'Highly likely': Pinning the blame on Russia without proof has become trendy - Lavrov

RT
Thu, 30 May 2019 08:46 UTC

© Reuters / Leonhard Foeger

European election posters of Austria's former Vice Chancellor Strache and FPO top candidate Vilimsky are seen in Vienna.

Pinning the blame on Russia without proper proof has become trendy, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said as a new report debunks allegations that the 'Russian oligarch's niece' stands behind the Austrian government scandal.

Moscow's top diplomat shared his take on the Austrian government crisis, fuelled by corruption allegations, against the former Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache. The official was forced to resign after German media published a video showing him presumably soliciting a bribe from a woman who "supposedly" was a niece of a Russian oligarch. However a subsequent report from the Austrian paper Kronen claimed that she was actually a Bosnian student paid to set up the then-vice-chancellor.

It is quite revealing that free media in the West which eagerly picked up the version about the woman's Russian descent... reported very little, if at all, about her Bosnian origins being uncovered.

Comment: The idea that the Russian government was involved is implausible given that Strache has repeatedly advocated for stronger ties with Russia. See: NATO 'Deep State' And Israeli Interests Served by Ousting of Austrian Government

Lavrov also made clear that the media obsession with Russian meddling has become commonplace. "Heaping the blame on Russians according to a 'highly likely' principle which [at the time] was introduced by [UK Prime Minister] Theresa May is very trendy," Lavrov said, as he urged the media to be objective.

The Austrian government collapsed on Monday as Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote. Earlier, five out of thirteen ministers left their positions following Strache's resignation.

Comment: 'Highly likely' is the new 'proof' when no evidence is available. RT presents a few recent examples:

Iran 'almost certainly' attacked Saudi tankers

US National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed this week that Iran was "almost certainly" behind a recent attack on ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, in the Gulf of Oman. Not one for detail, Bolton declined to offer actual evidence to back up the allegation.

'Highly likely' Russia poisoned Skripal

British Prime Minister Theresa May barely waited until the doctors had examined Sergei and Yulia Skripal before accusing Russia of being behind their poisoning last March. May quickly rallied Western governments, prompting a mass expulsion of Russian diplomats without providing any actual evidence of Moscow's guilt. She emphatically told Parliament that Russia was"highly likely" the culprit. Mainstream media, of course, instantly jumped on that bandwagon and dissenting voices were banished from the airwaves.

Beluga whale 'most likely' spying for Putin

In April, Western media was hysterical over the discovery of a Beluga whale "with suspected Russian military ties." The whale, spotted by a fisherman in Norwegian waters, was wearing a harness, which led to suggestions that some nefarious Russian activity was going on. One expert at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe took a leaf out of the CIA's book, telling the media that the whale was "most likely" trained by Russia for military purposes. The claim was repeated ad nauseam until it was countered by another Norwegian report that the whale could actually have been trained to entertain children. Oops!?

Assad 'highly likely' responsible for Douma

Syrian President Bashar Assad was "highly likely" responsible for a chemical attack on the city of Douma in 2018, according to the British government. The incident was used as an easy pretext for US, British and French bombing in Syria. Surely, they would never lie to us? Well, a report leaked by OPCW engineers earlier this month contradicts the official narrative on the Douma attack, its findings implying that it could have been a staged provocation designed to justify Western bombing.

NotPetya cyber attack 'almost certainly' Russia

Both the US and British governments also blamed Russia (surprise!) for the so-called NotPetya cyber attack which hit companies and government systems around the world in 2017, with London saying Moscow was "almost certainly" behind it.

Several Russian companies were also targeted in the attack and officials never gave evidence or explained why the attack was instantly blamed on Russia.