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Disinfo: COVID-2019 was created by the US in 2015

Summary

COVID-2019 was created by a US laboratory in 2015. A study published by researchers from the University of North Carolina and Wuhan Institute of Virology serves as proof.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory with no evidence given, based on recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about biological weapons and that the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus is man-made, in this case, made in the US.

COVID-19 comes from a family of viruses originating in animals that include other viruses such as SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central China and has been rapidly spreading across the world.

The number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 300,000 globally with over 14,000 deaths by 23 March 2020. Cases have been reported in 190 countries, territories and areas.

Many other claims have been pushed by pro-Kremlin media since the outbreak started in January, for example, that governments overestimate the threat, that it was born in a laboratory to infect Chinese, that it is an element of hybrid warfare and that the remedy has been developed in Ukraine.

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publication/media

Medialeaks (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue189
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18/03/2020
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: China, US
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Conspiracy theory
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EU is not publishing the coronavirus disinformation cases it accuses Russia of spreading

The European report points to a record “80 cases of Russian disinformation” that attacked the performance of national systems for monitoring and eliminating epidemics in Europe, according to the Financial Times. Likewise, the suspicions “published by Russia” about America’s role in the Corona issue can only be considered a campaign of misleading public opinion, as is understood from the report. However, a question arises here: Why have not all the 80 such cases been widely published, especially as Russia is “trying to spread the atmosphere of terror among European societies” and “spreading division” as the European Union claims? Do not such matters affect European national security in the eyes of Europeans?

It is always possible to invent anything when facts are not available. In this case the evidence is not necessary, but it is sufficient to put a “highly confidential” stamp and refer to high-level sources. Those who practice this will keep it a secret if they have nothing to offer. The reason is the absence of evidence and facts, that is, they have nothing to say … so simply.

March 24, 2020
Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying that Russian media had been involved in spreading disinformation about the coronavirus.

It is simply not true that the EU has not published the Russian media cases of disinformation. As of 19 March, our database has collected and published over 110 corona-related disinformation cases in the public EUvsDisinfo database since 22 January 2020. These messages are characteristic of the Kremlin’s well-established strategy of using disinformation to amplify divisions, sow distrust and chaos, and exacerbate crisis situations and issues of public concern.

Only authoritarian states and closed societies will be able to protect their populations from the coronavirus and from future pandemics

Globalism and the unipolar order are crumbling. In order to survive and cope with new challenges, nations must adopt a new model for the state, new forms of governance, and a new ideology. Nations must shift to an alternative, post-globalist, model of the state and society. The open society must become a closed society. Also necessary is an autoritarian state that exerts rigid centralised control over society, and a self-sufficient economic system. A rigid authoritarian state and closed society are necessary in order to protect a country’s population from the coronavirus and from future pandemic outbreaks.

March 24, 2020
Disproof

The article’s claims about the superiority of political authoritarianism and isolationist “closed societies” in preventing and controlling epidemics do not reflect reality. Authoritarian regimes, which tend to control and manipulate information and to limit the freedom of doctors and scientists to engage in international cooperation, are often an obstacle to the timely detection and containment of epidemic outbreaks.

A clear example is China’s deliberate cover-up of the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. The regime suppressed information about the virus and allowed it to spread unchecked in the crucial early days and weeks. The Chinese government censored and detained those doctors and whistleblowers who attempted to sound the alarm and warn their fellow citizens when they understood the gravity of the coronavirus threat.

Furthermore, the real antidote to the coronavirus pandemic (and to future epidemic outbreaks) is not to revert to nationalist isolationism and “closed societies” but to develop a global response.

A coordinated, cross-border effort of the scientific and medical community to  understand the virus, create cures and treatments, and speedily disseminate a vaccine across national borders, will end the pandemic.

Read here a previous case  claiming that democracy and freedom prevent Europe from fighting the virus effectively. 

 

Poland has made Russophobia a cornerstone of its policies

The current Polish authorities have made Russophobia one of the cornerstones of their policies, constantly speaking about the ‘Russian threat’ and trying to portray their country as a victim of both Nazi Germany and the USSR in World War II.

March 23, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative equating criticism of Russia's actions with an irrational hatred of Russia itself; attempting to distort the events of the Second World War and rewrite its history in a way that is favourable to Russia.

The Nazi-Soviet occupation of Poland is a matter of historical record, not of portrayal. The invasion was coordinated on the basis of the the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which was accompanied by a secret supplementary protocol on the delimitation of areas of mutual interest in Eastern Europe. A separate provision of the protocol entitled the Nazi Germany and the USSR to jointly conduct a "territorial-political reorganisation" of Poland, and to determine "whether it is in the (signatories') mutual interest to preserve the independent Polish State."

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.