The Claim:
Russia state media has published articles that cite claims made by a former Ukrainian MP, that President Joe Biden’s “son secretly transferred money to Ukraine, which was used to blow up the Nord Stream and kill Daria Dugina.”
The articles, published by RT and a leading Kremlin-aligned Russian tabloid, Komsomolskaya Pravda, feature several conspiracy theories about Ukraine. The false claims are based on an interview with a former Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrei Derkach, who the US government has sanctioned for his efforts to interfere in the 2020 US elections and his connections with Russian intelligence. Derkach has also been indicted by the US government for money laundering.
The articles include the following wild claims:
- Ukrainian and US officials have created a “crime syndicate”: there is no evidence to support this claim.
- Ukrainian special services conducted high-profile terrorist attacks against Russia and its citizens, and these attacks were financed by a bribe received by Ukrainian courts for closing a corruption case at Burisma: There is no credible evidence to support these allegations.
- The Komsomolskaya Pravda article accuses George Kent, the US ambassador to Estonia, of covering up corruption in Ukraine and claims that he demanded the closure of a criminal investigation related to the theft of American taxpayers’ money in Ukraine: there is no credible evidence to substantiate these claims.
- The articles claim that there is a link between the alleged bribery and explosions at Nord Stream pipelines and a “cover-up” about it. There is no credible evidence to connect these events.
Narrative Context:
Accusations of corruption targeting the Ukrainian government and Western officials are a recurring strategic narrative employed by the Kremlin, its proxies, and its supporters. Their aim is to undermine the credibility of the Ukrainian government, its armed forces, and its leadership while eroding Western trust in them. Linking this narrative with President Biden and other U.S. officials emerged as a tactic in the run-up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections, with the intention of manipulating the election’s outcome.
Pro-Kremlin sources frequently employ a disinformation tactic characterized by the presentation of unverified claims as facts, often accompanied by subtle modifications or variations, as exemplified in this instance.
Furthermore, the Kremlin has amplified conspiracy theories regarding the Nord Stream explosions, attempting to shift blame onto the United States, other NATO allies, and the Ukrainian government.
The Facts:
There is no credible evidence to support any of the claims made in these articles or by the source of them, former Ukrainian MP, Andrei Derkach. The US Department of Justice has identified Derkach as an “active Russian agent” and a “Kremlin-backed Ukrainian politician and oligarch,” who was ”was sanctioned for his efforts to influence the 2020 U.S. Presidential election on behalf of the Russian Intelligence Services.”
While Joe Biden did use $1 billion in aid as leverage to encourage Ukraine to remove its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016, this was not to stop the investigation into Burisma; rather, it was due to Shokin’s failure to actively pursue corruption cases involving the country’s politicians.
Screenshot of the interview with Andrei Derkach from Twitter/X.
