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We investigate corruption, uncover fake news and analyze the news agenda. The BIC is a member of the global network of investigative journalists.

Our journalists are the recipients of the national award “Free Word” from the Association of Journalists of Belarus in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. At "Free Word" 2021 BIC’s team also received first place for Analytics

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Antifake / Factcheck

01 жніўня

Azarenjk Falsely Claims Collapse of German Industry, Shows Unrelated Graph

The Weekly Top Fake team investigated the details of the alleged collapse of the German industry.

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Fake appearance date: 22.07.2024
While the Belarusian industry was receiving praise from Alexander Lukashenko for its good performance, the German industry was on the verge of collapse, Belarusian state media personality, Grigory Azarenok, claimed. He backed up his statement with a graph. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated the details of the alleged collapse of the German industry.

On June 22, 2024, Grigoriy Azaryonak reported on the serious problems in the German industrial sector on the air of his TV show “Azarenok. Napryamuyu”.

“We've prepared a good graphic on this matter. Here it is. This is the German industry. Who is the global industrial leader? Deutschland, Germany. So what? This is the last 1.5–2 years. Ongoing decline. Look at how the German industry has collapsed,” the host said.

The graph, which was supposed to prove the collapse of the German industry, turned out to be a chart depicting the drop in the stock price of the German battery manufacturer Varta. The company is currently facing bankruptcy, as it failed to withstand the competition from Asian producers, among other factors.

Nevertheless, German industrial production did decline by almost 7% in 2024. Germany is facing challenges in maintaining its competitive edge against China and the United States.