DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
- Outlet: arabic.rt.com ( archive, original ) , Alalam TV ( archive, original ) , aenanews.com ( archive, original ) , al-omah.com ( archive, original ) , shamra.sy ( archive, original ) , diwanfm.net ( archive, original ) , diwanfm.net ( archive, original ) , defense-arab.com ( archive, original ) , eg24hours.com ( archive, original )
- Date of publication: December 20, 2019
- Countries / regions discussed: Libya, Russia
AI translations:
DISINFO: The Wagner Group is not supported by Russia
SUMMARY
The Russian authorities have repeatedly denied their support for any groups operating outside Russia, including the “Wagner” group.
RESPONSE
A recurring disinformation narrative about the Wagner group and Russian presence in Libya.
The group is a private army linked to the Kremlin and has been fighting on the front lines of the Libyan war for nearly three months.
The Russian firm Wagner Group is a shadowy mercenary outfit waging secret wars on the Kremlin’s behalf from Ukraine to Syria to the Central African Republic. The Wagner group members are mostly ex-service personnel, fought clandestinely in support of Russian forces in Syria and Ukraine, according to Reuters interviews with dozens of contractors, their friends and relatives.
The Wagner Group is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a restaurant and catering magnate known as “Putin's chef” who was sanctioned by the United States after his online troll factory interfered in the 2016 election.
To know more about the disinformation message regarding the Wagner group, check our report on a Russian attempt to hide all the pieces of evidence.