By EUvsDisinfo
This week, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service rehashed old claims that European countries were planning to give Ukraine a nuclear weapon. FIMI narratives accused Ukraine and the United Kingdom of planning pipeline sabotages. And lastly, unfounded claims were spread about the Gulf states asking Russia to become the guarantor of peace in the Middle East, as no other country could do it.
‘Europe threatens Russia with weapons of mass destruction’
A Russian state outlet relied on unverifiable reports by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR, to claim that France and Britain had hatched a plan to give Ukraine a fully nuclear bomb or at least a ‘dirty’ radiological bomb. Multiple outlets pushed this claim in different languages, indicating a high level of coordination behind it. A Sputnik article went a step further, alleging that the SVR’s timely revelation of the plot had prevented a ‘nuclear catastrophe’. The idea was that since the SVR had exposed the plan, London and Paris would have no choice but to abandon it.
Needless to say, the articles gave no evidence for the allegations but reported them anyway. Ukraine, the UK, and France have denied the Russian claims. This is a false accusation that Russia keeps recycling, often using the SVR to push false allegations and predictions that fail to come true, as we have examined previously.
‘Ukraine and the MI6 planning to blow up pipelines’
Pro-Kremlin outlets also asserted that Ukraine and its Western partners are secretly planning to destroy gas pipelines in the Black Sea. A slew of Russian–language outlets quoted Putin asserting that Ukraine is determined to damage the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream pipelines in the Black Sea, with the goal of metaphorically blowing up negotiations for peace. Another piece stated that the British intelligence agency MI6 was involved in plans to damage the Turkish Stream pipeline.
As is traditional, no evidence other than Putin’s words backed up these claims. We do know that over the years, Moscow has levelled many charges at Ukraine, including that the country is using bioweapons, faking Russian atrocities, and framing Russia for attacks using toxic substances. Proof for any of these allegations, or for the many others like them, has never emerged.
Regarding any supposed MI6 involvement, pro-Kremlin outlets have often depicted the UK as a warmongering power opposed to peace. In fact, pro-Kremlin nationalists in Russia sometimes reveal a special paranoia towards Britain. They believe that the UK, Moscow’s true arch-nemesis, has been waging an undeclared war against Russia for the past 500 years.
‘Gulf states turn to Russia for ensuring peace’
Spanish-language pro-Kremlin outlets pushed the narrative that Gulf countries, namely Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, were requesting Russia to act as the guarantor of peace and an immediate ceasefire in the region. They claim that Russia is the only country capable of negotiating peace and a ceasefire.
With this false claim, the pro-Kremlin FIMI machine tries to exploit the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran to portray Russia as an indispensable geopolitical actor. Following the US-Israeli attack, Putin held a series of phone conversations with the leaders of Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates as well as with Iran. However, these contacts were initiated by Russia and did not result from requests by the states concerned, as is clear from the Kremlin’s readouts of the calls.
This story aims to exaggerate Russia’s geopolitical influence and presents it as a far more powerful and consequential actor than it is. This could also be an attempt to counter a growing number of analyses about Russia’s alleged loss of weight on the global scene after the overthrow, capture or killing of many of its international allies, such as Bashar Al Assad in Syria, Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and Ali Khamenei in Iran. Russia systematically seeks to portray itself as a major international power, backed by a global majority, which has only grown stronger over the last years. The reality proves otherwise.
Don’t be deceived.
By EUvsDisinfo
