“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics

Share

Contents

There is a YouTube channel called “Redacted” where blogger Clayton Morris shares his thoughts on international politics and vaccines. He stands out for his unique anti-Ukrainian position and absurd theses.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

Clayton Morris is a host for Redacted Youtube Channel

In 15 minutes of the video, he managed to say a lot of absurd things that have nothing to do with facts. Twisting the truth cannot be called an objective opinion. We will tell you what is wrong with this pseudo-journalist on the example of one of his articles.

 

NATO gives obsolete and unusable equipment to Ukraine

Quote: “Getting a fraction of that, the US is going to send like 31 Abrams tanks and not even for many months by the time they get there. Poland is sending some junky old Leopard tanks that they bought second-rate. Portugal is sending tanks that haven’t been working since the 1970s”.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

Oleksandr Yaroschuk – analyst and fact checker in “Stopfake” media

We consulted with an expert on countering disinformation, an analyst, and Fact Checker in media “Stopfake”, Oleksandr Yaroshchuk. He reported the following:

“In fact, Poland will hand over to Ukraine some of the best tanks that are in service with the Polish army. Both the Leopard 2 and the PT-91 Twardy are upgraded ready-to-use tanks.  These are modern tanks that will give the Ukrainian army a qualitative advantage over the Russian tanks of the 60s and 70s, which Russia removed from storage bases after decommissioning them more than 10 years ago due to their technical obsolescence”.

Also, Yaroshchuk added that “the US will transfer Abrams tanks to Ukraine later… Ukraine will be able to get all Abrams by mid to late summer”.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

The West supplies Ukraine with powerful and modern weapons. In the photo German Infantry fighting vehicle Marder 1A5A1. Source: https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/rheinmetall_ag/press/pressefotos/index.php

It is not known what facts the American blogger relied on when he called NATO weapons obsolete.

The theory was also voiced in the video that Germany is not transferring Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine because it does not have them. Oleksandr denied this lie.

“Actually, Germany decided to provide Ukraine with Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks, which are in the Bundeswehr and in warehouses. Germany will also transfer some of its best IFV Marder. Last year, Germany handed Ukraine one of the best self-propelled artillery systems in the world, the PzH 2000, as well as the latest air defense system, IRIS-T, which has already shot down more than a dozen Russian missiles.”

 

NATO uses Ukraine as a testing ground for its own weapons

Quote: “U.S. just sending the Apache combat helicopters. Apache combat helicopters just arrived in Poland. Here they are getting unpacked, going over our flight checklist. Here, we’re going to make sure they’re all ready to go. So, all of our new Apache attack helicopters in Poland are ready for launch. Poland is ordering 100 of these from the U.S. Where will they use it?  What’s next door to them that they could use as a training ground. I wonder, Ukraine is turning into a great testing ground for weapons”.

In particular, Clayton Morris emphasized the fact that Great Britain (Boris Johnson) manipulates the Ukrainian president and prevents him from ending the war with a peaceful solution. This is done, as it were, in order for the war to drag on for a long time and for NATO to be able to test all its weapons.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

British self-propelled gun AS-90. Source: shorturl.at/HOQX6

In fact, this is not the case. None of the Western countries use Ukraine as a weapons testing ground. Ukraine receives those types of weapons that have passed all the tests and are in service with the countries that help it. The weapons are provided for the purpose of protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression.

“In general, the narrative that “the West is using Ukraine as a training ground” is very common among pro-Kremlin media and bloggers. So, they try to reduce the importance of the aid that Ukraine receives from partners and convince their own audience that Russia is acting humanely, helping Ukraine to get rid of Western influence, and not the other way around”, — Oleksandr Yaroshchuk.

Britain is one of Ukraine’s key partners. The latest British aid package will include the best British artillery installations — the AS90 self-propelled guns and the main battle tank of the British army — the Challenger 2.

No one manipulates the decisions of the Ukrainian authorities. All its actions are carried out in the interests of protecting the sovereignty of the state and improving the living conditions of Ukrainians.

 

NATO provokes Russia to aggressive actions in order to enter into a war with it

Quote: “Last week, Russia warned that the leaders of NATO have come close to the Red Line and are deliberately working to escalate the military confrontations in Ukraine. So it’s not Russia that’s escalating this red line, it’s NATO doing this. Russia Deputy Envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) warned that Europe and NATO is on a direct path to a full-blown military conflict in Europe, he said”.

