There are about 200 million people who use Twitter on a daily basis, making it an important site for news and information. But this social network is also a prime source of disinformation, from fake accounts to tweets taken out of context. The FRANCE 24 Observers team takes a look at some good habits to avoid falling into these Twitter traps.
A photo of several people wearing military uniforms with Chinese and Russian flags has been shared hundreds of times in social media posts that claim it shows Chinese soldiers joining the Russian army to fight in Ukraine. This is false. AFP traced the photo to the website of a military-themed amusement park in Russia. The photographer who took pictures of the event said the people in the photo were "tourists".
Reusable toilet paper as a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional toilet paper was invented a few years ago and has nothing to do with "anti-Russian sanctions". The product was particularly relevant during the coronavirus pandemic, when the first shortage of toilet paper arose. As for the UK, the discussion about reusable toilet paper resumed in mid-August amid rising inflation, but the vast majority of consumers perceived the idea negatively and refused to use the eco-product.
Russian propagandist media are making false claims about British attitudes to Ukrainian refugees based on a poll conducted by the British Office of National Statistics. The Homes for Ukraine program conducted a survey to assess how long current sponsors wanted the hosting arrangement with Ukrainian refugees to last. 24% of respondents said they were ready to help with housing for more than six months, but not for longer than a year. 23% said they were ready to help for longer than a year. There was no mention of any expulsion of Ukrainians from Britain in the survey.
The Deputy Chairman of Ukraine's National Bank never said that Ukraine transferred its gold and foreign exchange reserves to Poland. According to the Ukrainian National Bank, the reserves remain where they have always been, as different financial instruments in several international banks.
A recent Politico article has given rise to Russian propagandist manipulation about European promises to Ukraine. The article makes no mention about discarded European promises and focuses on two problems: the current depletion of weapons stocks in those countries that have been actively helping Ukraine since the beginning of the war, and the delay in the transfer of weapons from Germany and France to Ukraine. Because of this, six European countries did not make new weapons commitments in July, however, they did not renounce their previous ones. A pause in military transfers is not a point of no return, it is just that, a pause, to be renewed in the future.
Russian media are interpreting routine clinical trials of high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis drugs as an evil experiment on Ukrainian citizens. In these phase II drug effectiveness clinical studies, the trial participants were taking an already well-studied, potentially effective drug to treat their ailments. The clinical trials that Russian media are raising an alarm about are mentioned in published documents and are not a secret - they have passed all stages of verification and were carried out under the supervision of the Ukrainian Health Ministry's State Expert Center. Information about the drugs and the trials can be found on the Ministry of Health State Expert Center website Information on clinical trials in Ukraine.
US Defense Department spokesman Colin Kahl did not state that Ukraine would no longer receive HIMARS. Just as before, the US continues to comprehensively support Ukraine in the war unleashed by Russia. At the same time, the US administration is assessing what type of weapons are needed at the moment and can be delivered promptly. Presently the Pentagon considers that enough HIMARS systems were provided, and believes that right now it is worth focusing on organising a continuous ammunition supply for HIMARS and other multiple rocket launchers.
Most of the cargo ships that have managed to leave Ukrainian ports to date are commercial vessels carrying grain, purchased under commercial contracts that were concluded before the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. The United Nations believes that commercial trade plays a big role in stabilizing the global market even if that trade does not go directly to countries facing food shortages. The UN World Food Program is making efforts to deliver Ukrainian grain directly to those African countries where there is hunger. To that end the organization chartered the Brave Commander cargo ship carrying 23,000 metric tons of grain from the Ukrainian port Pivdennyi to Ethiopia.
The UN Security Council, convened by Russia on August 11 to discuss the situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), became another opportunity for Russia to spread disinformation against Ukraine. The ZNPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, it is located in Enerhodar, 120 kilometers south of the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia, and has been temporarily occupied by Russian troops since March of this year. Speaking at the session, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasiliy Nebenzya declared the urgency to "stop the Kyiv regime" and accused Ukraine of "attacking nuclear infrastructure facilities." This time the Russian lies were based on four propaganda messages (outlined here).