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Accessibility links Skip to main content [#content] Skip to main Navigation Skip to Search Search Search toggle search input toggle main navigation Search Search Search Home Economy Human Rights Military Politics About this project More Previous Next 0 Breaking News Previous Next 0 Live Top Statement Factchecks Previous slide Next slide Russia's UK Embassy Says Syrian Rebels Using 'Human Shields' Does the EU Discriminate Against Crimeans on Visas, as Russian Official Alleges? Russian Incomes 'Are No Longer Falling' Kadyrov: Chechens in Islamic State ‘Small Drop in Sea’ Is US Restricting Russian Diplomats' Travel? Did Trump Rebuke Baltic State Presidents? Latest Statements Churkin Says Fresh U.S. Sanctions 'Target Children' Vitaly Churkin Russian ambassador to the United Nations "I think this is simply scandalous, that they decided to persecute our children. They know that these dachas which they mentioned in the documents are for our children. And now it's Christmas, the holidays in our schools." Source: RIA-Novosti news agency, Dec. 30, 2016 False ...no evidence evictions were aimed at children. The timing of the White House’s announcement suggests that the U.S. response to alleged Russian interference in the presidential election took place as soon as U.S. intelligence agencies could formulate a plan. And while families of expelled diplomats will be impacted, some evidence suggests that the facilities closed may have been used by Russian spies as well as diplomats. Read more... Kremlin Adviser: Russia Should Be Prepared for Internet ‘Cut Off’ German Klimenko Russian presidential adviser on internet issues “Our country must be prepared that it will be cut off from the worldwide internet -- the high likelihood of 'tectonic shifts' in our relations with the West (is) in the direction of deterioration." Source: Russia Today in Russian, December 29, 2016 LIKELY FALSE ...experts say outsiders taking Russia off the internet is theoretically possible, but highly unlikely. Alluding to possible threats from the West, Russia’s top tech envoy expressed fears that Russia's internet could be “cut off.” A Polygraph.info fact check shows that while a foreign cyber attack would be crippling, an effective closure of the nation’s internet access is an implausible scenario. Read more... Russia Says NATO Used 'Russian Equipment' During Drills Sergei Shoigu Russian Defense Minister “The armed forces of Great Britain have begun using Russian-made tanks and military uniforms of the Russian army to represent the enemy at the Salisbury Plain training range. Such training methods were last used by fascist Germany during the years of the Great Patriotic War.” Source: RIA-Novosti news agency, Dec. 22, 2016 False ...gear used was NATO-sourced. The tanks used in the recent exercise were Polish and Czech-made, and the uniforms are British and American. Read more... Putin Says 'Import Substitution' Working Vladimir Putin President of Russia “So-called import substitution is bearing fruit. Industrial imports are down by 10 percentage points.” Source: live broadcast of Kremlin event, Dec. 23, 2016 Unclear ...little data to back up claim. No exact data on import substitution in Russia exists, and any drop in industrial imports in Russia may be due to the economic crisis as well. Read more... Kremlin: Moscow-Washington 'Red Phone' is ‘Ordinary’ Communication Line Dmitry Peskov Presidential spokesman “It is an ordinary communication line that heads of states use for phone conversations.” Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda, December 21, 2016 False ….the rarely-used system is designated for crisis communication. Commenting after an NBC News report that U.S. President Barack Obama used "the so-called Red Phone" to warn President Vladimir Putin over interfering in the U.S. election process, a Kremlin spokesman said it is "an ordinary communication line." But history shows it is a special line used in crisis. Read more... Kremlin Says No 'Pro-Putin' Coalition In Europe Dmitry Peskov official Kremlin spokesman “I definitely disagree with those who see the creation in Europe of some sort of 'pro-Putin coalition.' I would say rather that increasingly sober, balanced and patriotically-minded people are coming to power.” Source: Russia Today, Dec. 13, 2016 Partially True ...technically true, but many politicians mainly on the fringes of the political spectrum hold positions favored by the Kremlin. Peskov is technically correct that there is no formal “pro-Putin coalition” in Europe or even an informal movement backing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rather, the term has been coined by Western media to describe political leaders in and out of power who tilt toward Moscow on a number of specific issues. Read more... Is Georgia’s Economy Worse Than in The 1990s? Irma Inashvili General Secretary, Alliance of Patriots of Georgia “In reality, the country is in an economic crisis, as it was in the nineties.” Source: Saqinform News Agency False … economic data does not support the assertion. A pro-Russian opposition leader in the Georgian parliament says that Georgia is in a similar economic crisis to what it faced in the 1990s. A Polygraph.info fact check shows that statistics do not back that up. Read more... Did Russia Ignore Doping Links When Promoting Sports Minister? Dmitry Medvedev Prime Minister of Russian Federation "We have no proof that, say, Minister Mutko is involved. If there were proof, he would not be in the government now." Source: Russian government transcript, December 15, 2016 Likely False ...anti-doping agency inquiry concludes Mutko oversaw the systematic cheating. Russia’s prime minister defended the promotion of former Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko to a deputy prime minister post, saying there is no proof of Mutko’s involvement in an international doping conspiracy. But a watchdog report shows he exercised active oversight over the doping program. Read more... Kadyrov Denies Chechen Battalions In Syria Ramzan Kadyrov Head of Russia's Chechen Republic "The domestic media are disseminating reports about the 'sending' to Syria of 'servicemen' from the Vostok and Zapad Battalions. I can say with confidence that there are no Vostok or Zapad battalions in the Chechen Republic." Source: Ramzan Kadyrov's Instagram Account, Dec. 8, 2016 Partially True ...technically true, but doesn't mean no Chechen fighters in Syria. Experts agree that these particular units were disbanded after the Georgian war, and although a similarly-named Vostok battalions showed up in the war in the Donbas, it appeared not to be controlled by Kadyrov. Separately, the regional news site Caucasian Knot reported December 9 that 500 soldiers, mainly from among local Chechens, had been sent to Syria, including some who had once been in the now-disbanded battalions. Read more... Lt. General: Russian Military Jets Not Involved in Decisive Assaults on Aleppo Sergei Rudskoy Chief of the Russian General Staff Main “All of this is achieved by Syrian ground troops…Russian aviation in the Aleppo area has not been used since October 18.” Source: Press conference (timecode 0:42 -0:47), December 9, 2016 FALSE Monitors say Russian military conducted air campaigns One of Russia’s top military officials said on December 9, 2016, that Russian military jets, which had been conducting military assaults on rebel forces in Syria on behalf of the regime, had not bombed the Aleppo area since October 18. Independent monitors say they have tallies showing otherwise. Read more... More Statement Factchecks Back to top Follow Us Info About this project Terms of Use Contact Us © 2017 POLYGRAPH.info All Rights Reserved. XS SM MD LG