This quote was his reaction to the interview of the Head of NATO strategic Council Admiral Rob Bauer for the publication “RTP Noticias”. In this video, he found “confirmation” for his theses about the lack of stockpiles of weapons in NATO. He also twisted Bauer’s words about the Red Line and “turning civilian factories into war”, thereby portraying NATO as an aggressor.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

Robert Peter Bauer, Dutch lieutenant admiral in the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee since June 2021. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Bauer#/media/File:Rob_Bauer.jpg

Let’s start with the fact that NATO is a defense alliance. Currently, Russia has not declared war on NATO and has not used armed forces against the countries of the Alliance. If this happens, NATO must invoke Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. The Head of NATO strategic Council Admiral spoke about this Red Line in his interview.

Instead, NATO and special member states of the alliance support Ukraine in its right to self-defense in accordance with Art. 51 of the UN Charter. However, he is not going to enter the war arbitrarily, but only helps with weapons and ammunition. 

“I think what we have done after the war started, was battle groups along the Eastern flank. We have 4 in the North (Three Baltic States and Poland)… That is an important message for the Russians that the poster has changed to show them – we are ready, if they would have an idea to come to NATO and there is the Red Line”, — told Rob Bauer.

It is interesting how pseudo-journalist Clayton Morris interpreted Bauer’s words. In his opinion, the Council Admiral said that NATO has no stockpiles of weapons, so it wants to convert all civilian factories into military ones. This is a lie, because the part of the conversation he inserted into his video said the following:

“We need to increase production in the defense industry. But it also requires some prioritization in terms of curtain war materials, curtain war facilities that are required for defense production instead of for civilian production”.

That is, NATO has its weapons, but due to the constant need for new equipment in Ukraine, it must regularly replenish its warehouses and produce weapons. It is logical that in the course of hostilities, equipment is damaged or destroyed. So the reserves must be constantly updated, because of this, the allied countries should prioritize military production. No one said about the transformation of all civilian factories into military ones — this is just a blogger’s manipulation of his viewers.

 

Did Ukraine shell a hospital in Donbas from HIMARS?

Of course not. This is another pro-Russian fake that we will talk about.

It was very clever to show a photo of a broken building in your video without citing the sources. However, we know how to use Google and found the source of this photo on our “favorite” Russian publication, “TASS”. It, in turn, was sent to the telegram channel of the so-called authorities of the so-called “LPR” (Luhansk People’s Republic).

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

The destruction that pro-Russian channels give out as shelling by Ukraine

According to their information, on January 28, 2023 Ukraine fired at a medical facility and 6 buildings in the city of Novoaidar (the so-called “LPR”) from the HIMARS system. As a result, 14 people died and another 24 were injured of varying degrees of severity. As proof, the Russians published photos of the wreckage of the HIMARS missiles and where they fell. You don’t need to be an expert to see that the photo is a collection of scraps that are too embarrassing to show to a military expert for analysis.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

Allegedly, these are the remains of the HIMARS rocket. Source: telegram channel so-called “LPR”.

The place where the projectile fell also does not look convincing. For example, in the publication on January 30, 2023 on the same channel, already about the attack by HIMARS missiles in the city of Alchevsk, the place of impact looks much larger. How can this be? Not known.

Nowhere except the Russian media did they write about this “striking”. Probably because it’s a very obvious fake.

 

“The funniest reporter in New York” and his wife

The YouTube channel “Redacted” belongs to Clayton and Natalie Morris. On it, they express their opinions about international and ordinary politics, and also speak out against vaccination.

“Zelensky will destroy Ukraine”: how YouTube blogger Clayton Morris sells pseudo-analytics, The Ukrainian Review

Channel topics: pro-Russian narratives, anti-Ukrainism and anti-vaccination

Clayton Morris is an American real estate investor and former television news anchor (Fox News). He is also host of the Investing in Real Estate podcast along with YouTube channel Redacted. In 2012, Morris won the seventh annual “New York’s Funniest Reporter” contest, which benefits the Humane Society of New York. And when he started investing, he ended up facing more than 20 fraud lawsuits.

Fox News – is an American cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owned by the Fox Corporation. Fox News provides a service to 86 countries and territories, with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during advertising breaks.

Natali Terese Morris — is an American online media personality and co-founder of Morris Invest, a real estate investment company. She was formerly a technology news journalist with CNET and CBS. Her journalistic activity before the creation of Redacted had nothing to do with political topics.

This is how they themselves describe their work:

“In Redacted, Clayton and his wife Natali take an in-depth look at the legal, social, financial, and personal issues that matter to you. They want to set the record straight and bring you the stories nobody else is telling. Along with the facts and the full picture, Redacted offers real-world analysis without an agency driven by corporate overloads. With Clayton’s extensive journalism experience, he isn’t afraid to demand the truth from authorities”. 

Indeed, New York’s funniest reporter did an excellent job of broadcasting absurdity to the masses. The objectivity that he and his wife try to tell others about is manipulation and lies based on pro-Russian narratives.

 

Tatiana Stelmakh