DISINFO: Poland closed its airspace to Russian military aircraft carrying coronavirus aid to Italy
SUMMARY
Poland closed its airspace to Russian military aircraft carrying aid to Italy to help it cope with the coronavirus emergency.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the EU’s and other EU countries’ lack of solidarity with Italy, which is one of the countries that has suffered the harshest effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The claim that Poland did not let Russian aircraft carrying coronavirus aid to Italy is false. Poland’s Foreign Ministry denied closing its airspace to Russian aid for Italy and reported it had received no request for access from the Russian military. Sputnik’s story was based on a tweet by Alexey Pushkov, Chairman of the Commission on Information Policy of the Federation Council. Pushkov’s tweet was later deleted and the Sputnik story and headline were changed.