discoveries in Ukraine in recent days.
Putin has enlisted Hollywood insiders including Mel Gibson and Steven Seagal to put all the chess pieces together so he can make his move.
The elites in Tinseltown are already feeling the effects of Putin shutting down child factory farms in Ukraine, and according to reports on the ground they have begun moving their operations elsewhere – including with in the United States and Mexico.
However, Putin has a plan to save those children as well and it involves enlisting the help of those who are intimately acquainted with the sick Hollywood system.
According to CIA sources, eight million children go missing in the world each and every year, the vast majority of them lost into a system of pedophilia and adrenochrome blood trafficking, while mainstream media downplay the gravity of the situation out of fear of angering their overlords.
Children are now a more valuable commodity than drugs to the criminal class, and in Hollywood, children operate as a unit of currency, according to Mel Gibson, who warns that entertainment industry elites, including many household name celebrities, regularly “feast on the blood of children.”
Russian forces claim that Ukraine is a hub for child trafficking and organ harvesting. These crimes are not limited to the criminal underworld; the lucrative nature of these activities has attracted the involvement of the Ukrainian elite, who have dominated the market.
Ukraine’s former Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Mykhailo Zagreychuk and ten other surgeons were arrested for illegal organ trafficking with Europe and the US.
Meanwhile, children are being smuggled out of Ukraine and sold to the highest bidder, regularly changing hands for tens of thousands of dollars.
Truth : Putin Did Not Vow To Shut Down Adrenochrome Supply Chain!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Putin Did Not Vow To Shut Down Adrenochrome Supply Chain
This is silly but it has to be said – Russian President Vladimir Putin did not vow to shut down the Hollywood adrenochrome supply chain in Ukraine!
If he actually made such a vow, it would have been reported widely across the world, not only by the Russian media. Yet, that never happened… because it was all made up!
Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.
Fact #2 : There Are No Child Factory Farms In Ukraine
The People’s Voice article claimed that Vladimir Putin was “shutting down child factory farms in Ukraine“. That’s also utter nonsense.
There are no child factory farms in Ukraine. What are child factory farms anyway? It’s all made-up nonsense.
Yet again, The People’s Voice article provided no evidence to back up its suggestion that “child factory farms” exist in Ukraine.
Fact #3 : No One Is Harvesting Children For Adrenochrome
The People’s Voice article is based on a far-right conspiracy theory about adrenochrome being harvested from children’s blood or adrenal gland, and used as a drug or elixir of youth.
Truth be told – that’s a really silly conspiracy theory, as there is currently no medical use for adrenochrome, and it can be synthesized in a laboratory. So there is absolutely no need to kill any child to produce adrenochrome.
Fact #4 : Putin Wanted For Abducting Children From Ukraine!
It is ludicrous for The People’s Voice to suggest that Vladimir Putin would want to do anything to save children. After all, he has sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Russian boys and men in his invasion of Ukraine.
But even more ironically, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on 17 March 2023, for abducting children from Ukraine!
Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute). The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022.
There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute), and (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).
Fact #5 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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)
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.
Did a global poll show that twice as many people would prefer Vladimir Putin as President than Joe Biden?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Global Poll Shows Putin 2X More Popular Than Biden!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that a global poll just showed that twice as many people would prefer Vladimir Putin as President than Joe Biden!
Here is an excerpt of the article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
Global Poll Reveals Twice as Many People Would Prefer Putin as President Than Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin is far more popular around the world than Joe Biden, according to the results of a new global poll that reveals the US is losing influence around the world under Biden’s “weak leadership.”
The poll was conducted by Al-Monitor in partnership with data analytics firm Premise and asked which of the three world leaders they viewed “most favorably.”
44.4% of those surveyed said they viewed Putin most favorably, followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping with 33.8%, while only 21.7% said they preferred Biden.
Truth : Global Poll Did Not Show Putin 2X More Popular Than Biden!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : It Was Not A Global Poll
Let me start by pointing out that the Al-Monitor poll which was the basis of the The People’s Voice article was not a global poll. It only covered three Middle Eastern countries – Egypt, Iraq, Turkey; and one North African country – Tunisia.
That’s only a fraction of Middle Eastern and North African countries – just three out of 18 countries in the Middle East, and just one in seven countries in North Africa . It’s not even a regional poll. It also did not include influential countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or Jordan.
More importantly, the poll covers just 4 of the 195 countries around the world. So the poll does not show that Vladimir Putin is twice as popular as Joe Biden around the world.
Fact #2 : Al-Monitor Poll Did Not Show Waning US Influence
The Al-Monitor poll also does not show the US losing influence around the world under President Joe Biden, as the The People’s Voice article claimed.
In fact, the Al-Monitor poll actually showed that 40% of respondents agreed that the US is still “best equipped to help solve the Israel-Hamas war”, compared to Russia (27.9%) or China (13.4%).
In other words, the respondents overwhelmingly believe that the US is still far more influential than Russia, at least in resolving the Israel-Hamas war.
Fact #3 : Al-Monitor Did Not Refer To Biden’s Weak Leadership
The People’s Voice article suggests that the Al-Monitor polling showed that the US was losing influence due to President Joe Biden’s “weak leadership.
The Al-Monitor article (archive) suggested that Washington’s popularity suffered due to its support of Israel’s war in Gaza, and said nothing about Biden’s leadership qualities.
Again, the Al-Monitor poll showed that 40% of respondents agreed that the US is still “best equipped to help solve the Israel-Hamas war”, compared to Russia (27.9%) or China (13.4%).
That sounds like a tacit acknowledgement that people in those four countries trust Biden far more than Putin in helping to resolve the Israel-Hamas war.
Fact #4 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Fake News
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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)
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.
Did Alexei Navalny die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine SADS?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Alexei Navalny Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!
Right after news broke that Alexei Navalny died suddenly in a remote Russian penal colony, some people immediately claimed or suggested that Vladimir Putin’s most feared opposition leader was killed by the COVID-19 vaccine!
Richard : So according to the most recent autopsy results of Alexei Navalny, the 47-year-old’s cause of death is a blood clot in the heart.
Doctors suspect it was caused by vaccination against the coronavirus with the Pfizer vaccine. Apparently Navalny was vaccinated four times…. #Navalny #AlexeiNavalny #Nawalny
According to Rossiya 1 television, there are the results of Alexei Navalny’s autopsy. The cause of death of the 47-year-old was a blood clot in the heart. Doctors suspect that it was caused by vaccination against coronavirus with the Phizera vaccine.
No Evidence Alexei Navalny Died From Vaccine SADS!
It’s now tradition for anti-vaccine activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine. Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of fake news created and propagated by anti-vaccine activists…
Fact #1 : Alexei Navalny Died Suddenly In Arctic Prison
Alexei Navalny (born Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny / Алексей Анатольевич Навальный on 4 June 1976) died suddenly at the FKU IK-3 Arctic Circle penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on Friday, 16 February 2024.
His death was announced by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) the same day, which stated that Navalny lost consciousness after a walk. Medical workers at the penal colony attended to him, and an emergency medical team was called.
On 02/16/2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convicted Navalny A.A. felt ill after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. The medical staff of the institution immediately arrived, and an ambulance team was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not give positive results. The doctors of the emergency medical service pronounced the convict dead.
Several Russian state-owned news agencies reported that an ambulance arrived at the scene in less than 7 minutes, and performed resuscitation measures for more than half an hour. However, they failed to revive Alexeï Navalny, who was then pronounced dead at 2:17 PM local time.
His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, received an official note the next day, on Saturday, 17 February. Alexei Navalny was 47 years old when he died.
Fact #2 : An Autopsy Is Being Conducted On Alexei Navalny
The Investigative Committee of Russia announced that “a set of investigative and operative measures” will be undertaken to determine Navalny’s cause of death, and his body would only be released to his family after the investigation was complete. The Russian authorities can legally hold his body for up to 30 days.
According to Novaya Gazeta, Alexei Navalny’s body was taken to Labytnangi, before being taken to a clinical morgue in Salekhard in the evening. His body allegedly had bruises consistent with chest compressions, which indicated that attempts were made to resuscitate Navalny.
Fact #3 : Alexei Navalny’s Cause Of Death Has Not Been Revealed!
It seems absurd for anyone to claim that Alexeï Navalny died from the COVID-19 vaccine, when his official cause of death has not been announced.
His mother was told by the prison that Alexei Navalny died from “sudden death syndrome”. However, there is no such diagnosis of death according to the ICD-10, which Russian doctors must follow.
In any case, “sudden death syndrome” has nothing to do with COVID-19 vaccines, and is a general term for any sudden, unexpected death from natural causes”.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sudden death syndrome (SDS) is defined as the sudden, unexpected death from natural causes witnessed within one hour of symptom onset, or if there are no witnesses – death occurring within 24 hours of someone being seen alive and symptom-free.
Russian propaganda outlet RT, citing an anonymous source, reported that Alexei Navalny died from a blood clot. While that is possible, it is not possible for anyone to know that without first conducting an autopsy.
Until Alexei Navalny’s official cause of death is revealed after his autopsy is complete, take these claims with a pinch of salt. More so if the sources are Russian state-owned media outlets.
Fact #4 : Unknown If Alexei Navalny Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Despite claims or suggestions that Alexei Navalny was fully-vaccinated, receiving four doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Until and unless his family (or the Russian authorities) reveal his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Alexei Navalny was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.
