I was surprised to find in the popular Egyptian English-language newspaper “Daily News Egypt” an article by a British “expert” Stephen Hall under the title: “Ukraine war: inside the web of Russia’s warring intelligence agencies”. The article contains insinuations and insulting remarks about the Russian leadership.
Of course, one cannot question the Egyptian publishers’ ability to print independent opinions in the “Commentaries” section and to present their readers different points of view. However, the problem is that Hall’s article does not actually contain the author’s assessments or arguments. In fact, it is a list of speculations, rumors and insinuations cherry-picked from social media and aimed at demonstrating the “paralysis of power” and “war of the secret services” that have allegedly engulfed Russia.
Today, such “conspiracy theory-style” fakes are being purposefully created and disseminated by Western propagandists to discredit our country and the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. Many of them have already been debunked or are so ridiculous and absurd that even the American and European media, which are hostile to us, do not take them seriously and hesitate to publish them.
There is absolutely no evidence proving S.Hall’s information on the resignations within the Russian security agencies. Anatoly Bolyukh, mentioned in the first paragraph as head of one of the departments of the Russian Federal Security Service, actually works in the state corporation “Rosgeologia”, which deals with mineral prospecting. Speculations about “tasters” and other imaginary “Kremlin secrets”, which the British professor believes he is an expert in, can only cause a smile.
It is deeply upsetting that such low-brow conspiracy is poured out under the guise of an expert opinion to the audience of a reputable Egyptian newspaper, which has always been famous for the high quality of its materials. This demonstrates the author’s clear disrespect for his readers, while the publisher itself is being blatantly used as a propaganda tool against Russia. One can only regret that the editorial board gave the “green light” to publish this nonsense.
The insulting remarks about the Russian President, which are conveyed in the article, permeate the entire text and culminate in the last paragraph, are completely far-fetched and absolutely unacceptable. The fact that a leading Egyptian newspaper allowed such personal insults to be published, even in the author’s section, is bewildering, especially given the strategic partnership and friendly relations between our countries, as well as the mutual understanding between the Presidents Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
I am sure that your readers have rightly estimated the true “value” of S. Hall’s “comment”. What he was really trying to do was wishful thinking. The Russian special operation in Ukraine is going strictly according to the initial plan and will be completed once its goals are accomplished. There is no disorganization in our public bodies. The entire state apparatus is working smoothly and consistently. Moreover, it is countering the anti-Russian campaign of the West, which, among other things, is undermining the global trade and financial system with its illegal sanctions, negatively impacting many countries, including Egypt.
We urge the editorial board of “Daily News Egypt” to be more careful and critical while considering the materials that Western propagandists are trying to push into the Egyptian press under the guise of serious analysis. For our part, we are ready to regularly update your esteemed readers on real information about what is happening in our country and Russia’s stance on international affairs. We are looking forward to continuing constructive cooperation.
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Arab Republic of Egypt
Georgiy Borisenko
Read: To our readers,
