The Sverdlovsk regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs called the publication about looting in the tornado-stricken Kushva a fake.

      The official representative of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region, Valery Gorelykh, called the information about alleged facts of looting in the disaster-affected city of Kushva a "duck." The news was spread the day before by the online resource Ural Mash, he clarified.

      “Information from ‘Ural Mash’ that ‘looters are operating’ in the territory of Kushva, which was affected by the hurricane, is not true. This is an outright provocation and self-promotion on the misfortune of the Ural residents,” said the head of the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Sverdlovsk region, Valery Gorelykh. “Such ‘sensations’ mislead the public and journalists, and can also serve as a reason for panic among citizens and discredit the authorities.”

      “Since the moment of the sudden natural disaster until now, not a single statement has been received by the territorial police department regarding facts of looting.

      I was officially assured of this by the leadership of the Kushva police department. Any self-respecting blogger or media representative is obliged to verify the published materials with the relevant agencies for their truthfulness,” commented Colonel Gorelykh on the fake news. Police units are patrolling the streets of the municipality around the clock, noted the official representative of the main department.