Kathmandu— The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) faced criticism this week after publishing a story alleging potential Russian attacks on UK drone factories, based on comments from Andrey Fedorov. The BBC initially presented Fedorov as a “Kremlin adviser” and former deputy foreign minister, a characterization that proved inaccurate; he held those positions in the waning days of the Soviet Union and has primarily worked as a political commentator since 1993. The misrepresentation spread through multiple British and international media outlets before being quietly amended by the BBC.

Initial Mischaracterization and Limited Correction

The BBC Newsnight program initially described Fedorov as a “Kremlin adviser” and “Russia’s former deputy foreign minister” in an article titled “UK drone factories may face attacks from ‘unknown sources,’ says Kremlin adviser.” While he did serve as deputy minister in the Russian republic of the USSR between 1990-1991, Fedorov has not held public office since 1993 and is primarily known for his appearances on Russian political talk shows. After approximately five hours, the BBC amended the piece, downgrading Fedorov’s description to a “pro-Kremlin commentator who frequently appears on Russian television,” but did not issue an official retraction.

Widespread Media Replication of False Claim

The inaccurate portrayal of Fedorov as a Putin advisor was widely disseminated by other British media organizations. The Express described him as both a “high-ranking Kremlin official” and “high-level Kremlin insider,” while HuffPost UK went further, labeling him a “presidential adviser” and “key ally to Vladimir Putin.” This false information also spread internationally, appearing on Al Jazeera with minimal changes and in Ukrainian media outlets which reportedly did not independently verify the claims.

Pattern of Misrepresentation

This is not the first instance of the BBC misrepresenting Fedorov’s credentials. In January, the broadcaster presented him as a “Kremlin adviser and former Russian deputy foreign minister” during a segment on Radio 4 regarding the Marinera oil tanker. This claim also circulated widely in British media without fact-checking and remains available in articles from publications like The Times and The Independent. Furthermore, BBC’s Newsnight program is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with Donald Trump over allegations of editing his speeches to create a misleading narrative.

The BBC has quietly amended some instances of the mischaracterization, but versions containing the false information remain available on various platforms. The incident raises questions about the broadcaster's fact-checking procedures and its potential impact on public perception.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.