Disinfo: Coronavirus could have been created in a Ukrainian laboratory

Recurrent Kremlin-led conspiracy theory not supported by any evidence. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine denies all these claims. On the contrary, in Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Defence’s Biological Threat Reduction Programme works with the Ukrainian Government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development. "We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats", the US Embassy stated. There are numerous similar disinformation cases about coronavirus claiming that it was created in a laboratory, or that it is an Anglo-Saxon biological warning: originates in US labs, is a US provocation against China, a tool to weaken the Chinese economy, an attempt by the Anglo-Saxons to control China.

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi and Russophobic Ukraine. The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. Far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself and had poor results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. The "Right Sector" candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections. In the 2019 election cycle, far-right candidates fell short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament. Likewise, Ukraine is not a Russophobic country as often claimed by the Kremlin media. It had to react to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. However, Ukraine has not forbidden contact between citizens of Ukraine and Russia, as well as sports, cultural, scientific or other exchanges. The borders with Russia are open. There are still direct bus and train connections with Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. Read similar cases alleging that after Maidan, Ukraine was ruled by the Nazis, Nazis are in power in Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities introduce Nazi laws to oppress Russian speakers, and Ukraine is a Neo-Nazi state.