Even if Alexei Navalny was vaccinated against COVID-19 in Russia, it is almost a certainty he never received any mRNA vaccine. That’s because Russia has never approved any mRNA vaccine to date.
Alexei Navalny was hospitalised in Germany in December 2020, and flew back to Russia on 17 January 2021, where he was immediately detained and imprisoned. This was before COVID-19 vaccination was available to his age group in Germany on 17 May 2021, so he couldn’t have gotten his mRNA vaccine then either.
Fact #6 : Russian Vaccines Do Not Have Four Doses
It also seems quite impossible for Alexei Navalny to have received four vaccine doses. as many have claimed.
After all, Russia only approved four COVID-19 vaccines, two of which were approved for a third (booster) dose. There is no fourth dose for any COVID-19 vaccine in Russia.
Even Alexei Navalny was vaccinated against COVID-19 in Russia, he would have received at most – three doses of the Sputnik V or Sputnik Light vaccines.
Fact #7 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days
Even if Alexei Navalny was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses more than two years ago! He cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.
Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination. Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.
The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.
Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!
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.
Was Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie Johnson, just exposed as an Aleister Crowley worshipping occult Satanist?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Carrie Johnson Was Just Exposed As Occult Satanist!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims or suggests that Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie Johnson, was just exposed as an Aleister Crowley worshipping occult Satanist!
Former British PM Boris Johnson’s Wife Exposed as Aleister Crowley Worshiping Occult Satanist
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie Johnson has been exposed an occult Satanist who worships Aleister Crowley, the unabashed occultist and self-described “wickedest man in the world.”
The revelations comes days after Vladimir Putin revealed to Tucker Carlson that Johnson as prime minister scuppered a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Photos of Johnson’s wife engaged in ritual Satanic acts have now emerged, with the former prime minister’s wife pictured next to a man with “Do as thou wilt” and “Big beast” scrawled on his body.
During Johnson’s time as prime minister, Bradshaw capitalized on her public persona by campaigning against single use straws.
Truth : Carrie Johnson Was Not Just Exposed As Occult Satanist!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : The Daily Mail Posted Them in 2018
The People’s Voice article claimed or suggested that photos of Carrie Johnson engaging in ritual Satanic acts were revealed “days after” the Vladimir Putin – Tucker Carlson interview was released.
That’s simply not true, because The Daily Mail posted those photos on 12 September 2018 – more than 5 years earlier!
Fact #2 : Photos Were Posted On Carrie Johnson’s Social Media
The photos were not leaked or exposed, because it appears that Carrie Johnson posted them on her own social media account! As per The Daily Mail article:
She may have gone to ground since finding herself at the centre of a political storm, but there was a time when Carrie Symonds was rather less camera-shy, as these pictures show.
Taken from Miss Symonds’s social media posts, they show the 30-year-old former Tory aide, who has been linked to Boris Johnson, in a variety of glamorous poses on holiday, and even starring in a ‘satanic sex cult’ theatre production during her university days.
Fact #3 : It Was A University Play
The photos also do not show Carrie Johnson (born Caroline Louise Beaver Symonds on 17 March 1988) engaging in “ritual Satanic acts” as The People’s Voice article claimed.
The photos showed her acting in a play at Warwick University, where she was a drama student from 2006 to 2009. The theatre production was based on the writings of the self-styled mystic Aleister Crowley, who died in 1947.
Carrie Johnson was just acting in the play, and wasn’t actually engaging in Satanic acts… just like how Tom Cruise was only acting in the Mission Impossible movies, and isn’t actually an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).
Despite being described as a Satanist, Aleister Crowley stated that he did not consider himself one, and he did not worship Satan, because he doesn’t even believe the Christian worldview that Satan exists!
Fact #5 : The People’s Voice Is Known For Publishing Fake News
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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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 Vladimir Putin just sign a decree voiding the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US, and declaring it occupied territory?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Putin Just Voided 1867 Sale Of Alaska To The US!
People are claiming or suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin just signed a decree voiding the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US, and declaring it occupied territory!
Interemarium 24 : Hahahah – seriously. not kidding: Putin has signed a decree making the sale of Alaska to the US illegal. territory is to be declared occupied 😂
Igor Sushko :Putin signed an order insinuating the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867 was illegitimate.This mofo is trolling the West and our leaders shake in their boots in response.
EssaNews :Vladimir Putin signed a decree declaring the sale of Alaska to the USA as illegal. This action signals the start of a demand for the territory’s return and potentially entering into conflict with the superpower. However, this is just political posturing today, and no rational person would suggest that Russia could assault the United States. Nonetheless, as the saying goes, a continuous drip can erode a stone.
Truth : Putin Did Not Void 1867 Sale Of Alaska To The US!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on X (formerly Twitter) and some websites, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Vladimir Putin Did Not Void 1867 Sale Of Alaska To The US
First, let me start by pointing out that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not void the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US. Neither did he decree that the sale of Alaska to the US was “illegal”, or declare Alaska to be “occupied” territory.
Fact #2 : No Media Reported The Claim
If Vladimir Putin actually signed a decree voiding the sale of Alaska to the US, it would have been reported by legitimate media outlets all over the world.
In fact, such a decree could be considered casus belli – a declaration of war against the United States. At least, it would have been a diplomatic faux pas that would have drawn strong condemnation from the United States.
Fact #3 : Putin Decree Was Not About Alaska
The Putin decree that is being shared online is genuine. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed it on 18 January 2024. However, that decree does not declare the sale of Alaska to the US as illegal, or declaring it as “occupied” territory.
In fact, the 18 January 2024 Putin decree does not even mention Alaska. Neither does it declare any territory formerly owned by Russia as “occupied” or “illegal”. Here is the text of the decree, machine translated into English:
ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
In accordance with subparagraph 1 of paragraph 2 of Article 78 of the Budget Code of the Russian Federation, designate the federal state unitary enterprise“Department of Foreign Property” of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, as the recipient of a subsidy provided from the federal budget for financial support of costs associated with the search for real estate of the Russian Federation, the former Russian Empire, the former USSR, the proper registration of the rights of the Russian Federation in relation to existing federal real estateproperty and found real estate of the Russian Federation, the former Russian Empire, the former USSR and legal protection of this property.
Fact #4 : Putin Decree Referred To Russian Gov Property Overseas
The 18 January 2024 decree signed by Putin actually refers to the funding of the Department of Foreign Property of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation.
The purpose was not to void past sale of territory formerly owned by Russia, or the Soviet Union. Rather, it was to fund the search for Russian property overseas, and ensuring their legal protection. As Russian state media, TASS, reported on 19 January 2024:
Russia to allocate funds for search of Soviet, Imperial Russian property abroad
Russia will allocate funds for an effort to find, register and ensure legal protection of Russia’s property abroad, including property of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire.
A relevant decree, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, will allocate funds for the purpose to the Department of Foreign Property of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation.
The funds will be allocated to cover expenses related to “the process of searching the real estate property owned by the Russian Federation, the former Russian Empire, the former USSR,” as well as for “due registration of [property] rights” and “legal protection of this property.”
Another decree allocates funds to cover the department’s expenses for maintaining and using Russia’s federal property abroad.
To be clear – the decree signed by Putin did not declare the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US as “illegal”, or declare it “occupied” territory.
This is the decree in Russian, which you can translate yourself
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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 threaten to release secret satellite evidence of US government’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-09-21 : Added new information on the Pravda article, and the Russian satellite. Originally posted @ 2022-03-11
Claim : Putin Threatened To Release 9/11 Satellite Evidence!
People are sharing a long message which claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to release secret satellite evidence of US government involvement in the 9/11 attacks!
They appear to believe that Putin issued this threat in retaliation for US sanctions against Russia, and military assistance to Ukraine. It’s a long post, so please skip to the next section for the facts…
Putin is going to hit once, but he’s going to hit hard. Russia is preparing the release of evidence of the involvement of the US government and intelligence services in the September 11 attacks. The list of evidence includes satellite images.
Published material can prove the US government complicity in the 9/11 attacks and the successful manipulation of public opinion. The attack was planned by the US government, but exercised using her proxy, so that an attack on America and the people of the United States looked like an act of aggression by international terrorist organizations.
The motive for deception and murder its own citizens served US oil interests and the Middle East state corporations. The evidence will be so convincing that it utterly debunks the official 9/11 cover story supported by the US government.
Russia proves that America is no stranger to using false flag terrorism against its citizens in order to achieve a pretext for military intervention in a foreign country. In the case of “the September 11 attacks,” the evidence will be conclusive satellite imagery.
If successful, the consequences of Putin’s tactics would expose the US government’s secret terrorist policies. The government’s credibility will be undermined and should bring about mass protests in the cities leading to an uprising, according to American analysts..
And as the United States will look on the world political arena? The validity of America’s position as a leader in the fight against international terrorism will be totally undermined giving immediately advantage to rogue states and Islamic terrorists.
Truth : Putin Did Not Threaten To Release 9/11 Satellite Evidence!
This is yet another example of pro-Russia FAKE NEWS that are spamming social media, as well as WhatsApp and Telegram groups. Here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Pravda Article Was Posted In February 2015
The Pravda article (translated archive | original Russian) was actually posted on 7 February 2015, and updated on 10 February 2015. This was specifically mentioned in the 2015 examples :
VT Editor’s note:Russian satellite evidence proving the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center using “special weapons” was reviewed by a VT editor while in Moscow.
