Russia's objection to Dr. Yunus; Embassy says baseless

A false claim has recently surfaced on social media, alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Interim Government Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus for failing to submit a valid resignation letter from the Sheikh Hasina government to the United Nations. The rumor further suggests that China’s presidential parliament supported this alleged threat. However, the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh has dismissed these reports, stating that the claims about Russia’s objections to Yunus are entirely fake.

The claim was shared in multiple Facebook posts (1, 2, 3) sharing the same photo with the same caption. The caption reads, “#Eimatro_pawa_khobor # According to the news published by the Russian newspaper, Dr. Yunus, the chief advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh, could not submit the valid resignation letter of the Sheikh Hasina government to the United Nations. President Putin of Russia threatened not to go to the session, and President Putin’s threat was supported by the President’s Parliament of China and the President’s Parliament of India.”

The claim has also been shared on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by a different image that spreads the same false narrative.

Dismislab contacted the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh to verify the accuracy of the claims circulating on social media. Ms. Evgenia Konareva, the embassy’s press secretary, stated, “This is fake news.” She confirmed that the information of Russia objecting to Dr. Yunus joining the UN is false.

Following Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s appointment as Chief Advisor, the Russian ambassador extended congratulations to him on August 27. The Russian Embassy expressed its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and working in the spirit of cooperation between the two nations. It was also indicated that Moscow would support Dhaka in the international arena.