Bankova’s Media Circus: How One Old Russian Fake Was Brought Back to Life
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Source: Author’s Facebook page
Ukraine’s current government is escalating its information war against former President Petro Poroshenko, using everything from selective interpretations to outright falsehoods—offering a striking example of political disinformation in action.
Telegram channels of the Green government are spreading “news” claiming that the pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc, recently extradited to Moldova, is ready to testify against Petro Poroshenko and reveal “details of their joint activities.” The source of this story is a “military Stalker” with a Facebook profile. The lie is apparent in the term “military” — a Stalker is not actually a service member and cannot be one due to a disability. Being a veteran and being a military person are entirely different concepts.
Stalker has long published various fabrications about Poroshenko, and he may have his own points on some matters. However, it is curious that several well-known publications are now amplifying his fantasies. You can probably guess why.
The catch is that Plahotniuc never made any statements about his supposed intentions to “testify.” What Stalker and the publications repeating him are actually referencing is a Politico article from June 27, 2019, about Maia Sandu, who had just become Prime Minister of Moldova. That article does include the phrase:
“She accused the previous Ukrainian government, headed by Petro Poroshenko, of collaborating with Plahotniuc’s administration, which facilitated smuggling and ‘corruption schemes’ that ‘facilitated the survival’ of the separatist leadership in Transnistria.”
Nothing in the article suggests that Plahotniuc planned to make any revelations or testify — yet the misinformation now circulating presents it as a sensational claim.
The phrase is a clear manipulation by the author. Sandu’s direct speech is not quoted there. For a very simple reason.
Because Maia Sandu NEVER accused Petro Poroshenko of “facilitating smuggling.” Here is Maia Sandu’s direct statement, quoted by BBC News: “This is not true, I said that in different years in Chișinău, Tiraspol and Kyiv there were people – I didn’t say at what level – who made money on the conflict in Transnistria. I didn’t say either about Mr. Poroshenko or anyone else.”
https://www.bbc.com/…/www…/ukrainian/features-54934242
Let me remind you that six years have passed since June 2019. Neither the security forces from Ukraine nor Moldova have found ANY facts of any criminal cooperation with Plahotniuc. Instead, the Moldovan special services have encountered other habits of the green government. It was under President Zelensky that a person was kidnapped from the territory of sovereign and independent Moldova by the Ukrainian special services – Judge Chaus. I think Prime Minister Sandu was “incredibly happy” that her country was being wiped clean like that.
And more. In December 2019, Moldovan politician Renato Usatiy stated that oligarch Plahotniuc had asked for political asylum… in Ukraine from Zelenskyy. Usatiy’s statement caused a scandal, and this likely is what thwarted Plahotniuc’s plans. Otherwise, he would have been walking along Khreshchatyk to spite Maia Sandu…
https://www.rbc.ua/…/moldove-zayavili-oligarh…
However. In addition to the article from “Politico” about Maia Sandu, where she did not accuse Poroshenko in any way (this is a lie), they cite another “proof” – the investigation of the “Schemes” program, where Poroshenko was accused again of collaborating with the oligarch Plahotniuk. Breathe deeply, “Schemes” did not provide ANY evidence of Poroshenko’s connection with Plahotniuk. Well, none! All the “proofs” are assumptions and references to some unknown sources. Read – the fabrications of the authors of the “investigation”.
With the same success, the authors of the “investigation” can be accused of cooperating with the headquarters of the “Servant of the People” party on the eve of the parliamentary elections in July 2019.
Petro Poroshenko was accused of the fact that in March 2019, the National Security and Defense Council lifted sanctions from the Moldovan Metallurgical Plant, the largest enterprise in unrecognized Transnistria. At the same time, even in the “investigation” of “Scheme” itself, they reported that the lifting of sanctions occurred at the request of the Prime Minister of Moldova!! The letter from the Moldovan Prime Minister was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. From there, it was forwarded to the Poroshenko administration. But then the sanctions were not lifted – the letter was sent to the Security Service of Ukraine. And only after the conclusion of the SSU did the National Security and Defense Council decide to lift the sanctions.
Well, Ukraine under Poroshenko did not interfere in Moldova’s internal affairs. Can you imagine what a revelation?
Manipulations and lies. Playing on the class hatred of the masses towards the “oligarch” and using “military personnel” who have not served in the army for a long time. This is how fakes are being spread against Petro Poroshenko.
On the eve, public activist and Odessa City Council deputy Maryna Boyko drew attention to the fact that many pro-government Telegram channels and websites that regularly publish commissioned materials against the opposition have again spread a Russian fake against Petro Poroshenko.
As is known, in the summer of 2019, Russian media spread false information that Moldovan President Sandu allegedly accused Petro Poroshenko of smuggling together with local oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc. At the time, Maia Sandu herself called these reports fake.
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