World

4 Falsehoods Russians Are Told About the War

Published

3 years ago

March 10, 2022

4 Falsehoods Russians Are Told About the War

Russia’s worldwide disinformation marketing campaign appeared to flounder within the early days of the invasion, as narratives about Ukrainian bravery dominated the web. However in Russia, the nation’s propaganda machine was busy churning out a deluge of misinformation aimed toward its personal residents.

The narrative disseminated on-line by way of state-run and unofficial channels has helped create an alternate actuality the place the invasion is justified and Ukrainians are responsible for violence. To manage the narrative at house, Russia additionally shut down entry to a number of web sites and threatened the information media with lengthy jail sentences for criticizing the struggle. There’s some proof that the hassle has mollified at the least some Russians.

Here’s what the struggle appears to be like prefer to Russians, based mostly on a evaluate of state information articles, channels on the favored chat app Telegram, and enter from a number of disinformation watchdogs who’re monitoring Russia’s propaganda machine.

After Russian shellings killed Ukrainian civilians, Russia blamed ‘neo-Nazis.’

A number of the most annoying pictures from the struggle have come from Mariupol, a port metropolis within the southeastern coast. Shelling battered the area, killing a number of civilians who had been making an attempt to flee the world, throughout what was alleged to be a cease-fire.

However Russians bought a distinct clarification on-line: Ukrainians had fired on Russian forces through the cease-fire, and neo-Nazis had been “hiding behind civilians as a human defend,” based on the Russian state information web site Tass.

Neo-Nazis have been a recurring character in Russian propaganda campaigns for years, used to falsely justify army motion in opposition to Ukraine in what Russian officers have referred to as “denazification.” These claims have solely continued through the battle. To clarify away assaults on different Ukrainian condominium buildings, the identical article by Tass claimed that neo-Nazis had positioned “heavy weapons in condominium buildings, whereas some residents are forcibly stored of their properties,” offering no proof.

Russian social media accounts have used a mixture of pretend and unconfirmed photographs displaying Ukrainian troopers holding Nazi flags or photographs of Hitler. An evaluation by the Middle for Data Resilience, a nonprofit centered on figuring out disinformation, confirmed that the variety of tweets connecting Ukrainians to Nazis soared after the invasion started.

“Propaganda works when it coincides along with your current assumptions,” stated Pierre Vaux, a senior investigator on the Middle for Data Resilience. “The stuff that chimes into the Nazi stuff is absolutely efficient.”

After a nuclear facility caught hearth, Russians claimed they had been defending it.

After Russia attacked an space close to the nuclear complicated in Zaporizhzhia, resulting in a fireplace, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine referred to as it “nuclear terrorism.”

However based on a Kremlin assertion reported in Tass, the army seized the ability to stop Ukrainians and neo-Nazis from “organizing provocations fraught with catastrophic penalties.” Despite the fact that Ukrainians closely fortified the area in opposition to an assault, Russian officers claimed they already had management of the compound earlier than Ukrainians opened hearth. They added that Ukrainians set hearth to an adjoining constructing earlier than fleeing, offering no proof. Western specialists stated controlling the Zaporizhzhia complicated would permit Russia to set off blackouts or shut down the whole energy grid.

The picture of Russia as a world protector surfaced once more after the nation’s officers claimed they found proof that Ukraine was engaged on a nuclear bomb. Based on Russian officers, plans for the bomb had been uncovered on the deserted Chernobyl nuclear energy plant.

“It doesn’t even make sense, as a result of when you’re going to develop a nuclear weapon, you don’t do your secret improvement in a nuclear energy plant,” Mr. Vaux stated. “However that type of factor is simply being beamed out on Russian state TV.”

After Russia shelled a residential neighborhood, Russians claimed Ukrainians did it.

An assault on Kharkiv, a northeast Ukraine metropolis bordering Russia, offered further proof that Russia had indiscriminately bombed residential neighborhoods and killed civilians, based on the Atlantic Council, an American analysis group. The Worldwide Felony Court docket opened an investigation into struggle crimes after the assault.

In a single assault that included heavy shelling, 34 civilians had been killed and 285 had been injured, based on the Ukrainian State Emergency Service.

However Russians listening to state media or searching channels on Telegram heard one other story: The missiles, these sources claimed, got here from Ukrainian territory.

On a Telegram channel for the Russian information website Readovka, one put up described how “Ukrainian missiles” had “arrived from the northwest” — an space managed by the Ukrainian army.

Russia’s protection division stated that it by no means attacked cities, as a substitute concentrating on “army infrastructure” with “high-precision weapons,” based on an article within the state-owned information company RIA Novosti.

After assaults bloodied civilians, Russians referred to as injured Ukrainians disaster actors.

A girl who survived a blast at her condominium constructing grew to become the main target of disinformation efforts after her bloodied and bandaged {photograph} unfold extensively by way of newspapers and Western media.

The girl was a resident of an condominium complicated in Chuhuiv, close to Kharkiv. The photojournalist Alex Lourie captured her portrait after the assault, and the picture was quickly featured on the entrance pages of newspapers world wide.

However Russian social media channels falsely described her as a member of Ukraine’s psychological operations unit, based on an evaluation by the Ukrainian fact-checking web site StopFake.

A put up by “Battle on Fakes,” a pro-Russian web site and Telegram channel that appeared firstly of the invasion, prompt that the blood may very well be grape juice and that the lady may very well be “a part of the territorial protection.” As proof, the put up included a shot of one other girl bearing some resemblance. That picture got here from a New York Occasions {photograph}, which was taken in Kyiv — a seven-hour drive west of Chuhuiv.

World

China Box Office: ‘Octopus With Broken Arms’ Leads Quiet Start to 2025

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

China Box Office: ‘Octopus With Broken Arms’ Leads Quiet Start to 2025

The Chinese box office opened 2025 with “Octopus with Broken Arms” leading the first weekend, earning $16.1 million (RMB117.5 million), according to data provided by consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

The As One Production release climbed from its second-place debut last week to take the top spot. Directed by Jacky Gan, the crime thriller follows Zheng Bingrui (Xiao Yang), a wealthy businessman whose daughter is kidnapped during a holiday celebration. The film’s cumulative total now stands at $74.7 million.

Last week’s leader, Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World,” slipped to second place, adding $11.4 million in its second weekend. Directed by Yang Lina, the drama stars Jackson Yee as a young man with cerebral palsy preparing for college exams while assisting his grandmother (Diana Lin) with a stage play. The film’s cumulative total has now reached $77.8 million.

Newcomer “Honey Money Phony,” released by Maoyan Pictures on Dec. 31, debuted in third place with $7.5 million. Directed by Su Biao, the comedy follows Lin Qinglang (Jin Chen), a working woman who unexpectedly finds herself deeply in debt after a sweet promise turns sour. Her journey intertwines with Ouyang Hui (Sunny Sun), a scammer whose involvement brings unexpected changes to both their lives.

“Hot Pot Artist,” released by Chengdu Film Group on Jan. 3, entered the chart in fourth place with $1.8 million. Directed by Cui Zhijia, who also stars as Li Ruyi, the film tells the story of a young man from Northeast China pursuing his dream of becoming a director. When his career doesn’t go as planned, he returns home to inherit his father-in-law’s hot pot restaurant, leading to unexpected challenges and personal growth.

In fifth place, “Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital” – originally released in Japan in 2003 – fell two spots from last week’s third position. The anime titled grossed $1.5 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative earnings to $13.8 million. Directed by Kodama Kenji, the film follows Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori as they solve a mystery involving a stolen Healing Buddha statue.

Meanwhile, “Paddington in Peru” debuted in sixth place and has collected $3.9 million over five days of release, per data from Ent Group. In eighth place, “Mufasa: The Lion King” has a $14 million cume after 17 days in release, according to Ent Group.

The weekend’s total box office reached $44.3 million, down from the $68.3 million grossed during the final weekend of 2024. Despite the quieter start, the cumulative gross for 2025 stands at $95.9 million, up 5.9% compared to the same period last year.

World

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to announce resignation as early as Monday: report

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reportedly expected to resign from his position as early as Monday, according to Canadian media.

The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail on Sunday night, citing three sources. The outlet said that it is unclear when exactly the Liberal Party leader will step down, but a resignation is expected to come before a national caucus meeting on Wednesday.

The news comes as Trudeau’s popularity continues to dwindle in Canada, which has a national election planned for Oct. 20 of this year. The country continues to suffer from a housing crisis, a declining per-capita GDP and high inflation, among other issues.

According to Canadian pollster Angus Reid, Trudeau has a disapproval rate of around 68% as of Dec. 24, with a meager 28% of Canadians supporting him.

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could announce his resignation as early as Monday, Canadian media reports. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The potential resignation would also come after Trudeau, who became prime minister in 2015, braved a difficult few months in politics. In September, he faced a no confidence vote in parliament that later failed, despite efforts from the Conservative Party to remove him from office.

On Dec. 16, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was stepping down from Trudeau’s cabinet, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister. In her resignation letter, she claimed that the only “honest and viable path” was to leave the Cabinet.

“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland, who was previously seen as a Trudeau loyalist, wrote.

“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” the letter added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”

Later in December, one of Trudeau’s key allies, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, said that he planned to present a formal motion of no-confidence on Jan. 27.

CANADA’S TRUDEAU FACING REVOLT FROM WITHIN AS POPULAR CONSERVATIVE LEADER LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been facing dwindling popularity in his country. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up. We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons,” Singh said.

Trudeau’s personal choices have also invited backlash from his opponents. At the end of November, Trudeau faced international criticism after he was seen dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto while a destructive riot took place in his home city of Montreal.

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” the Canadian politician wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” Stewart added. Trudeau later denounced the lawlessness, calling the riot “appalling.”

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will step down, according to the Globe and Mail. (DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Trudeau’s office for comment.

Fox News’ Chris Massaro, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.

World

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

The Take: What lies ahead for world politics in 2025?

Podcast, The Take

Al Jazeera’s correspondents look ahead to global politics in 2025.

As 2025 unfolds, the world faces significant shifts. From climate crises in West Africa to continuing wars in Gaza and Sudan, Al Jazeera correspondents share their insights on the key events and challenges shaping the year ahead.

In this episode:

Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House correspondent
Dorsa Jabbari (@DorsaJabbari), Al Jazeera correspondent
John Holman (@Johnholman100), Al Jazeera Mexico and Latin America correspondent
Nicolas Haque (@NicolasHaque), Al Jazeera correspondent
Tony Cheng (@tlcbkk), Al Jazeera Asia correspondent
Maram Humaid (@maramgaza), Al Jazeera digital correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Chloe K Li with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline and Malika Bilal.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolome, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sari el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, and Amy Walters. Our editorial intern is Hagir Saleh and the host is Malika Bilal. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is the lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan and Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem are our video editors. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube