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Disinfo: Germany called for lifting sanctions against Russia because of coronavirus

Summary

Germany called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia because of the coronavirus. Germany should rethink its attitude towards Russia and lift unproductive sanctions in light of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Disproof

Misleading title and the text that give readers the false impression that lifting sanctions on Russia is the position of the German authorities. It also pushes a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that sanctions against Russia are senseless and ineffective. In fact, the sanctions from the US and the EU (including Germany) do not aim to punish Russia or the Russian people but were introduced to send a clear signal to the Russian government after Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, deployment of armed formations in eastern Ukraine, and the downing of the Malaysian passenger plane MH17. The first round of EU sanctions against Russia was introduced on 17 March 2014. Later, in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in eastern Ukraine, the EU imposed economic sanctions in July 2014 and reinforced them in September 2014. The latest decision on a six-month extension of EU sanctions against Russia was taken in December 2019, to last until 31 July 2020. The false narrative about sanctions being unproductive is often backed by false statistics. For example, the alleged economic growth of two percent does not withstand scrutiny. In 2018, the inflation rate went up and the rouble depreciated 20% against the dollar. EUvsDisinfo has demonstrated that Russian media generalises singular incidents very often in order to produce stories that fit the Kremlin’s narrative. Read similar cases on Western sanctions alleging that the EU suffers from its own sanctions more than Russia, EU sanctions against Russia are not democratic and that European Council sanctions are irrational and unjustified.

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publication/media

Sputnik Georgia - Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 189
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 18/03/2020
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Germany
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Sanctions
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The coronavirus pandemic is a turning point in history: world order is falling

The world coronavirus pandemic is a turning point in world history. Not only are stock indices and oil prices collapsing, the world order itself is falling. We are living in the period of the end of liberalism and its “obviousness” as global meta-narrative, the end of its measures and standards. Human societies will soon become free floating: no more dogmas, no more dollar-imperialism, no more free market spells, no more Fed dictatorship or global stock exchanges, no more subservience to the world media elite. Each pole will build its future on its own civilizational foundations. It is obviously impossible to say what this will look like or what it will lead to. However, it is already clear that the old world order is becoming a thing of the past, and quite distinct contours of a new reality are emerging before us. What neither ideologies, nor wars, nor fierce economic battles, nor terror, nor religious movements have been able to do, has been accomplished by an invisible, yet deadly virus. It brought with it death, pain, horror, panic, sorrow… but also the future.

Mar 17, 2020
Disproof

The COVID-19 outbreak is a serious challenge to many countries, but there is no foundation for the claim that it will lead to a new world order. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus.

Panic in Ukraine due to coronavirus, metro banned in Lviv

In Ukraine, there is panic due to coronavirus. The country’s government imposed quarantine and banned Ukraine’s metros from working, announced President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The metro was closed, including in Lviv (western Ukraine).

Mar 17, 2020
Disproof

Indeed, temporary quarantine has been introduced in Ukraine, just like in many other countries, due to the rapid spread of coronavirus worldwide. However, Lviv does not have, and never has had, a metro. Metro systems in Ukraine can be found only in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro. The "Lviv Metro" is a well-known Internet meme in Ukraine that makes fun of Russian chauvinism and Ukrainophobia. According to a legend, it was built "by Bandera during the Nazi occupation of the city during WWII using Russian slave labour, and its lines are in the shape of a trident." Russian media periodically publish fake news about the Lviv metro. For example, in the summer of 2018, they reported that "a monster unknown to science was caught in the Lviv metro." Read a similar case that Stepan Bandera was an agent for Hitler.