DISINFO: Political scandal in Austria was a CIA operation to stop the construction of NordStream 2
SUMMARY
The political scandal in Austria was in fact an operation by the CIA to deliver a blow to the forces that were positive about political and economic cooperation with Russia. It is a part of a larger task, set by President Trump, to stop the construction on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory, consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about political scandal in Austria, Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and US presence in Europe. There is no evidence of Strache-affair being part of a CIA operation, nor any ground to claim that political events in Austria were related to the construction of Nord Stream 2. Both German magazine Der Spiegel and newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung have been open about their investigation. According to the media outlets, they obtained the video footage in May 2019 and published it after verifying its authenticity. The media has not disclosed who provided the video in order to protect their sources. Pro-Kremlin media has spread multiple contradicting messages about the source of the video, without giving any evidence to back their claims.