Exploiting Crisis and Denying Responsibility
While the world mourns America's suffering, the pro-Kremlin media is cynically exploiting the protests – pushing very different messages for audiences in the US and at home.
Figure of the Week: 23.2%
Almost one-fourth of Russians consider the COVID-19 pandemic a fiction.
The Malthusian Straw Men
"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.
Back to Basics: Ukraine, Revisionism, and Russophobia
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.
“Pure Manipulation of People”
In the reality of COVID-19, more and more Russian journalists denounce disinformation. Now glasnost-era veteran Vladimir Pozner joins the critics.
Sputnik Srbija Narratives Fuel East-West Division in Western Balkans, NATO STRATCOM Report Finds
Sputnik Srbija emphasises division in the Western Balkans, presenting pro-Western forces as ‘weak’ and ‘corrupt’, aiming to subordinate their neighbours.
Satan in the Service of Disinformation
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.
The Belarusian Approach to the Outbreak
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.
EEAS SPECIAL REPORT UPDATE: SHORT ASSESSMENT OF NARRATIVES AND DISINFORMATION AROUND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (UPDATE 23 APRIL – 18 MAY)
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.
"Not Funny at All"
Bill Gates-bashing is back in the COVID-19 narrative on Russian state-controlled TV, paired with anti-vaccine messaging.
Figure of the Week: 1,152,270
494 coronavirus-related cases spreading disinformation and collected at EUvsDisinfo database received 1,152,270 likes, shares and comments on different social media platforms.
CORONAVIRUS: COVERAGE
Disinformation Review
Exploiting Crisis and Denying Responsibility
While the world mourns America's suffering, the pro-Kremlin media is cynically exploiting the protests – pushing very different messages for audiences in the US and at home.
Figure of the Week
Figure of the Week: 23.2%
Almost one-fourth of Russians consider the COVID-19 pandemic a fiction.
