A conspiracy journalist justifies the Russian invasion using anti-Semitic conspiracy theories
Balkan Info’s journalist Nemanja Blagojevic posted a status in which it is claimed that the “Khazars” are behind the war in Ukraine. This is a conspiracy theory with anti-Semitic overtones.
3d map of Ukraine and Russia. 3d illustration.
On June 1, 2022, Nemanja Blagojevic posted a...
No, Germany did not admit the failure of sanctions against Russia
An anonymous web portal used the opinion of a German columnist to write an article with the title incorrectly claiming that Germany has admitted the failure of sanctions against Russia.
Readers turned to us with a request to check the accuracy of the claims from...
Global narratives and local actors: 150 days of the war in Ukraine and over 1,500 disinformation in the region
The renewed open war in Ukraine has been going on for more than 150 days, but the spread of fake and manipulative news on this topic has been going on for much longer. Nevertheless, a real flood of misinformation and Russian propaganda about the...
No, Ukraine did not build a NATO base in Severodonetsk
Several web portals from the region have shared unfounded claims about the alleged construction of a NATO base in Ukraine.
Detailed world map with pinned enlarged map of Ukraine and neighboring countries. Ukraine flag and map.
On June 19, 2022, the web portal Sputnik published an...
Contrary to claims on social media, the war in Ukraine is affecting global supply and prices
Manipulative posts are being shared on social networks, trying to show that the war in Ukraine did not affect the global increase in food and oil prices.
On May 18, a picture of a world map with Ukraine colored in red was published on Edi...
There is not a Russian decision to “return” the NATO alliance to its borders from 1997
In their headlines, some web portals manipulatively presented the statement of a Russian deputy as an official decision of Russia.
On May 15, 2022, Webtribune published an article with the title claiming that “Russia has decided” to return NATO to its borders from 1997:
RUSSIA HAS DECIDED, AND...
The nuclear war put at the service of clicks and spreading fear
The potential use of nuclear weapons is often mentioned in the context of the war in Ukraine. As a rule, reporting on this topic is followed by sensationalist and manipulative headlines that try to attract clicks.
Early in the morning on February 24, 2022, the...
The Western Balkans will need unity and cooperation across society to overcome press freedom challenges
In times of war and global polarization the Western Balkans region is divided along the lines of current polarizing forces. Disinformation campaigns, hate speech, physical attacks, threats, low income, poor economic status, divisions, self-censorship and job insecurity are the main challenges that the regional...
Analysis of narratives in news comments
As part of the program Regional Initiative to Combat Disinformation, it is our great pleasure to present you the first analyses of fake news and disinformation narratives.
You can download the document here „Analysis of narratives in news comments“.
Russian Duma with Draconian Sentences: 10-15 Years in Prison for Knowingly Spreading Fake News about the Russian Military
The Russian Duma has passed a law prescribing draconian sentences for “knowingly spreading fake news” about Russian military operations, categorized according to the severity and consequences of such actions, RIA Novosti reported.
Under the new law, for the crime of “knowingly spreading fake information about...
Ai Weiwei’s exhibition “In Search of Humanity” at the Albertina Modern Museum in Vienna
Author: Bojan Blazhevski
On the 16th of March, at the Albertina Modern Museum in Vienna, a comprehensive retrospective exhibition by the renowned Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei was opened. The exhibition named "In Search of Humanity" gathers in one place Weiwei's artworks coming from...
Kessler: Disinformation is Putin’s powerful tool in Ukraine
Giovanni Kessler is an Italian prosecutor who worked in the office of famous Sicilian prosecutor Paolo Borsalino in 1995. In 1998-1999 he was appointed as Deputy Head of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission in Pristina, in charge of Police and Justice matters. From 2001-2006...
Truthmeter: There Is No US-Funded Biological Weapons Development Program in Ukraine
There is no evidence that the Ukrainian government ordered the eradication of anthrax, cholera and other infectious diseases on the day Putin invaded Ukraine. It is also not true that there are US-funded biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine. On the contrary, the laboratories that...
More than 2,000 Russian scientists have written an Open letter protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The military action, according to the Russian academic community, leads to the international isolation of Russia, something that will directly harm the country, because “scientific research cannot be imagined without full cooperation with colleagues from other countries, and Russia’s isolation from the world means...
Truthmeter: Putin does not mention Pendarovski and Vuchich at all in his speech
Truthmeter reviewed the speech delivered by Russian President, Vladimir Putin from February 24, 2022, published on the official website of the Kremlin, and in it he does not, in any context, mention the Macedonian and Serbian presidents, writes Truthmeter.mk.
Under the syndicating agreement between Truthmeter.mk...
Truthmeter: The “Exclusive video” is not from a Russian plane, but is a 10-year old video from Libya
This is a video that the Associated Press published on its YouTube channel on March 19, 2011, and originates from Benghazi, Libya. The video is titled “Plane shot down by Libyan rebels”, writes Truthmeter.mk.
Under the syndicating agreement between Truthmeter.mk and Meta.mk, we republish the...
U.S. Mission to NATO takes initiative to detect Russian disinformation
The U.S. Mission to NATO has launched an initiative called “We choose facts”, which aims to disarm the disinformation and propaganda that Russia uses in relation to the disputes with Ukraine, Portalb.mk writes.
The U.S. Mission to NATO considers disinformation to be one of the...
The Video of Russian Soldiers Parachuting Down On Kharkiv Is At Least 8 Years Old
The video is not new and does not show Russian paratroopers descending over Kharkiv. The video can be found on YouTube, published in 2018, as a recording of a military exercise in Vostok, and it can also be found on Facebook, shared on the...
The “Cheerful” Russian Soldier Filmed Himself in 2015, Not in 2022
The video of this paratrooper, which has over 20 million views on the social network “TikTok”, was not recorded this year, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NBC News reporter Ben Collins, who specializes in exposing disinformation, writes that this video is old. The...
Aleksandar Nikoloski, vice president of VMRO-DPMNE: USA is North Macedonia’s greatest friend
In "Click Plus" on TV 21, VMRO-DPMNE's vice president Aleksandar Nikolovski at the beginning of February stated his opinion about the Ukrainian conflict. According to him, when Macedonia has no clue how to act foreign policy-wise, then it should look up to the USA...