Russia’s new weapon: “Fact-checks” Kremlin style

LAAS LEIVAT

On the February 23, some hours before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a new website announced its presence.

The “War on Fakes” on Telegram was to be the Russian version of integrity, authoritativeness and credibility in debunking or confirming questionable facts in news. It’s said to be attracting some 700,000 followers.

Moscow seems to have taken its cue from the West when fact checking became a topic of public discourse in the West. The practice had always existed as routine procedure at any authoritative and self-respecting news organization in democratic countries. But fact checking became often a part of the news itself, after the inauguration of Mr. Trump. The reason doesn’t have to be spelled out here.

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