The article below was forwarded to us for publication in the US and translated from Russian. It is 3 days old, published on February 7, 2015.
The fake news creators removed that section, to mislead you into thinking that this was a new threat by Putin in 2022 and 2023.
Fact #2 : No Evidence Putin Threatened To Release 9/11 Satellite Photos
Even though the viral post is based on a Pravda article, there never was any evidence that Vladimir Putin himself actually threatened to release satellite photos, or evidence of any 9/11 conspiracy.
The Pravda article itself did not make that claim. It only claimed that Russia is “preparing” to release evidence of the involvement of the US government and intelligence services in the 9/11 attacks.
Fact #3 : Russia Did Not Release Any Evidence Of 9/11 Conspiracy
If the Pravda article is true, then Russia is taking an extraordinarily long time to release evidence of a 9/11 conspiracy by the US government and intelligence services.
Despite preparing for over 8.5 years – since February 2015 – the Russian government has never released any evidence of any conspiracy by the US government in the September 11 attacks.
No satellite imagery… no photos… no documents… no evidence in any form or manner. Why not? Does it take that long to develop and digitise the photos from Russian satellites?
Fact #3 : Russian Satellites Were Terrible In 2001
It would also be quite a feat for Russia to provide “conclusive satellite imagery” as the Pravda article alleges, as Russian electro-optical satellites were not quite “state-of-the-art” in 2001, and that’s being generous.
At that time, they used the Yantar-4K2 (Cobalt / Kobalt) satellite – a slightly improved version of the Yantar-4KS1M (Neman / Неман) satellite, which had a resolution of just under a meter using the Zhemchug-18 camera.
These satellites have a limited lifespan of just 26 to 32 weeks, and used film which could be returned using two small canisters mid-mission, and a larger reentry module at the end.
Russia only had one in operation at that time – (Космос 2377) Cosmos 2377, which was launched on 29 May 2001, and dropped out of orbit on 10 October 2001.
Cosmos 2377 could plausibly have taken photos of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, but the images was likely only as good as the Maxar IKONOS commercial imaging satellite.
Note that the Kobalt satellite is different from the Kobalt-M (Yantar-4K2M) satellite, which features upgraded optics with reported image resolution of 30 cm (0.3m), and a modernised platform. The first Kobalt-M satellite was launched on 24 September 2004.
Fact #4 : There Are Many Satellite Images Of 9/11 Attack
There is no real need for the Russians to share their satellite photos, because there are many publicly-available satellite photos on the September 11 attacks.
The private satellite imaging company, Maxar, for example, shared this high-resolution photo of ground zero at the World Trade Center on 15 September, 2001.
Taken by IKONOS, which had a resolution of 0.82 to 1 metre, it gives you a good idea of the image quality and resolution that are already available for free to the public. So it begs the question – do the Russians really have better images than that?
Despite being extremely useful, imaging satellites not magical instruments. They have limitations in what they can and cannot do.
For example, they have to generally stay in a pre-determined orbit, and “fly through” an area – leaving large gaps during which there is no coverage.
They also cannot look inside or under solid objects – planes, buildings, trees; and their view can be obscured by smoke and clouds, unless they have multi-spectral ability.
You can see how the smoke obscures the picture in this Maxar image taken of the Manhattan financial district on September 11, 2001.
It is therefore highly improbable that any satellite image from way up high would have captured “incriminating evidence” of the US government’s involvement in the September 11 attacks.
In the past 22 years, the many conspiracy theories have all been repeatedly looked into and debunked.
We now know, with absolute certainty, that the September 11 attacks were conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, approved by Osama bin Laden, and carried out by nineteen Al Qaeda terrorists.
There was no US government involvement in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Osama bin Laden himself claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on several occasions. You don’t need a satellite to know that.
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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 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.
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:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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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 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.
Please help us fight such fake news – SHARE this fact check out, and SUPPORT our work!
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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.
Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!
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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.
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.
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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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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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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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin just signed into law a national ban on crypto payments in Russia!
Find out what’s going on, and what it means for cryptocurrencies in Russia!
Putin Signs Law Banning Crypto Payments In Russia!
On July 16, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin just signed into law a national ban on crypto payments in Russia.
This move comes after the Central Bank of Russia proposed an outright ban on using cryptocurrencies for payments or investments.
This ban does not go so far – it only bans payments using cryptocurrencies, while allowing people to continue investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereal, as well as digital assets like NFTs.
The new Russian law, as translated by Google, states that :
It is prohibited to transfer or accept digital financial assets as a consideration for transferred goods, performed works, rendered services, as well as in any other way that allows one to assume payment for goods (works, services) by a digital financial asset, except as otherwise provided by federal laws.
While it prohibits individuals and companies from paying for, and receiving, cryptocurrencies for goods and services, it allows the Russian government to use cryptocurrencies.
It also does not prohibit investing in cryptocurrencies or digital assets like NFT, leaving that open for now.
This partial ban on cryptocurrency reflects Russia’s precarious financial situation after invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The Russian government had, prior to that, been skeptical, if not hostile, about cryptocurrency. But US and European sanctions are forcing them to hold back.
The lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, for example, just approved a draft bill on June 28 that would exempt cryptocurrency issuers from the Value Added Tax (VAT).
If passed by the upper house and signed into law by Putin, the lower house bill would also lower tax rates on income earned from selling cryptocurrencies – falling from 20% to just 13% for Russian companies, and 15% for foreign companies.
More recently, the Head of Russia’s Financial Policy Department even suggested that Russia could use cryptocurrencies to settle international payments.
Even Putin himself said that Russia had “certain competitive advantages” including a “surplus of electricity and well-trained personnel” to participate in crypto-mining, even though he is against using cryptocurrencies domestically.
If the Russian government chooses this path, it would be considered hypocritical in light of this ban on crypto payments in Russia. Cryptocurrencies are bad for the people, but good for the Russian government.
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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 force EU countries to pay for their gas in rubles?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Putin Forced EU Countries To Pay For Gas In Rubles!
People are sharing a comic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a story of how he cleverly forced EU countries like Poland, Austria and Bulgaria to pay for gas in rubles.
12 hours ago: Russia shuts down the gas pipeline to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay with the ruble.
10 hours ago: Poland agrees to pay the price of gas with ruble.
6 hours ago: Austria and Bulgaria agree to pay the price of gas in rubles.
5 hours ago: The European Commission licensing European countries to buy gas with ruble.
Truth : Putin Did NOT Force EU Countries To Pay For Gas In Rubles!
The truth is this is just more pro-Russian propaganda and FAKE NEWS, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : EU Countries Have Gas Contracts With Gazprom In USD / Euros
First, we need to establish the fact that EU countries like Poland, Austria and Bulgaria have existing gas contracts with Russian energy company Gazprom.
On 23 March 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian central bank, government and Gasprom to demand that “unfriendly countries” must pay for their gas in rubles.
However, as those existing gas contracts are specifically stipulated to be paid in US dollars or Euros, it would be a material breach of contract.
Fact #2 : Poland Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles
Gazprom stopped exporting gas to Poland on 27 April 2022, after Poland refused to pay for the gas in rubles.
The Polish state gas company PGNiG, has an existing contract with Gazprom to provide 53% of its gas imports to be paid in Euros. They described the suspension of gas supply as a breach of contract, and said that they will take steps to reinstate the gas supply.
However, Poland continues to refuse to pay Gazprom in rubles.
Fact #3 : Poland Does Not Need Russian Gas
The Polish deputy foreign minister said that Poland has “taken some decisions many years ago to prepare for such a situation“, and can cope without gas from Gazprom.
Poland also formally commissioned a new gas interconnection with Lithuania on 5 May 2022, eventually providing billion cubic metres of LNG per year.
Fact #4 : Bulgaria Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles
Gazprom also stopped exporting gas to Bulgaria on 27 April 2022, because Bulgaria refused to pay for the gas in rubles.
Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said that Gazprom will be in breach of its contract if it stops supplying gas.
However, Bulgaria continues to refuse to pay Gazprom in rubles.
Fact #5 : Bulgaria Does Not Need Russian Gas
Despite relying on Gazprom for 90% of its gas supply, Bulgaria said that it had taken steps to find alternative sources, and that no restrictions on gas consumption was currently required.
Interestingly, Bulgarian gas network operator Bulgartransgaz said that Gazprom was still supplying gas to Bulgaria…
Fact #6 : Austria Refuses To Pay For Gas In Rubles
Austria publicly denounced the fake news that they agreed to pay for Russian gas in rubles. In a Twitter post, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said :
Before the fake news of Russian propaganda is spread further here. Of course, OMV will continue to pay for gas delivery from Russian in euros.
Fact #7 : EC Did Not Licence Payment For Gas In Rubles
The fake news also falsely claimed that the European Commission licensed European countries to buy gas from Russia with the ruble.
There is no such “licence”.
In fact, the European Commission has specifically stated that EU companies must pay for Russian gas in euros or US dollars to avoid breaching sanctions.
Fact #8 : GazpromBank Is Converting Payments To Rubles
In an effort to comply with existing contracts, as well as Putin’s decree, Gazprom has been working with EU companies to come up with a workaround :
EU companies will deposit their payment in euros or US dollars at GazpromBank.
Gazprom agrees that payment has been legally completed.
GazpromBank converts the euros or dollars into rubles.
GazpromBank transfers the payment in rubles to Gazprom.
