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Disinfo: In contrast to Russia, western Europe is abandoning Christian roots

Summary

Western Europe is moving away from its Christian roots. The western European society gets dominated by materialism and pursuit of money. Western Europeans are disappointed with the Christian church primarily because of the way of life of local priests, which is full of materialism and debauchery. European culture has abandoned Christianity, and is getting absorbed by Muslim migrants. In contrast, the Russian Orthodox Church has preserved the original Christian spirit. Eastern Slavs are more likely to sacrifice themselves and their lives for the others.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the Islamisation of Europe, in line with a similar narrative on the morally decaying West.

Despite the dropping levels of religious practice in Europe, the majority of western Europeans still identify themselves as Christians, a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center shows. According to the same survey, 31% of western Europeans who identify themselves as Christians attend religious services at least monthly. At the same time one of the 2018 polls in Russia concluded that 17% of Russians who identify themselves as Orthodox Christians attend church at least monthly.

See a collection of earlier disinformation cases concerning the Orthodox church.

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publication/media

Sozh (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 150
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 17/05/2019
  • Language/target audience: Russian
  • Country: Russia
  • Keywords: West, Orthodox Church, Russian superiority, Muslim/Islam, Conspiracy theory, Christianity

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.

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Poroshenko is facing diverse criminal charges after the wind has changed

While Petro Poroshenko must hand over the keys to the presidency before June 2, law enforcement proceedings are accelerating. On May 7, Poroshenko did not appear at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office. The summons is issued in the framework of the investigation into the Maidan revolution of winter 2014, which resulted in dozens of deaths, and plunged the east of the country into civil war.

In November 2017, the Ukrainian judiciary decided to open an “investigation into the seizure of forced power in February 2014”, following a request by the overthrown president in the coup, Viktor Yanukovych. He had asked to investigate the involvement of several Ukrainian officials and politicians in the coup.

All this leads to a collapse of the narrative maintained until then by the Ukrainian authorities, the Westerners and the media: a revolution that would be popular, spontaneous … and pro-European Union.
The wind seems to have changed. A group of specialists was formed in order to bring the outgoing president to justice. It aims to force the Ukrainian courts and law enforcers to put President Poroshenko and his circle in prison.

May 20, 2019
Disproof

The Ukrainian Prosecutor's office's representative has indeed complained that Petro Poroshenko did not come to the interview, scheduled on May 7, but as a witness in the case of Euromaidan's causalities. The interview of Poroshenko as a witness took place three days later on May 10. No evidence was given that this summons could be evidence against Poroshenko himself. By the end of 2018, 438 people were suspects in Euromaidan murder cases, 52 has been convicted and 9 "Titushkas" (mercenary agents supporting police during Euromaidan clashes) are currently serving real prison terms, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.

In 2017, the lawyer of Victor Yanukovych announced that a pretrial investigation number  was opened in Ukraine following a complaint from his client. No other confirmations or further information on any possible defendants followed since then, including from the Ukrainian Prosecutor's office.

The Eastern Partnership Programme is a destructive anti-Russian project

The Eastern Partnership Programme, which at the beginning was created to solve the issues of interaction of the post-Soviet countries with the EU, has turned into a destructive anti-Russian project.

May 19, 2019
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing the West, and in this case the EU, of encircling Russia.

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint policy initiative which aims to deepen and strengthen relations between the European Union (EU), its Member States and its six Eastern neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Read more about the Eastern Partnership and its priorities here.