DISINFO: Europe’s fall continues and poverty is knocking at the door

A classic Kremlin narrative about 'the imminent collapse'.

While the data about a possible recession in the Eurozone quoted in this disinformation claim is correct, it is deliberately presented in an exaggerated and distorted manner to promote a long-term pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about ‘imminent collapse’ of the EU.

In this case, it is part of a wider pro-Kremlin campaign aiming to convince European audiences and readers about an apocalyptic economic scenario due to sanctions on Russian energy and persuade them of the need to remove them. The quote about “poverty knocking at the door” belongs to an expert interviewed by Sputnik Radio who was talking about Canada, not Europe.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the European Union’s share of global GDP is still expected to be 14’55 percent for 2023, only behind China (18’82 percent) and the US (15’42 percent) and compared to a mere 2’89 percent for Russia. Although the share of global GDP has been in a constant decline for decades for both the US and the EU for decades in contrast to China and other developing economies, nothing indicates a steep fall, contrary to what this disinformation story suggests. Other economic indicators also show the overall strength of the EU’s economy.

See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the EU's economic collapse is approaching, that Western global elites chose to plunge their countries into poverty and dictatorship to retain power, that the Russian economy largely outperforms European economies in 2023, or that Germany is quietly turning into a state of beggars.