This workaround was considered legal by the EC, as both Gazprom and GazpromBank are currently not subject to EU sanctions.
Many pro-Russian and pro-CCP netizens are sharing this fake story on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter and Facebook.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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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 forces just capture US general Roger Cloutier in the besieged Azovstal steel plant?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia Captured US General Roger Cloutier In Azovstal!
People are claiming that Russia just captured US general Roger L. Cloutier at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
This is sometimes mentioned as part of the Azovstal NATO headquarters story, or separately like these examples :
The rumours going around that a US Major General Roger L. Cloutier has been captured by Russian army at Azovstal in Mariupol. It would be within the Russians’ right to execute this officer as nothing more than a common criminal. Not kidding. Legally by all laws.
The Russian army captured the US Major General Roger L. Cloutier Jr., the US Africa Command HQ Chief of Staff in the besieged Ukrainian Azov camp in Mariupol. The Pentagon wanted to contact Putin.
Truth : Russia Did NOT Capture US General Roger Cloutier At All!
The truth is – this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared by pro-Russia activists, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Fact #1 : Roger Cloutier Is A Lieutenant General
First of all, Roger L. Cloutier holds the rank of a Lieutenant General (O-9), and is a three-star general officer.
He is not a Major General (O-8), which is a two-star general officer rank.
Fact #2 : Roger Cloutier Heads NATO Allied Land Command
Secondly, Lt. General Cloutier is not the Chief of Staff for US Africa Command.
He has been the Command of the NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) in Izmir, Turkey, for the last 1.5 years – since August 2020.
Fact #3 : General Cloutier Appeared On 14 April 2022
Two weeks after these claims started circulating amongst pro-Russian and pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) groups, Lt. General Cloutier posted a video on 14 April 2022.
It showed him greeting the commander of the NATO Multinational Corps (South East), Major General Dragoş-Dumitru Iacob at the LANDCOM headquarters.
Fact #4 : NATO Confirmed That It’s Fake News
NATO has described the viral news as “completely fake news”, and confirmed that :
LTG Cloutier has NOT been captured and is currently with his command in Izmir.
LANDCOM Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Major Brian Andries also confirmed that his boss is still very much in Turkey :
These rumors are completely false. Our commander is currently commanding NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey, and has not been to Ukraine since the Land Staff Talks we conducted in July of 2021. While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country.
Fact #5 : There Are No NATO Forces In Ukraine
Allied Land Command told BBC reporter Alistair Coleman that “there are no NATO forces or leaders in Ukraine in any capacity“.
Major Brian Andries from LANDCOM also pointed out that that Cloutier was last in Ukraine in July 2021, and photos from that visit was used to “prove” the fake news :
Photos from this event have been used as proof as recent visit to Ukraine which never occurred. No NATO forces are in Ukraine, let alone a United States Army three-star general.
Variants of this FAKE NEWS are now being shared in pro-Russia and pro-CCP websites.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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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.
Does NATO have a secret headquarters under the Azovstal plant in Ukraine, where they produce biological weapons?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Secret NATO Headquarters Under Azovstal Exposed!
People are sharing schematics of a secret NATO headquarters under the Azovstal plant, where they claim biological weapons are being produced in Ukraine.
It was actively promoted by Russian political scientist, Sergei Markov, Russia Today, and several Italian TV channels including PiazzaPulita on La7 and Rai 1, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Online posts often included this long story, which is rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts.
What is the secret of Azovstal? In Mariupel there is a secret building with a depth of 30 m underground and on multiple floors.
This building is located under the Azovstal plant, which includes the secret headquarters of the North Atlantic, with the code number (pit_404). For the production of biological weapons, within a highly fortified and protected system, in which 240 foreign scientists of different nationalities are present.
In addition to a number of NATO officers from America…
Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Greece, and soldiers from the French Fifth Corps.
They are protected by the Rinat Azov battalion, which is the most dangerous battalion in the Nazi army. They are all professional killers, snipers and … criminals who cannot leave Ukraine, as they are wanted in most countries of the world for many crimes, and they are 3000 fighters.
This headquarters is run by the Metabiota Corporation of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and his direct partner, Vladimir Zelensky.
French intelligence tried to evacuate those in special operations, but they failed many times, which led to the release of French intelligence chief Eric Vida from his position as a result of this chain failure.
They assigned the task to the American General Roger Cloute … so his helicopter was shot down before taking off and he was arrested, as he was under follow-up from the GRU in the General Staff and the Russian Foreign Intelligence.
Macron tried a lot to communicate with Putin to secure a safe passage for them, but they were refused and..
Putin’s insistence on bringing them alive or dead. We have a sequel after their arrest…
Truth : There Is No Secret NATO Headquarters Under Azovstal!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared by not only pro-Russia activists, but also the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here are the facts behind the two viral schematics, and why this is just fake news…
Fact #1 : Azovstal Plant Complex Was Created By Soviet Union
The massive Azovstal plant complex was created in the 1930s, as a priority construction project by the Soviet Union.
They spent 292 million rubles to create the massive steel plant complex that would be capable of producing 4 million tons of pig iron a year.
That target was partly demanded by Soviet leaders to beat the Americans whose Gary steel plant was “only” capable of smelting 3 million tons a year.
Fact #2 : Azovstal Bunkers Were Built By Soviet Union
The fake news creators used this infographic from the Daily Mail UK as “evidence” that the Azovstal tunnels were created by NATO.
Ironically, the infographic specifically pointed out that the bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal plant complex were built by the Soviet Union, to “safeguard the steel plant’s 40,000 workers in the event of a nuclear attack”.
These bunkers and tunnels were built many decades earlier by the Soviet Union, not NATO.
Credit : Daily Mail UK
Fact #3 : No Evidence Of NATO Facility Called PIT-404
There is no evidence of any NATO facility called PIT-404 ever existed.
The fabulous fact checkers at MythDetector.ge did a great job of tracing the origin of this PIT-404 claim to an April 4, 2022 post in the Russian forum, strategium.ru.
In that post, a user called sojnyshkotanya claimed that there is a bio-laboratory under Azovstal, and mentioned PIT several times in reference to Azovstal.
sojnyshkotanya also noted that the best route for the evacuation of Western officials from that facility is from Mariupol to Samsun – a distance of 404 miles.
That was the most likely origin of the name and story of the mysterious PIT-404 underground NATO facility that produces biological weapons.
Fact #4 : PIT-404 Schematic Was From A Board Game!
The image that people are sharing as the PIT-404 NATO facility schematic was actually taken from a board game called Blackout: Journey into Darkness by Richard T. Boardwater.
This board game was pitched on Kickstarter in 2016 as a game for 1-4 people who try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by monsters, where humans now have to survive in bunkers.
You can see its bunker graphic under the Beneath The Surface section of their Kickstarter pitch), with the following description :
Beneath the crumbling cities, a vast network of subterranean pathways exists. These vast underground chambers are vital to the Brood’s survival. With these tunnels, The Brood emerged to feed on mankind after the great fall. It is these same tunnels they continue to thrive unmolested. Many of the nomadic Unification kill teams have attempted to cleanse these zones but all have been unsuccessful, for the network beneath the surface is vast.
Doesn’t sound like a NATO facility, does it?
The game ultimately didn’t achieve its fundraising goal and was not greenlit, but its bunker design has now found everlasting fame as the (non-existent) PIT-404 NATO facility in the fevered dreams of Russian and Chinese conspiracy theorists.
Fact #5 : PiazzaPulita Admitted Their Mistake
On 22 April 2022, PiazzaPulita admitted that they were wrong to claim that the Blackout bunker schematic was of the Azovstal steel factory bunkers.
As far as I can tell, Sergei Markov – the Russian political scientist and former Putin advisor – has yet to admit his mistake…
Fact #6 : Metabiota Is Not Owned By Hunter Biden Or Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The fake story claimed that “this headquarters is run by the Metabiota Corporation of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and his direct partner, Volodymyr Zelensky“. That’s utter nonsense.
Metabiota is a private company owned by 21 venture capitalist companies, one of which is Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners – a private equity firm partly owned by Hunter Biden.
So no, Metabiota is not owned by Hunter Biden. Neither is it owned by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Volodymyr wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Fact #7 : French General Eric Vidaud Failed To Predict Russian Invasion
French General Eric Vidaud was fired at the end of March 2022 for failing to predict Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in sharp contrast with other Western Allies.
Vidaud, who led the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM) was asked to step down, after an internal defence ministry investigation criticised “insufficient briefings” and “failure to master the issues”.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Vidaud wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Left : Gen. Eric Vidaud | Right : Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier
Fact #8 : US General Roger Cloutier Jr. Was Not Captured
US Lieutenant General Roger L. Cloutier Jr. was not shot down in his helicopter, and captured by Russian forces in Mariupol.
A NATO spokesperson, Brian Andries said that Cloutier is currently commanding NATO Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey and has not been to Ukraine since July 2021.
The fact that the fake news creators got the name Cloutier wrong, suggests that they are not Russian. Quite likely, this fake news was created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Variants of this FAKE NEWS are now being shared in pro-Russia and pro-CCP websites.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article 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.
Is Malaysia preparing to break Western sanctions, and supply Russia with electronics and semiconductors?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Malaysia Preparing To Supply Russia With Semiconductors!
People are sharing a GizChina article that claims that Malaysia is preparing to supply Russia with electronics and semiconductors against Western sanctions!
