Disinfo: Due to coronavirus, Italy is on the brink of default, many European states will likely cease to exist

Summary

The course of events in the next months can change Europe’s political map. Many European countries will likely not get through it, they will merge with bigger ones. Total economic downturns point at their absolute incapability to deal with the crisis. Italy is on the brink of default, and nobody can help it. The EU just does not possess enough money for saving the Italian economy. Everyone will care about himself in the first place. The situation is dramatic, similar events took place in the 1910s, 1920s, 1940s.

Disproof

This message paints a far-reaching gloomy economic and political scenario which is consistent with a common pro-Kremlin narrative about the EU's imminent collapse. Whereas the economic consequences of coronavirus outbreak for Italy are indeed grave and a sharp economic slowdown is expected, it will not inevitably face default as alleged. At present, no EU country has a credit rating low enough to justify that claim. The EU as a whole enjoys a very high credit rating. Before the coronavirus outbreak it was rated AAA/Aaa/AAA/AAA (outlook stable) by Fitch, Moody’s, DBRS and Scope and AA (outlook stable) by Standard & Poor’s. See earlier disinformation cases alleging that the coronavirus puts EU’s existence into question, that Italy, Spain, Portugal, and possibly even France are in line to exit the EU, that a number of EU countries teeter on the brink of default, and that the EU is rotten and countries are leaving it.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 190
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Italy
  • Keywords: coronavirus, EU disintegration, European Union, Economic difficulties, Conspiracy theory
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Disinfo: The coronavirus outbreak is a magnificent example of global brainwashing

The wicked social control experiment using virus as the pretext for further enslavement is performing magnificently by implanting a sense of helplessness, dependence, and blind conformism. It should be noted that the favorable atmosphere enabling Them (whoever they are) to accomplish just that was contrived by the controlled and unscrupulous media in under a month of intense, coordinated, global brainwashing.

Disproof

An unfounded conspiracy theory, sharing a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about "secret elites" controlling world leaders. See related pro-Kremlin disinformation cases about the coronavirus.

Disinfo: The US ambassador was evacuated from Moldova

Diplomats from the US embassy in Moldova and the citizens of the United States were evacuated. More than that, the US Ambassador to Moldova, Dereck Hogan, went overseas on March 16, one day before the state of emergency was announced. Did he know anything?

Disproof

This is a false claim that capitalises on the coronavirus pandemic to spread a conspiracy theory about the US and specifically the US ambassador to Moldova. Spreading conspiracy theories about US in context of the coronavirus has emerged as a recurring theme in the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign around the outbreak. After speculation emerged that Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan was leaving the country, the US Embassy published the following statement on its Facebook page: "The United States Embassy in Chisinau continues to operate. Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan and the Embassy's American and Moldovan staff members remain in Chisinau, working to maintain the strong bilateral relationship the United States and Moldova have enjoyed for years."

Disinfo: US created the Coronavirus in 2015 and named it SHC014

A report published by the American magazine “Nature”, known for its seriousness, adds “insult to injury” regarding the COVID-19 Coronaviurs. The report published on the 12th of November 2015 states that US scientists created a hybrid version of a coronavirus for bats related with a virus that causes SARS, called “SHC014” in a laboratory.

Disproof

Conspiracy theory about the 2019-nCoV coronavirus.

There is no basis to the claim that 2019-nCoV coronavirus was man-made. Volume 9 medical Journal “Emerging Microbes & Infections” published a study in 2020 entitled “No credible evidence supporting claims of the laboratory engineering of SARS-CoV-2” in which rumours about the epidemic being constructed inside laboratories are clearly dismissed. Regarding the 2015 study mentioned in the article, this is also addressed in the medical Journal as follows: