FACT CHECK: Russian Media Fabricate ‘Leak’ From U.S. Defense Contractor to Tarnish ‘Saint Javelin’

On August 10, Russian state media published reports claiming that the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon had admitted its Javelin anti-tank missiles were ineffective in the Ukraine war. Stories appeared in Vzglyad, UF.ru, AIF, Tsargrad, Evening Moscow, Business Gazeta and others trended on Yandex.ru.

The reports came as the United States announced a new round of military aid for Ukraine, worth $1 billion, that includes 1,000 Javelins and other high-tech weaponry and ammunition.

Russian disinformation has been trash talking the Western weapons flowing into Ukraine. What’s different this time is the claim that the U.S. manufacturer of Javelins, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, admitted that its weapons didn’t work.

These latest reports originated from an RT (Russia Today) “investigation,” headlined: “The fall of ‘Saint Javelin’: Why the Javelin has proven ineffective in Ukraine.”

RT claimed to have obtained internal Raytheon documents, and embedded in the piece three infographics, one marked with the “Raytheon Missile Systems” logo, that compare the technical characteristics of similar weapons systems, and argue they prove that Javelins are inferior.

Those claims are false. The infographics are not from Raytheon, and Ukraine has used Javelins to destroy Russia’s best tanks.

https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-russian-media-fabricate-leak-from-u-s-defense-contractor-to-tarnish-saint-javelin-/31985774.html

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