Here is what the article says… It’s long so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
It looks like Malaysia is prepping to supply electronics and semiconductors to Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. This piece of information has been confirmed by the Malaysian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Bala Chandran Tharman.
He announced that the Southeast Asian country will consider any requests from Russia for providing electronics, as well as semiconductors. Notably, this comes at a time when Western countries are sparing no effort to single out Russia after its gratuitous attack on Ukraine.
Aside from this, Multiple Asian tech giants have been imposing sanctions in a bid to isolate Russia. Following in the footsteps of Huawei, Chinese company BOE recently clarified it does not have a production line in Russia. However, there are still some countries that aren’t willing to wreak havoc on their relationship with Russia.
Now, Malaysia said it will not shy away from supplying electronics and semiconductors to Russia if it needs them. To recall, Bala Chandran even confirmed that Malaysian financial institutions will join the Russian financial messaging system, provided they meet specific criteria.
Tharman told Sputnik (via The Edge Market) that all partner countries that are doing business with Russia are now looking into opportunities to take the business forward. Now, Bala Chandran said Malaysia will investigate Russia’s request for semiconductors and electronics.
Aside from this, he pointed out that the Malaysian economy is market-driven. So, the country will unhesitatingly take any request for products from Russia into consideration. However, Bala Chandran clarified that he isn’t aware of any ongoing conversations at the government level.
Last month, Taiwan said that Malaysia can play a vital role in ending the global shortage of auto semiconductors, and specifically ease the challenge related to auto semiconductors packaging. Notably, the ambassador said he is glad people consider Malaysia as a potential high-tech equipment supplier to Russia.
Furthermore, he even hinted at a potential business-to-business association with the Russian Federation. Malaysia is a major exporter of semiconductors, offering a volume of $8.7 billion every year.
Moreover, Malaysia’s electronics sector incorporates more than 6 percent of the country’s GDP. Since Malaysia is a trade state, the ambassador claims that the country’s business sector will acknowledge products’ demand and supply in the global market.
The country will actively respond to the requirement of electronic gadgets, respond, and semiconductors in the global market. To recall, both Malaysia and Vietnam do not support sanctions on Russia. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Western countries imposed harsh sanctions on Moscow.
Truth : Malaysia NOT Preparing To Supply Russia With Semiconductors!
The truth is – GizChina made up this story, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Mahathir Is No Longer Prime Minister Of Malaysia
GizChina does not seem to be aware that Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has not been the Prime Minister of Malaysia since he stepped down on 24 February 2020.
They hilariously used the photo of Dr. Mahathir with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was taken at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore, in 2018.
Mahathir wasn’t even mentioned in their article. They could have used a photo of the Malaysian Ambassador to Russia, Bala Chandran Tharman…
Please don’t tell them they thought that this was a picture of the Malaysian Ambassador to Russia with Putin…
Fact #2 : GizChina Offered No Evidence
GizChina offered ZERO evidence that Malaysia is preparing to go against Western sanctions, and supply Russia with semiconductors.
The writer, Vinay Patel, claimed that “this piece of information has been confirmed by the Malaysian ambassador to the Russian Federation, Bala Chandran Tharman“.
However, he offered no evidence to back up that claim. There was no link to any statement, or a quote of Bala Chandran confirming that Malaysia would be supplying Russia with semiconductors.
Fact #3 : Bala Chandran Did Not Say Malaysia Will Supply Russia With Semiconductors
Despite other sources claiming that Bala Chandran made that claim to RIA Novosti and Sputnik News, I could find no reference in their official websites.
The only legitimate news source I could find was a Bernama report on 23 April 2022, which stated :
In another development, Bala Chandran believes Malaysia would consider an opportunity to sell semiconductors and electronics to Russia.
“The Malaysian industry is market-oriented and I am absolutely sure that any request from the Russian party concerning such products will be considered,” the ambassador said.
He stressed that he was not aware of any current talks on the issues between the two countries.
Bala Chandran, as far as I can tell, never said that Malaysia would go against Western sanctions, and actually supply Russia with semiconductors.
He only said that “Malaysia would consider” the “opportunity to sell semiconductors and electronics to Russia“.
This is no different from a lady telling you that “she would consider” going out on a date with you. That could possibly happen, but it does NOT mean she actually agreed to go out on a date with you.
Fact #4 : Malaysia Is A Democracy With A Market Economy
Bala Chandran also pointed out that the Malaysian market is “market-oriented“. Malaysia has a market economy, and is not controlled by the government.
Malaysia is also a democratic country, not an autocratic / authoritarian state like China, where the government has massive power to control private / public enterprises.
In short, the Malaysian government cannot and does not dictate who Malaysian companies should sell to. Even if Malaysia wanted to sell semiconductors to Russia, it cannot simply order companies to do so.
Bala Chandran also clarified, he isn’t aware of any ongoing conversations at the government level. In other words, the Malaysian government itself has made no effort to sell or market semiconductors to Russia.
Fact #5 : Malaysia Does Not Own Semiconductor Companies
Malaysia has a number of homegrown semiconductor companies that provide critical support to multinational corporations like Intel, AMD, Agilent, Renata, Osram, Infineon and Broadcom.
However, they are private and public-listed companies and not owned by the Malaysian government, or beholden to it. Practically all of them have ties to Western companies that have to comply with Western sanctions against Russia.
Therefore, the Malaysian government cannot dictate who these companies should supply their products and services to. It can only say that “any request from the Russian party concerning such products will be considered“, and nothing more.
Fact #6 : Even Chinese Companies Are Avoiding Russia
Despite China coming out against economic sanctions imposed on Russia, Chinese companies are studiously avoiding breaking Western sanctions.
Even Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, explicitly said that “China is not a party to the crisis, nor does it want the sanctions to affect China.”
Companies placed under US sanctions, for example, will have all of their US assets and banned from trading with US companies.
If China does not dare to break Western sanctions against Russia, do you really expect Malaysia to break them? Do you expect private and public-listed companies to break Western sanctions?
As a warning shot, Singapore electronics wholesaler Alexsong Pte Ltd. was placed under US sanctions for facilitating “transactions that helped Russia evade sanctions“.
The truth is, for most companies, the Russian market is much too small to risk losing access to Western markets, capital and technologies.
Variants of this FAKE NEWS are now being shared in pro-Russia and pro-China websites.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out!
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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.
People are sharing a post by Li Guangman on what China should worry about the Russia-Ukraine War.
Take a look at the viral post, and find out what the facts really are!
Li Guangman : What China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine!
Chinese and pro-China netizens have been sharing this post by Chinese blogger Li Guangman on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It’s a very long post, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
Some worries brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war (says Li Guangman)
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the robbery behavior in the entire Western world broke many Chinese people’s perceptions, which made me feel a strong and deep worry.
First, in the past, the Chinese generally believed that all public platforms were neutral and would not be interrupted no matter what happened. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, some so-called public platforms immediately announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. First, a large number of foreign Internet service operators headed by the United States announced sanctions against Russia and launched a “disconnection action” against Russia. The second is the removal of major Russian banks from the U.S.-controlled SWIFT system, making it impossible for major Russian banks to conduct global transactions and settlements. Both the network root directory system and the U.S. dollar settlement system are so-called public platforms controlled by the United States. Once a war breaks out, all of them will become weapons of war, and even become a key factor in determining the victory of the war. The greater the reliance on these systems, the more victims will suffer, the deeper the degree.
Second, some previous propaganda told us that satellites in space are safe and will not be attacked, and space wars will not break out. However, immediately after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, a mysterious hacker group (obviously the cyber army behavior of some government organizations) attacked the Russian space control center, and claimed to have shut down the Russian space center and successfully made all Russian satellites out of control. The Russian space control center said it was indeed attacked, but the security system automatically obscured the attack and repelled it. Does this suggest that warfare has extended into space? Are space battles going on all the time?
Third, the Chinese generally believe that banks in Western countries are safer than domestic banks, and Western countries attach great importance to the sacrosanctity of private property. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War, the entire Western countries immediately erupted with ferocity like hungry wolves, killing Russia. All the assets of the government and private individuals overseas were looted, not only the bank assets were frozen, but even the luxury yachts and private residences of the Russians overseas were taken away. According to preliminary statistics, the total amount of Russian overseas assets frozen by Western groups this time is about 8 trillion US dollars. Li Ka-shing, who had previously cashed out hundreds of billions of yuan from China and switched to the UK, has recently started selling grid assets worth more than 100 billion yuan in the UK. What does that mean? These capital tycoons who have no motherland and no conscience are finally starting to feel unsafe to invest overseas. What is China’s total overseas assets? Some people estimate that the total overseas assets of the Chinese government, enterprises and individuals are about 16 trillion US dollars, which is roughly equivalent to China’s annual GDP. To freeze US Treasury bonds purchased by China. Once a conflict breaks out between China and the United States or between China and Western countries, the United States and Western countries will definitely take action against China’s overseas assets, which is certain.
Fourth, in the consciousness of the Chinese, Switzerland is a neutral country, and it is absolutely safe to store money in Switzerland. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Switzerland immediately gave up its neutral position, announced its participation in sanctions against Russia, and froze all Russian funds in Swiss banks thus uncovering the hypocrisy that Switzerland is a pure financial land. How much assets do Chinese people deposit in Switzerland? These assets are probably no longer safe now.
