"Bill Gates Wants to Depopulate the Planet" - this claim is an example of a "Straw Man". A straw man is a rhetorical trick, used in polemical debate. You attack your opponent, refuting arguments, views or ideas never expressed by the opponent. This means of argumentation is frequently at play by pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets.
As the world cautiously begins to adjust to the new realities of post-quarantine life, the pro-Kremlin media is adjusting as well – and returning to familiar territory.
In the reality of COVID-19, more and more Russian journalists denounce disinformation. Now glasnost-era veteran Vladimir Pozner joins the critics.
Sputnik Srbija emphasises division in the Western Balkans, presenting pro-Western forces as ‘weak’ and ‘corrupt’, aiming to subordinate their neighbours.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets have employed Satan to prop up their efforts on disinformation. We can see frequent cases of referrals to “The Number of the Beast: 666” and various other symbols, associated with evil forces.
Belarus’ defiant attitude towards the COVID-19 outbreak has caught the world’s attention. A particular Belarusian brand of disinformation involves the claim that the Belarusian opposition deliberately and on instructions from "The West" is attempting to spread the virus.
In line with the previous EEAS Special Reports and based on publicly available information, this edition gives an overview of recent developments around COVID-19 related disinformation.
Bill Gates-bashing is back in the COVID-19 narrative on Russian state-controlled TV, paired with anti-vaccine messaging.
494 coronavirus-related cases spreading disinformation and collected at EUvsDisinfo database received 1,152,270 likes, shares and comments on different social media platforms.
As COVID-19 spread across the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood, conspiracy theories, misleading information and disinformation followed in its wake.
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to monopolise public life around the world, conspiracy theories about the virus continue to gather steam – and pro-Kremlin media are eager to jump on the bandwagon.
As the world cautiously begins to adjust to the new realities of post-quarantine life, the pro-Kremlin media is adjusting as well – and returning to familiar territory.
494 coronavirus-related cases spreading disinformation and collected at EUvsDisinfo database received 1,152,270 likes, shares and comments on different social media platforms.
