Russian media outlets linked to British state conjure up false story blaming RT for Amnesty’s downgrading of Navalny’s status

Within hours, the news outlet Mediazona, founded by members of the Pussy Riot punk collective, published an extraordinary exclusive, duly translated by Latvia-based website Meduza. It claimed Amnesty’s decision wasn’t influenced by Navalny’s past statements and refusal to repudiate them, but in fact resulted from a sinister Kremlin-orchestrated “campaign.”It’s certainly been a highly effective deflection operation, with far bigger outlets – such as British state broadcaster the BBC – uncritically regurgitating the outlandish charge.