Fifth, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, almost all high-tech companies in the United States and Western groups announced their participation in sanctions against Russia. They cut off the supply of chips and all high-tech products to Russia. Musk’s Starlink also participated in the sanctions against Russia. Sanctions and support for Ukraine, Apple is also involved in sanctions, the depth and breadth of the technology sanctions imposed on Russia by the entire West are beyond our imagination, sanctions are imposed on anything that can sting or kill Russia, and the methods are used to the extreme. What science without borders is just bullshit. In this regard, the United States has already used China’s Huawei. In the future, once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States and the West will definitely impose the most severe sanctions and embargoes on all high-tech products, materials and technologies in China. There is no doubt about this.
Sixth, many Chinese believe that Western public opinion is the freest, and Western news is the most authentic. However, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the entire Western public opinion has become a public opinion war machine launched against Russia, and the major Internet platforms in the United States and Europe. They have closed Russia’s external communication channels, they control the entire public opinion dissemination, guide public opinion in a direction that is beneficial to the United States and the West, and they continue to create fake news. Once a conflict between China and the United States breaks out, the United States will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. On the one hand, it strictly seals the voice of China, preventing China from speaking in the world, and on the other hand, it amplifies the negative news that attacks and smears China.
Seventh, there are many other sanctions. For example, the sports, cultural, artistic, and music industries have imposed sanctions on Russia, and even Russian cats and Russian trees have been sanctioned. It looks funny, but it is not funny. A true manifestation of Western political and cultural hegemony, which allows us to see how deep and wide the influence and control of Western hegemony are. These areas that do not seem to belong to politics have suddenly become weapons of war. It has become a tool of war that kills people without blood. This is probably the first time we have such a deep feeling.
The above points should give us a sense of sudden awakening. Now we will truly realize that the Russian-Ukrainian war is actually a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia. In addition to providing arms and funds to Ukraine, the Western bloc is also waging an all-out war against Russia in all fields. These The means of participating in the war are either open or covert, but they are all aimed at the key points of Russia, and both are fatal. If the United States and the Western bloc were not afraid of Russia’s thousands of nuclear bombs, and not afraid of Putin’s strongman character as he said and did, they must have already rushed to bite them directly.
In my opinion, the contradictions between China and the United States and the group of Western countries are irreconcilable and inevitable. All the means and weapons used by the United States and Western groups on Russia today will be used on China, and they will only be more vicious and barbaric, with no exceptions.
There will definitely be conflicts between China and the United States. The United States and Western blocs will definitely cut off China’s Internet connection with the world. They will definitely launch attacks on China’s space satellites and satellite navigation systems. They will definitely drive China out of SWIFT and make China like Russia and Iran. Launching an unprecedented financial war against China will definitely impose stricter and more comprehensive sanctions and blockades on China’s high-tech and high-end manufacturing industries, it will definitely cut off China’s energy transportation channels, and it will definitely launch a war of public opinion against China. To launch a color revolution, it will definitely try to isolate China from the so-called “mainstream” of world politics in all fields. The war will be carried out with unimaginable cruelty and brutality, there will be no so-called morality, and there will be no so-called rules, in addition to life and death, there is no way out.
This comprehensive war launched by the United States and the Western bloc against Russia is a realistic version of the sand table exercise for us, and it is a bloody teaching. We must start to act now, start the layout, and be fully prepared to deal with a comprehensive war that is bound to happen in the future, which is related to the fate of the country and to life and death.
The situation is getting more and more serious, not the storm is coming, but the storm is coming, we must act now, act now, act now, because the hatred of the United States and the entire Western bloc against China is deeper than that of Russia, destroying and the will and impulse to loot China is stronger.
Therefore, the coming war will be more tragic and bloody, there will be no mercy, there will be no reinforcements, everything can only depend on ourselves, on our own strength, on our own preparations, on our own will.”
PS. I have no idea who Li Guangman is, but apparently, some Community Party folks think he’s important, and have been sharing his posts.
Li Guangman Is Wrong About Why China Should Worry About Russia Invading Ukraine
I have no idea if Li Guangman actually wrote that post, but one thing is for sure – it is full of misinformation.
I’m not going to focus on what lessons China should learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but I will show you what can be easily and factually proven false in that viral post.
Fact #1 : Corporations Do Not Sanction Countries
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Internet service providers and social media platforms announced sanctions against Russia after they invaded Ukraine.
That never happened, because corporations don’t issue sanctions. Those corporations only decided to stop working with Russia, after Western countries announced sanctions against Russia.
Cogent Communications, which is the second-largest Internet connectivity provider in Russia, terminated their contracts there on 4 March 2022 to comply with EU Regulation 2022/350.
Fact #2 : Corporations Chose To Stop Doing Business In Russia
Many corporations decided to stop doing business in Russia, mainly because they are public-listed companies that are answerable to their shareholders, and their customers worldwide.
For many, the limited Russian business they conduct is not worth risking their worldwide business, especially when the rest of the world is stridently against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Automotive : Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Nissan
Aviation : Boeing and Airbus
Finance : Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Western Union, Moody’s, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup
Big Tech : Airbnb, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Nintendo, Sony, Spotify, TikTok
Hotels : Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott
There is also the issue of sanctions – Western sanctions may also prohibit them from selling their products and services to Russia and/or Belarus.
Fact #3 : US Did Not Launch “Disconnection Action” Against Russia
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the US launched disconnection action against Russia. That never happened.
The easiest way to do that would be to get ICANN to remove Russian domains from the Internet, which would prevent anyone from accessing any server in Russia.
However, the United States never made such a request. Only Ukraine asked ICANN to do this, but ICANN refused their request.
It is also a very silly claim to make, because it actually benefits the US and Western nations to maintain Internet connectivity to Russia, which allows them to reach out to Russian citizens with the truth.
Fact #4 : Russia Blocked Western Social Media
In fact, Li Guangman (intentionally?) left out the fact that the Russian government itself blocked or restricted access to Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The truth is – it does not benefit Russia to let their citizens access uncensored information about their invasion of Ukraine. That’s why they blocked access to Western social media platforms.
This is where Russia is attempting to mimic China in its control of what information citizens can access. China is the undisputed leader in Internet censorship.
Fact #5 : Russia Prepared To Cut Itself Off The Internet
Li Guangman also (intentionally?) left out the fact that Russia was more than prepared to cut itself from the Internet.
The Russians started working on the ability to cut themselves from the Internet in the early 2010s, testing that ability in 2019 and in subsequent years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also signed into law, a set of 2019 amendments called the Sovereign Internet Law (Закон о «суверенном интернете»), that lets the government cut Russia off the rest of the Internet.
Fact #6 : SWIFT Is Controlled By EU, Not US
SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) messaging network is not American, but Belgian, based in La Hulpe, Belgium.
As a cooperative society under Belgian law, SWIFT is owned by its members – financial institutions, not countries. In fact, its current chairman is Yawar Shah of Pakistan, while its CEO is Javier Pérez-Tasso of Spain.
Li Guangman (intentionally?) forgot to point out that the United States and Britain had been pushing for Russia to be banned from SWIFT, but EU nations refused earlier.
In the end, the European Union agreed to remove seven Russian banks from SWIFT, instead of the entire country.
The EU also excluded Sberbank (largest bank in Russia) and Gazprombank from the SWIFT removal, so they could still buy oil from Russia.
All proof that SWIFT is controlled by the EU, not the US.
Fact #7 : SWIFT Is Just A Messaging Service
SWIFT is a messaging system that securely transfers “messages containing the payment instructions between financial institutions involved in a transaction“.
It is not a payment system, and therefore, does not hold any funds. Neither does it perform cleaning or settlement services.
After a payment instruction has been initiated through SWIFT, the corresponding financial institutions must then “settle” the transaction through a payment system, like TARGET2 in Europe.
Fact #8 : SWIFT Removal Is Only An Inconvenience
While removal from SWIFT is a big deal, it is not the end of the world for those seven Russian banks, because it is merely a messaging system.
Banks can use alternative methods like faxes (yes, they still exist!) or alternative messaging systems like Russia’s own SPFS, China’s CIPS and India’s SFMS.
VEB is largely focused on domestic projects, and uses SPFS for overseas transactions
Sovcombank says that other sanctions already block it from making overseas payments, so the SWIFT removal has no impact
Promsvyazbank said that it had prepared for SWIFT removal, so it will not have a significant impact
VTB and Otkritie said that they would not be impacted
So Li Guangman’s claim that SWIFT removal is a weapon of war is… absurd and melodramatic.
Fact #9 : No One Ever Said Satellites Are Safe From Attacks
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western nations had earlier claimed that “satellites are safe and will not be attacked“.
No country ever said that. In fact, the United States Space Force was formed, in part, to protect US satellite communications.
The US Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, General David Thompson even shared in November 2021 that :
“Both China and Russia are regularly attacking US satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber attacks… every single day“
Li Guangman seems incredibly naive and ignorant about daily attacks on satellites, because the alternative explanation would be that he knew but intentionally chose to mislead you.
Fact #10 : Anonymous Is Not A Government Organisation
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Anonymous is “some government organisations”.
Anonymous is a decentralised collective of anonymous hactivists… hence, its name.
It is not a government organisation.
It has previously attacked several Western governments, including the United States
Dozens of people associated with Anonymous cyberattacks have been arrested in the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, India and Turkey.
This is common knowledge, so it is peculiar that Li Guangman is so ignorant about Anonymous… or believes that people are stupid enough to believe him.
