Media
In the propaganda war against the will
The Russian TV accuses the ZDF, testimony in a Putin-documentary manipulated to have. The Mainzer transmitter DISCLAIMED and there are small manufacturing defects. The incident is a puzzle.
“We do not want a propaganda war,” says Robert Bachem. The head of ZDFinfo, society, and life repeated this sentence in a DW interview several times. It looks as if the Mainzer transmitter in an information war drawn from Russia.
For weeks employ Bachem serious accusations from Moscow. 15. December shone the ZDF a documentary with the title “person of Putin”. It was a critical Film, but hardly any new facts contained. Five days later, accused the state broadcaster Rossija-1, ZDF fake. A Russian guy from Kaliningrad, in the Film, as a volunteer fighters for the separatists in Eastern Ukraine will be presented, DISCLAIMED his statements. He was from the German stations have been paid to a wrong story to tell. While the ZDF, the 27-Year-old pixelated and under the fictitious name “Igor” had introduced, gave the Russians his true identity known: Yuri Labyskin.
Controversial Witness: Juri Labyskin
The ZDF rejected the allegations of fraud back. “We lie or cheat,” said Bachem. The question is: Fought Labyskin in Eastern Ukraine or not? The Sender believes till this day that he did. “The allegations are baseless,” said Dietmar Schumann, ZDF-author and former Russia correspondent, in an interview with DW. He had in the summer of 2015 in Moscow in an Interview with Labyskin.
Questions to the Producer
However, some questions remain open. So would the people of Mainz like to know, what is the role of Producer Valery Bobkow plays, the Labyskin found and with him in the East of Ukraine has turned. The ZDF was surprised, as Rossija-1 shoots from Labyskin radiated to the Mainzer transmitter part had not. Bobkow told the ZDF, he had Labyskin as a reminder. “He couldn’t,” says Bachem.
The 59-year-old Bobkow is since decades in the business and operates in Moscow, a movie Studio. On his website, he presents big names as clients, including CNN, BBC, Arte and the ZDF. Bobkow describes himself as someone who “exclusive images in hard-to-reach and gefahrenreichen zones” can get. Some of the German journalists in Moscow say he had a controversial reputation. Scandals with Bobkow were so far unknown. “We have many good experiences with him,” says Schumann. The Producer was now out of “fear of persecution by the Russian secret service FSB in stealth. A DW request let Bobkow unanswered.
A action of the secret service?
The speed with which the Russian television is a “counterpart” produced, explains Schumann: “It is clearly a targeted action against the ZDF have been, that goes without the secret service is not.” His transmitter had openly worked and the Russian authorities were informed to have been, what’s the movie you make. The author believes, Labyskin was from the FSB “turned around”.
In fact, Labyskin, in September 2015 by the FSB have been detained. You have him with a sentence of imprisonment for treason threatened, said the Russian in an Interview for the Bonn journal Journalist. The Reporter Moritz Gathmann and Maxim Kireev presented in the February issue of your Research results. Labyskin told them that he had not in the East of Ukraine fought. You tend to believe him and suspect that the ZDF is his Producer there has been. Solid evidence you have not.
On the search for pieces of evidence
Robert Bachem: “If Labyskin is lying, he is a fine actor”
Who find out the truth like, you can only to a limited degree on witness leave. It is hard to imagine that people in Russia or the Ukrainian Separatistengebieten reports Russian media expose would be, without having to risk their lives. A commander in Donetsk DISCLAIMED to DW demand that Labyskin fought there. But can you trust him? It is to circumstantial evidence to rely.
After the accusations from Russia presented the ZDF full Interview with Labyskin into the net. His statements are authentic. “If he is lying, he is a fine actor,” says Bachem.
And yet, throw in some passages of the Interview questions. So says Labyskin, that he first, between may and July 2014 in the Eastern Ukraine had been in the battalion “Sparta” in Donetsk. This battalion was but not until later in the summer, well-known and has a reputation, that there are very die-hard separatists are fighting. It seems unusual that the battalion Labyskin, because Labyskin told ZDF that he had not in the Russian army served. On the other side was the early summer of 2014, the time when the separatists actively seeking volunteers fighters were looking for.
Contradictions between the Film and the Interview
In some Places there is in later from the ZDF online published an Interview with Labyskin contradictions to the movie. In the documentary it is said that he wrote about “a recruiting station for Volunteers, according to Russian authorities do not even exist” the way in the East of Ukraine found. Shown is a rallying point of the Russian army in the Kaliningrad region. In the Interview, says Labyskin but, a friend gave him contacts in Moscow worried. Russia does not dispute that its volunteers in the East of Ukraine fighting. In most cases, however, through unofficial channels directed there. Schumann sees no contradiction. Labyskin have according to the Producer Bobkow first to the recruiting station and only then when you have a Known demand. The ZDF-author, however, that this Text is “not so clear” was: “you must self-critically admit”.
Also in the Film tells Labyskin have “wife and child left behind” to go into the war. From the Interview suggest, however, that there seemed to be a child in Donetsk and not in Kaliningrad. “That is linguistically, textually not so correct been reproduced,” admits Schumann.
Image with real commander
Notes, which are but for a stay Labyskins as fighters in the Eastern Ukraine speak, in his profile on VKontakte, the Russian counterpart to Facebook. A photo shows Labyskin together with a bearded man in Uniform. It was on 27. June 2015 will be uploaded. When and where it was taken is unclear. The picture was possibly subsequently digitally cleaned up. The bearded man looks very similar to a certain Roman, Kampfname “Georgians”, a real commander in the Separatistenbrigade “Vostok” in Donetsk. This “Georgian” according to ZDF, the supervisors of Labyskin have been. Moreover, this and other photos from Labyskin of a certain Ewgeni T. with “I like” marks. He is also a well-known Separatistenkämpfer.
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Finally, it is unclear why Producer Bobkow the ZDF would have to cheat and be a lucrative business with Western broadcasters risk. Why a separatists invent and to make him costly for a fake Interview training, if it is in Russia now official associations of the Freiwilligenkämpfer in Eastern Ukraine?
Informants to better protect
Even if the “case Labyskin” is not yet complete, take stock. The ZDF have technical mistakes made and was for the Russian Propaganda exploited have been, say, some German Jornalisten, the Russia know well. Robert Bachem wants to continue in “reasonable reports” and not by the Russian accusations can be provoked: “We have no feud with Putin.”
One would like the ZDF-head differently in future to make his informants to better protect and been “in contact more careful”. He had a development as in the case Labyskin not expect.