Gotcha: How the BBC falsely presented a pundit as ‘Kremlin adviser’ to peddle Russia threat

The broadcaster has misrepresented a Russian political commentator as a senior official to apparently bolster his claims about allegedly looming attacks on UK drone plants The British state broadcaster BBC this week ran a major story drumming up the alleged Russia threat and supposed looming retaliatory attacks on British drone factories supplying Ukraine. The chilly warning purportedly came from a top Russian official – except that the individual in question has not been one in over three decades.At first glance, the piece titled “UK drone factories may face attacks from ‘unknown sources,’ says Kremlin adviser” looked legit, based on comments made on BBC Newsnight by Andrey Fedorov. The broadcaster presented the interviewee as a heavyweight Russian official, describing him as a “Kremlin adviser” and “Russia’s former deputy foreign minister.”The latter is partially true: Fedorov was the deputy minister in the RSFSR, the Russian republic of the USSR, between October 1990 and October 1991 prior to the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union. The other claim, however, is completely false. Fedorov used to be an adviser to Russia’s vice president until late 1993, the same year the vice p...