Disinfo: Coronavirus could have originated from Latvia

Recurring conspiracy theories that echo pro-Kremlin disinformation about coronavirus. The narratives also resemble a recurring conspiracy theory about the Lugar Lab in Georgia. There is no evidence that SARS, MERS, or avian influenzas were created in laboratories. The current coronavirus (2019-nCoV) comes from a family of viruses that include other viruses such as SARS and MERS. The identity of the animal source of the coronavirus, named nCoV-2019, has been one of the key questions for researchers. Coronaviruses are known to circulate in mammals and birds, and scientists have already suggested that nCoV-2019 originally came from bats. One of the previous coronaviruses that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, spread from bats to civet cats to humans. A group of 27 prominent public health scientists have condemned rumours and conspiracy theories about the origin of coronavirus outbreak. "We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.The authors of The Lancet statement note that scientists from several countries who have studied SARS-CoV-2 “overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated in wildlife, just like many other viruses that have recently emerged in humans. Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumours and prejudice that jeopardise our global collaboration in the fight against this virus, the statement says.

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that NATO is encircling Russia and that US-led military exercises, Cold Response and Defender-Europe 2020, are directed against Russia. Find similar cases here. Cold Response 2020 is a Norwegian-led military exercise in northern Norway and not directed against Russia. Norway is a leading nation in NATO when it comes to cold weather operations, and has extensive experience in this field. This makes Norway a natural and experienced host for winter exercises such as Cold Response. The main aim of the exercise is to secure the Norwegian Armed Forces and allies' ability to conduct multinational joint exercises with a high-intensity combat scenario in demanding winter conditions. The exercise is now being terminated, due to the ongoing coronavirus situation in Norway. Defender Europe 2020 is not aimed against Russia and is defensive in nature. NATO’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg affirmed that it is not directed against any particular country. Its purpose is to practice the rapid deployment of large-scale forces across the Atlantic into Europe, demonstrating the US military’s ability to quickly send a massive contingent to support NATO and respond to any crisis. In response to the current outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and recent guidance by the United States Secretary of Defence, the exercise has been modified in size and scope. You can see other examples of disinformation about NATO in our database, such as its never-ending provocations, its attempts to block Moscow in its sphere of influence, the Alliance's permanent targeting of Russia and Belarus, its role as a US subjugation tool for other countries and its unreliability to defend its members or its plans to continue attacking other countries, and that Defender 2020 is for testing options for invading the Kaliningrad region.