Disinfo: Globalism and the mythical unity of the West have begun to crash

Summary

In a pandemic and systemic crisis, the foundation of globalism – the mythical unity of the West, began to crash. Western countries began not only to be quarantined from each other, but slid into a completely egoistic policies. They refuse to help their EU partners with medical supplies and financial support.

Disproof

This claim exploits the coronavirus pandemic to push a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU's alleged imminent collapse. One of the main pro-Kremlin narratives relating to the pandemic is that the EU is failing to cope with the COVID-19 crisis and, as a result, is disintegrating, together with the border-free Schengen area. In particular, this narrative of failure and lack of EU solidarity is trending after the delivery of Russian aid to Italy. This narrative also aims to pit EU member states against each other in an attempt to undermine European solidarity, another recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation tactic. There is no evidence to support the claim that the pandemic is resulting in the death or obsolescence of the EU. The European Commission is coordinating a common European response to the COVID-19 crisis and is supporting Member States in tackling the pandemic and in mitigating its economic consequences. To cushion the blow to people’s livelihoods and the economy, the European Commission has adopted a comprehensive economic response to the outbreak, applied the full flexibility of the EU's fiscal rules, has revised its State Aid rules and proposed to set up a EUR 37 billion Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative to provide liquidity to small businesses and the health care sector. The Commission is further increasing its response by proposing to set up a €100 billion solidarity instrument to help workers keep their incomes and businesses stay afloat, called SURE. It is also proposing to redirect all available structural funds to the response to the coronavirus. To support scientific research into COVID-19, the European Commission earmarked 47,5 million EUR for shortlisted research projects that can improve epidemiology and public health, including preparedness and response to outbreaks. The EU also created the first ever stockpile of medical equipment. EU Member States are helping each other in this crisis; for example, German hospitals have offered to treat critical coronavirus patients from France as well as taking in patients from Italy and the Czech Republic has sent masks to Italy. Read more about the EU's response here and here. Read similar cases claiming that the EU has collapsed as a result of the pandemic that the coronavirus epidemic marks the beginning of an era of crisis for pan-European identity and solidarity and that the COVID outbreak means the end of Europe.

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ru.armeniasputnik.am (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 190
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20/03/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: EU
  • Keywords: coronavirus, Euro-scepticism, West, European Union
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Disinfo: Pentagon-funded biological laboratories involved in creation of Coronavirus

Officials and media outlets have doubts about Pentagon-funded biological laboratories. American laboratories can be involved in creation of Coronavirus.

Mar 19, 2020
Disproof

Conspiracy theory about the 2019-nCoV coronavirus, based on recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about biological weapons. The narratives also resemble a recurring conspiracy theory about the Lugar Lab in Georgia. The virus "2019-nCoV” comes from a family of viruses that include the common cold and viruses such as SARS and MERS. There is no evidence to suggest it was developed artificially in a laboratory as a weapon of mass destruction. A group of public health scientists have condemned rumours and conspiracy theories about the origin of coronavirus outbreak. "We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.The authors of The Lancet statement note that scientists from several countries who have studied SARS-CoV-2 “overwhelmingly conclude that this coronavirus originated in wildlife, just like many other viruses that have recently emerged in humans. There are numerous similar disinformation cases about coronavirus claiming that Coronavirus was created in a laboratory, or that Coronavirus an Anglo-Saxon biological warning: originates in US labs, is a US provocation against China, Coronavirus is a tool to weaken the Chinese economy, Coronavirus is an attempt by the Anglo-Saxons to control China.

Disinfo: NATO uses COVID-19 to mobilise Western military forces against Russia

NATO uses COVID-19 to mobilise Western military forces against Russia. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has been announced by the World Health Organisation, has led to Western military forces mobilising against Russia. However, the Western “non-brothers” always forget that combat readiness is a normal condition for Russians.

Mar 19, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about NATO, aggressive, anti-Russian Western policies and about coronavirus as a biological weapon. According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Researches done so far show that it is a virus named ”zoonotic”, meaning it is transmitted between animals and people. Read more about Coronavirus here. NATO has repeatedly emphasised that its course is in no way directed against Russia, nor any other state. NATO’s objectives are set out in the 1949 Washington Treaty which forms the legal basis of the alliance. The treaty states that parties “are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security”. NATO’s main mission is not to prepare for war, as Russian media claim, but rather to maintain stability and appropriate levels of defence readiness in its member countries. See more examples of disinformation about Russia and NATO.

Disinfo: Coronavirus is a colour revolution technology

The current coronavirus pandemic can be compare to the technology of “colour revolutions.” In fact, the same technology is being worked out, but with different materials. We get the same technology and the hysteria around it. The training manual is a little bit different, but we see the same signs, the same blanks, and even the same goals. The goal is not to change only one country but the world order to suit someone’s interests. Now, this technology is being developed on a global scale and this is the main problem. We are faced with a new type of weapon of mass destruction, a psychological weapon that affects hundreds of millions of people. It doesn’t affect the lungs, it affects the brain and makes people an ordinary dumb herd, the cattle that run where they are told to run.

Mar 19, 2020
Disproof

Conspiracy theory, no evidence given. One of many recurring Kremlin disinformation narratives claiming that the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus is man-made. Consistent with a narrative suggesting that the West is using biological weapons to stage "colour revolutions" in other countries. COVID-19 is not a biological weapon and it was not developed as an instrument to provoke "colour revolutions". A recent analysis of the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus found no evidence that it was developed artificially in a lab or otherwise engineered. Most probably the disease originated in a Wuhan wet market. The virus comes from a family of viruses originating in animals that include other viruses such as SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central China and has been rapidly spreading across the world, with cases being reported in 168 countries, territories and areas by 19 March 2020. Many other claims have been pushed by pro-Kremlin media since the outbreak started in January, for example, that COVID-19 is a biological weapon to make planet's population infertile, that it was born in a laboratory to infect the Chinese, that it is an element of hybrid warfare and that it is a pretext to introduce tyranny by the ruling class.