Photo Credit: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации
Vladimir Putin and Russian generals being optimistic for free and open U.S. elections is satirical news. There is no truth to a report that the Russian president and his generals were showing great enthusiasm over the upcoming elections in the United States. Putin has been the subject of many fake news, tweets, photographs and memes. This is just another one in a long list of them.
Where did this satirical news originate? Duffel Blog published the satirical news article on March 20, 2018, reporting that Russia was optimistic about free and open U.S. elections. You can read it below.
MOSCOW, Russia — More than 57.6 million Americans have cast votes in the upcoming midterm primary elections taking place in Nov. 2018, according to Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper. The report came soon after Russian President Vladimir Putin was again re-elected in a landslide.
According to the paper, President Donald J. Trump was among the first to cast a ballot, despite having to be told multiple times that he could not vote for himself. The president praised himself for having the courage to face adversity and, without the need of a translator, told Russian reporters that his fellow Americans should trust his administration and their ability to carry out this election safely.
Top generals at the Russian Ministry of Defense echoed similar views.
“We are working diligently behind the scenes to prevent voter intimidation and fraud,” said Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. “I want to personally assure the American people that the Russian Federation strongly supports democracy, and is taking a multi-tiered approach to protect the integrity of the election. Our ‘poll protectors’ will be so effective you won’t even notice them.”
However, there is no truth to the above story. While the story does use actual correct names of generals and newspapers, the entire story is satire built off of the U.S. investigation into the possible involvement of Russia in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The story goes:
The Washington Post reports hackers working for the Russian government accessed the Democratic National Committee’s computer system, stealing oppositional research on future President Donald Trump and viewing staffers’ emails and chat exchanges.
Putin told Bloomberg News that he and the Russian government have no ties to the hackers. President Barack Obama issued an executive order with sanctions against Russia. CNN reported that Russia-linked Facebook ads were geographically targeted to reach Michigan and Wisconsin residents.
Here are some examples of people sharing the satirical news on social media.
Russian Generals optimistic for free and open US elections https://t.co/prYarjGr8G via @duffelblog
— Rudyard Reads (@rudreads) March 23, 2018
Russian Generals optimistic for free and open US elections — Duffel Blog https://t.co/oKd9p4FTos via @DuffelBlog
— Alexander Levine (@ajlevine4) March 23, 2018
Russian Generals optimistic for free and open US elections https://t.co/3drAnEXZQm via @duffelblog
— Jim Starowicz (@jimstaro) March 21, 2018
Russian Generals optimistic for free and open US elections https://t.co/Z18lNY6o98 #fun #feedly
— Michaelas Confoy 🍔🍔 (@mikelotus) March 21, 2018
Finally, and most importantly, Duffel Bag carries the following disclaimer:
Duffel Blog is a parody of a news organization, and all content it publishes is satirical in nature. No content should be regarded as truthful, and no reference of an individual, company, or military unit seeks to inflict malice or emotional harm. All characters, groups, and military units appearing in these works are fictitious.
What did you think of the satirical news that Putin and Russian generals are being optimistic that there will be free and open elections in the United States? Did you believe the satirical news or see people sharing it on social media? Let us know in the comments section.
Photo Credit: Source
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