Fact #11 : Anonymous Did Not Hack Russian Space Agency
They never shut down the Russian space control centre, or took any Russian satellite out of control. All those are lies that Li Guangman apparently concocted.
Roscosmos Chief Executive, Dmitry Rogozin also denied the claim, saying that “The information of these scammers and petty swindlers is not true. All our space activity control centers are operating normally.‘
So you have to ask yourself – why would Li Guangman lie about this? These are all on public record. Does he believe that you are so gullible that you would believe everything he says?
Fact #12 : Sanctioned Assets Were Frozen, Not Seized
Li Guangman falsely claimed (intentionally?) that the assets of Russian government and private individuals were looted (stolen) by Western banks / governments.
As part of sanctions against the Russian government, Western countries also sanctioned certain Russian individuals, including the super-rich Russian oligarchs.
However, their assets were frozen, not seized. At least, not yet.
All individuals sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, for example, will have their assets frozen. Those assets would be locked up, and cannot be sold or accessed in any way.
The owner has to get a licence from the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to do anything – even to just pay property taxes, or fix a leaking roof.
That’s different from the government actually seizing the frozen assets – this requires the government to first prove that they are linked to a crime. Until that happens, the assets have not been “looted”.
According to Michael Parker, head of the anti-money laundering and sanctions practice at Ferrari & Associates :
These cases need to be built, there has to be a showing of some sort of underlying theory of forfeiture, there has to be a reason that they are forfeited. The mere fact that somebody the United States has said is a target owns this asset isn’t enough to form a basis of seizure under U.S. law.
Fact #13 : Only Assets Of Sanctioned Individuals Were Frozen
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that ALL assets belonging to the Russian government and private individuals were stolen by Western banks / government.
Not only were they not stolen, only assets belonging to sanctioned individuals and the Russian government were frozen. The assets of other Russian individuals were not affected.
Chinese netizens need not be overly concerned about their money stashed in Western banks.
Even if China decides to do something similarly evil like Russia, and invade another country, Western banks will only be forced to freeze the assets of those in power, like Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example.
Fact #14 : Less Than US$1 Trillion Frozen So Far
Li Guangman also falsely claimed (intentionally?) that Western countries froze US$8 trillion worth of assets.
On 5 March, UK Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg tweeted a chart that showed the value of Russian bank assets that were being sanctioned. That was actually criticised as being overly optimistic, but let’s assume it’s true.
That’s a total of £537.6 billion pounds, or US$703.7 billion. Even if you add US$15 billion of assets targeted by sanctioning seven Russian oligarchs, the total is still under US$719 billion.
So Li Guangman overstated the amount of sanctioned Russian assets by some 11X… if not more.
The City of London leads the way in the effects of sanctioning Russian banks. pic.twitter.com/WAgFV64ghy
Fact #15 : Switzerland Only Adopts Military Neutrality
Li Guangman appears to be confused by the concept of “Swiss neutrality”, which refers to military neutrality – Switzerland will not be involved in armed or political conflicts between other states.
Switzerland, however, pursues an active foreign policy, and is frequently involved in peace-building processes globally.
Fact #16 : Switzerland Has Adopted EU Sanctions Since 1998
Li Guangman appears to be living in the past, claiming that Switzerland abandoned its neutrality to sanction Russia.
While Switzerland declined to be part of EU, it has been adopting EU-only sanctions for the past 24 years!
1998 : EU sanctions against Yugoslavia
2000 : EU sanctions against Myanmar
2002 : EU sanctions against Zimbabwe
2006 : EU sanctions against Uzbekistan and Belarus
2022 : EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus
Fact #17 : Tech Companies Have To Comply With Sanctions
Li Guangman appears to be surprised that tech companies are complying with sanctions.
Of course, tech companies have to comply with sanctions. If they don’t, they would be legally liable and punished with fines and other legal actions.
In fact, Russia just announced sanctions against a wide range of American officials, including US President Joe Biden. They are expecting companies to comply with those sanctions as well.
We should also remember that China imposed sanctions of her own on US individuals and organisations, and expected companies to comply with their sanctions.
Did he expect companies to only comply with Russian and Chinese sanctions, but not those from Western countries?
Fact #18 : Russia Started The Conflict
Li Guangman claimed that Russia invading of Ukraine is “a real all-out war waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. What utter nonsense.
Western nations have repeatedly warned the world that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine since November 2021, even as Russia and pro-Russia forces derided them.
As early as December 2021, US President Joe Biden even threatened Russia with sweeping Western economic sanctions if it invaded Ukraine.
Russia repeatedly denied it was going to invade Ukraine, dismissing those warnings as “hysteria”. But they were lying, and ultimately invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
So let me be clear to Li Guangman and his supporters – the invasion of Ukraine was a war that Russia actively chose to initiate.
This was not a war “waged by the entire Western bloc against Russia“. This was a war that Russia waged against Ukraine.
Until today, the United States and NATO have repeatedly refused to directly defend Ukraine against attacks by Russia. So to call it an “all-out war” is also ludicrous.
This fake news appears to be part of the disinformation campaign conducted by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Hollywood celebrities are angry at antivaxxers, and have started a Vax-A-Thon to fight back!
Hollywood Celebrities To Antivaxxers : Piss Off!
Hollywood celebrities aren’t the brightest bulbs in America, but even they have finally gotten angry at antivaxxers for constantly claiming that they were being killed or injured by the vaccine.
Hollywood Celebrities Start Vax-A-Thon To Fight Antivaxxers!
When antivaxxers started going after Bruce Willis, something broke. Not a dam. Maybe the rose-tinted glasses they have been wearing in the past two years.
So they got together for some mimosas and decided to do something about it – A Vax-A-Thon, with a twist.
For every $1000 donation to the FDA, you will get an autographed card of your favourite pharmaceutical executive. Pfizer’s Albert Bourla was reportedly 2:1 as popular as Moderna’s Stéphane Bancel. But Johnson & Johnson will give out cards signed by Ye, since they have no one famous on their team.
But here’s the kicker – if you can cough up a cool $1 million, you can get your favourite Hollywood celebrity to either receive or consume an ENTIRE COVID-19 vaccine vial of your choice!
Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds and beloved country songstress Dolly Parton were amongst the first celebrities to get a full vial “the traditional way” this morning, and say that they have never felt better in their lives!
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow declined to get the shot in her Pure Blood body, but will prepare and drink a delicious Moderna sorbet (recipe to be shared on Goop) on YouTube Live next week.
Jim Carrey reportedly wanted to reprise his 1997 “man kiss” of Alicia Silverstone with Paltrow on her YouTube Live stream, and slurp the Moderna sorbet from her mouth.
That Paltrow-Carrey livestream will certainly be interesting… if it happens! Brad Falchuk allegedly told Carrey to keep his super-big mouth out of his wife’s mouth.
Nicki Minaj, unfortunately, is not in the list of participating celebrities. Her spokesperson, however, issued a statement saying that she would be open to getting the full vial if Pfizer comes out with a version that gives her nails like Wolverine.
Oddball celebrity Steven Seagal asked to participate, but wished to gift the vial to his good friend, Vladimir Putin, who is forced to sit at really long tables because he was only vaccinated with Sputnik V. No word yet on whether his request was taken seriously, or laughed out of Tinseltown…
But if you are a Putin fan and want to keep him alive for another invasion of Georgia or the Baltic states, make sure you have $1 million handy!
Was a Ukrainian crisis actor caught smoking a cigarette while pretending to be dead?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainian Crisis Actor Caught Smoking While Acting Dead!
People are sharing a video on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, claiming to show a Ukrainian crisis actor caught smoking a cigarette while pretending to be dead!
The video is often accompanied by comments like these :
Look at the fake body count in Ukraine. One of the bodies is still having his last Cigarette lol
Dead Ukrainians still can smoke, low class western media 👎🙈🐷
Miracles in #Ukraine never cease!!! The supposed pile of dead bodies of civilians after an alleged Russian attack. But look one the dead has not managed to kick his smoking habit even in the afterlife
Truth : “Dead” Actor Was Smoking On Russian Rap Video Set!
This is yet another example of anti-Ukrainian fake news, designed to disparage claims of atrocities in Ukraine, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Video Was Posted A Year Ago
The video was posted on TikTok a year ago – on 28 March 2021. That was long before Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Fact #2 : It Was A Russian Video
If you look carefully at the video, you can see that it was posted by @vasyaivanovdesign.
That’s the TikTok account of Vasya Ivanov (Вася Иванов), a Russian art director and production designer based in Moscow.
Vasya Ivanov
Fact #3 : It Was A Behind The Scenes Video
The video is actually a “behind the scenes” video that Vasya Ivanov shot on the set of Никогда-нибудь (Never Ever), a song by Russian rapper, Хаски (Husky).
We know this because he posted it on his TikTok account, with the description (in Russian, with the English translation) :
Filming a Husky clip – Never ever #Husky #rapperhusky #backstage #how to shoot #shooting #backstage #recommendations #hochuvrek #rek #husky
Ivanov also shared two “behind the scenes” video clips showing the “Making of Husky – Never ever“, including how they pulled the body bags up the side of the building (here and here).
Fact #4 : Husky Video Was Released In 2020
The Husky music video was released on 26 September 2020 – almost 1.5 years before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Vasya Ivanov was credited as the set designer, while the director of photography was Kirill Groshev (Кирилл Грошев), and the director was Evgeny Bakirov (Евгений Бакиров).
