A white computer tablet, dubious photocopies, drawings and poor acting are sufficient evidence of the presence of the Russian private military company Wagner Group in Libya, says the BBC.
The reporters who work for MI-6 as part of the campaign to weaken Russia’s position in the media landscape, have released another TV documentary, every part of which was easily debunked by the Federal News Agency (FAN.)
TABLET OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
On August 11, the BBC uploaded an investigative film which was supposed to prove the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Libya. However, the journalists' body of evidence was based on previously debunked fake stories and a white Samsung tablet, allegedly used by the Russians. According to the BBC, this piece of evidence was given to them by an informant from the now dissolved Government of National Accord. It was this tablet that finally disproved the whole film.
FAN is asking quite reasonable questions. Where did this tablet really come from? Is there any proof that it is authentic? Where and under what circumstances was it handed over to the BBC editorial office? Why was it given to journalists rather than official bodies for investigation? Why haven’t Tripoli authorities or media staff claimed it since 2019 when it was allegedly found at Wagner Group positions?
The information retrieved from the tablet (which can be purchased anywhere) raises many questions. FAN pointed out that the maps allegedly found on the device were rather odd. They do not contain any data on the situation outside the area south of the Libyan town of Ain Zara. Moreover, FAN found quite a few inconsistencies in the map shown in the BBC investigation with the real situation on the contact line in this area between the forces of the NTC and Marshal Khalifa Haftar at different periods.
For example, BBC alleges that several Russian observation posts were set up behind the lines of the Government of National Accord. This statement is nonsense. FAN cited enough mismatches to conclude that the “secret Libyan maps” of the Wagner Group had been falsified.
MIROTVORETS FAKES
BBC journalists assumed that the words in the map were fighters’ call signs and proceeded to reveal their identity with the help of Ukrainian website Mirotvorets which is blocked in Russia.
For example, the Russian word “Metla” was allegedly the call sign of a 36-year-old Fyodor Metelkin from the North Caucasus, while Andrei Vorontsov, 28, was nicknamed Selenga because of a river in Buryatia.
FAN decided to consult with a military expert and writer Alexei Sukonkin on the matter. He logically refuted the BBC journalists' speculations.
“There is a rule in the practice of intelligence agencies, according to which the assigned pseudonym must not match the surname or physical characteristics of the agent. For example, “cold”, “snow” or “frost” cannot be call signs of a person with the surname Kholodov [in Russian, «kholod» means “cold, chill, frost.”] The pseudonym “big-eared” or “Van Gogh” cannot be given to a person who has aesthetic defects of the ear,” Sukonkin told FAN.
Moreover, FAN contacted Fyodor Metelkin and Vladimir Andanov, whom the BBC called Wagner Group mercenaries, allegedly fighting in Libya. They confirmed that they had never participated in hostilities in Libya. Moreover, Metelkin is even thinking of suing the British media for such allegations.
Even if we dismiss whatever was said by occasional persons in the BBC investigation, the Mirotvorets website has long been known as a source of unreliable information and slander. Even Vladimir Zelensky, the incumbent president of Ukraine, was forced to admit that this resource published fakes.
CHEAP TRICKS
All the other “significant evidence” of the presence of Wagner fighters in Libya is just ridiculous. These are photocopies of some “classified documents” about the supply of weapons and equipment without stamps and other signs that would confirm their authenticity, photos of locations which never proved that the Russians had ever been there, an ammunition box that was produced last century, and “a child’s drawing” with an inscription in Latin “ZA VDV”, as well as old Wagner Group tales that had already been debunked. All of this is discussed in as much detail as possible in FAN’s full investigation.
FAN also draws special attention to the deliberately theatrical nature of the investigation. The BBC used cheap dramatic tricks to cover up the inconsistency of its evidence.
For example, real actors were invited for the “documentary.” They played the role of “real” Wagner Group fighters in order not to reveal their identities. However, their monologues do not provide any specifics and largely repeat the old fake news. The acting is extremely mediocre, which makes the BBC investigation even more hilarious.
The film tries to plead for sympathy by literally blaming the Wagner Group for the “martyred civilians,” but with no evidence other than the words of one of the heroines of the “documentary” who smiled for the camera at one point while talking about “atrocities committed by Russians.”
Follow the link to see FAN’s complete analysis of the BBC investigative film: https://riafan.ru/1502293-kak-bbc-sozdalo-fenteziinyi-film-o-rossiyanakh-v-livii