At 2:24 of the music video, you can see the black body bags being lowered from the white building, which are then carried away by the orange truck.
Vladimir Putin (left) with Husky (right)
Fact #5 : Similar Crisis Actor Video Was Posted Earlier
There appears to be a trend of posting videos claiming to prove that the Ukrainians are hiring crisis actors to pretend to be dead bodies.
This is ultimately a Russian “behind the scenes” video that was intentionally used to mislead you into believing that the Ukrainians are lying about people dying in Putin’s “special military operation”.
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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 just humiliate a Japanese delegation, by suggesting that Japan is like his American dog?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Putin Humiliated Japan With His American Dog!
People are sharing a video clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin humiliating a Japanese delegation with his American dog, with messages like these :
☝️draw your own conclusion…
Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed with his body language and type of diplomacy to the visiting Japanese delegation that the present day Japan is like an American training dog. And this is how he gets food from his owner.
He has given message for all those who are going with USA. The humiliation can be clearly seen on the faces of the Japanese delegation. 🤔
Putin greeted the Japanese delegation with his dog and said to the Japanese delegation, “How can I negotiate with people who follow the United States like my dog?”
Truth : Putin Did NOT Humiliated Japan With His American Dog!
This is yet another example of pro-Russian and anti-Japanese fake news by the Chinese wumao (50 Cent Army), and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Incident Took Place On 15 December 2016
This incident did not happen recently, but on 15 December 2016 – more than 5 years ago!
Fact #2 : They Were Japanese Journalists
The two men were not Japanese diplomats, as the fake story claimed. They were Japanese journalists from Nippon TV and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
They were there to interview Putin, ahead of his official trip to Japan to meet with Japanese President Shinzo Abe in 2016.
Fact #3 : They Asked To See Putin’s Dog
Putin did not bring his dog to show the Japanese delegation that “present day Japan is like an American training dog”.
They actually asked to see his dog. Start watching at 2:33 in this RT video clip :
Putin : I was told that you wanted to see my dog, Yume. You can see that she is in great shape.
Journalist : Thank you very much. The dog is very cheerful indeed.
Yume is an Akita that Japan gifted to Putin four years earlier, in gratitude for Russia’s help during the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
That was why the Japanese journalists asked to see Yume. And that was why Putin showed Yume performing a series of tricks.
Putin certainly did not bring his dog to insinuate that “present day Japan is like an American training dog“.
Fact #5 : Akita Is A Japanese Dog Breed
Just to be clear – Yume is a Japanese Akita (or Akita-inu) from the Akita Prefecture, not an American training dog as the fake story claimed.
The Japanese journalist actually mentioned this at 3:02 in the video clip above :
This dog is an Akita from Akita Prefecture, and we are glad to see Yume happy and cheerful.
Even though there is an American Akita strain, the Akita originates from the mountainous regions of northern Japan.
Fact #6 : They Were Caught Off-Guard
The Japanese journalists were not humiliated, just caught off-guard.
Even though they asked to see Yume, they did not expect Putin to bring her to the interview.
This was actually mentioned at 3:14 in the video clip above :
Journalist : We were bit surprised and afraid (shocked) that the beginning of the meeting would be like this.
Putin : You were right to take caution. Yume is a no-nonsense dog. There are many people here, with camcorders running, lights shining and cameras clicking. She is being a guard dog.
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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 NATO break their promise to Russia, never to expand a single inch east?
Take a look at the claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : NATO Promised Not To Expand A Single Inch East!
Did NATO promise Russia not to expand a single inch east, into former Warsaw Pact countries like Poland, or former Soviet Union countries like Ukraine?!
Did NATO break that promise? That is what Russian President Vladimir Putin has been claiming since 2007, and is the basis for why he chose to attack Ukraine.
People have also been sharing a video of Putin making those claims, to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Truth : NATO Never Promised Not To Expand A Single Inch East!
This is an old Vladimir Putin fabrication that he keeps repeating to justify his military actions, even though it is complete nonsense, and has been debunked many times.
Fact #1 : Warsaw Pact + Soviet Union Dissolved In 1991
For context, I need to point out that both the Warsaw Pact military alliance, and the Soviet Union, were dissolved way back in 1991.
From 1989 to 1991, Communist governments in Eastern Europe were falling like ninepins, getting overthrown by public discontent.
On 25 February 1991, the remaining Warsaw Pact countries met in Hungary and agreed to disband the military alliance.
The Warsaw Pact alliance was formally dissolved on 1 July 1991 by Czechoslovak President Václav Havel in Prague.
That was followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) on 8 December 1991, when the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belavezha Accords.
Fact #2 : Vladimir Putin First Made That Claim In 2007
The dissolution of both Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union happened in 1991, but Russian President Vladimir Putin only started making this claim in 2007.
In his February 2007 speech to the 43rd Munich Security Conference, he claimed that the West violated their “guarantees” :
And we have the right to ask: against whom is this [NATO] expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our Western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact?
… I would like to quote the speech of NATO General Secretary Mr. Woerner in Brussels on 17 May 1990. He said at the time that: ‘the fact that we are ready not to place a NATO army outside of German territory gives the Soviet Union a firm security guarantee.” Where are these guarantees?
Fact #3 : Annexation Of Crimea Was Based On That Claim
Putin then used the same false claim to justify Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea :
… they [Western leaders] have lied to us many times, made decisions behind our backs, placed before us an accomplished fact.
This happened with NATO’s expansion to the east, as well as the deployment of military infrastructure at our borders.
Fact #4 : NATO Never Promised Not To Expand Eastwards
Now that you have some context, here’s the clincher – NATO never promised Russia, or the former Soviet Union, not to expand eastwards.
Despite Putin’s claims, no Western leader ever made such guarantees to either Russia, or the former Soviet Union.
Fact #5 : NATO Only Agreed To Restrictions On Former GDR
In 1990, six countries – East and West Germany, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France – held discussions on the reunification of Germany.
The Germans, Americans, British and French agreed that there would be “no deployment of non-German NATO forces on the territory of the former GDR (East Germany)“.
That agreement was incorporated in Article 5 of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, that was signed on 12 September 1990 by the six countries :
Until Soviet forces had completed their withdrawal from the former GDR, only German territorial defense units not integrated into NATO would be deployed in that territory.
There would be no increase in the numbers of troops or equipment of U.S., British and French forces stationed in Berlin.
Once Soviet forces had withdrawn, German forces assigned to NATO could be deployed in the former GDR, but foreign forces and nuclear weapons systems would not be deployed there.
Fact #6 : USSR Did Not Raise Question Of NATO Expansion
The Soviet Union did not raise any questions about the potential expansion of NATO to the east, because no one at that time thought that was a serious possibility.
Fact #7 : Gorbachev Confirmed NATO Kept Its Promise
Mikhail Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union at that time, confirmed in a 2014 interview that NATO expansion was never discussed, or brought up in those years.
He also stressed that any promise not to “move one inch further east” was made in reference to the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany), and that promise was kept.
RBTH : One of the key issues that has arisen in connection with the events in Ukraine is NATO expansion into the East. Do you get the feeling that your Western partners lied to you when they were developing their future plans in Eastern Europe? Why didn’t you insist that the promises made to you – particularly U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s promise that NATO would not expand into the East – be legally encoded? I will quote Baker: “NATO will not move one inch further east.”
Gorbachev :The topic of “NATO expansion” was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. I say this with full responsibility. Not a single Eastern European country raised the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991. Western leaders didn’t bring it up, either.
Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces from the alliance would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR after German reunification. Baker’s statement, mentioned in your question, was made in that context. Kohl and [German Vice Chancellor Hans-Dietrich] Genscher talked about it.
It has been observed all these years. So don’t portray Gorbachev and the then-Soviet authorities as naïve people who were wrapped around the West’s finger. If there was naïveté, it was later, when the issue arose. Russia at first did not object.
Those former Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union countries chose to join NATO, instead of the Russian-led CTSO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation).
They were not coerced into joining NATO, and the move was widely popular with their citizens.
Macedonia : 94% voters supported joining NATO
Hungary : 85% voters supported joining NATO
Georgia : 77% voters supported joining NATO
Slovenia : 66% voters supported joining NATO
Fact #10 : Russian Aggression Increased Support For NATO
Russian aggression in recent years have had the counterproductive effect of increasing support for NATO in once-neutral countries.
For example, Finland has assiduously tried to remain neutral, but as Russia ratcheted up threats on Ukraine, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that there is a real possibility Finland will join NATO.
Sweden also saw a surge in support for NATO membership, after Russian annexation of Crimea, and the threats against Ukraine.
Finland Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (left), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (middle), Sweden Minister of Foreign Affairs Ann Linde (right)
Fact #11 : Vladimir Putin Once Wanted Russia To Join NATO
Interestingly, both Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin floated the idea of Russian joining NATO.
While negotiating the reunification of Germany in 1990, Gorbachev told US Secretary of State James Baker :
You say that NATO is not directed against us, that it is simply a security structure that is adapting to new realities … therefore, we propose to join NATO.”
Vladimir Putin himself publicly revealed on Russian television, that he floated the possibility of Russia joining NATO, when US President Bill Clinton visited Moscow in 2000 – watch 2:24 of this video.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen from 2009 to 2014 also confirmed that Putin made many statements suggesting that he was favourable to the idea of Russian joining NATO, to which he said :
Once Russia can show it is upholding democracy and human rights, NATO can seriously consider its membership.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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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.
