Disinfo: The EU intentionally destroyed economies of the Baltic states

Summary

The Baltic states are facing demographic catastrophe because its youth emigrated. This happened as a result of the EU’s deliberate destruction of the Baltic states’ economies.

Disproof

This is a conspiracy theory and propagandistic claim aimed at discrediting the EU and its economic policies and to ridicule the Baltic states by exacerbating the demographic decline that they face. In fact, many other eastern European countries experience a population decline, including Russia.

Economies of the Baltic states during their EU membership grew at a much higher rate than Eurozone economies. Although the GDP per capita in the Baltic states remains below the EU average, it has been rapidly approaching the average. For instance, this indicator for Estonia stood at 54% when the country joined the EU and increased to 77% by 2017. The economic situation of all three Baltic states is rather positive and demonstrates one of the leading economic growth indicators in the EU. The dynamics within the last years can be seen here.

Although Lithuania did encounter large emigration flows, the trend is slowly reversing with an increasing number of Lithuanians coming back. A similar trend is observed in Latvia. However, the trend is absolutely the opposite in Estonia, where already for the third year in a row in 2018, immigration exceeds emigration.

Read earlier disinformation cases alleging that the Baltic states are dying because they chose not to be with Russia, that Lithuania will be depopulated in 20 years.

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Sonar2050 (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 180
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/01/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia
  • Keywords: European Union, Economic difficulties, Conspiracy theory, Baltic states
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Disinfo: Ukraine's heroes are all anti-Semites

In Ukraine, a Jew can be both President, Prime Minister or Member of the Parliament. But the everyday, popular anti-Semitism is still a core element of the Ukrainian identity. Ukraine does as a matter of fact not have any heroes (apart from the Soviet ones Ukraine is now denouncing) who weren’t anti-Semites.

Jan 15, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about antisemitism in Ukraine. The National Minorities Monitoring Group of Ukraine informs that there have been no acts of anti-Semitic violence in Ukraine and relatively small anti-Semitic vandalism in the last two years. The Group’s monitoring has found that “there is no antisemitic violence in Ukraine and that Ukrainian Jews are not confronted with direct physical danger.” "However, some anti-Semitic vandalism occurs, such as the desecration of graves, synagogues and memorials to victims of the Holocaust. In 2018, there were 12 such cases, which is half of the previous year". In general, the Group concludes that the number of vandalism cases has decreased over recent years. The report of the Government of Israel published for 2018 confirms these conclusions. The report does not mention any examples of violence against Jews in Ukraine in 2018. It has also underlined the significant decrease in the number of acts of vandalism. The report also states that some of the cases that were reported in the media 'might have been created artificially to damage the international image of Ukraine.' According to the Pew Research Centre, the level of anti-Semitism in Ukraine is one of the smallest among countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Disinfo: Deep State sponsors Montenegro in the seizure of the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church

The main sponsor of the Montenegrin authorities in the seizure of the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro is American Deep State. It is a planned and synchronized action by Atlantic allies of the attack on the only canonical Orthodox Church in Montenegro.

Jan 15, 2020
Disproof

Conspiracy theory consisted of unfounded claims. This claim involves the recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that the West threatens and undermines traditional Christian values. Montenegro's parliament has adopted a law on religious rights on 27th December 2019 and the law came into force on January 8th, 2020. According to Article 62, religious communities in Montenegro need to prove property ownership before 1918, otherwise, the property will belong to the state of Montenegro. The European Union days earlier cautioned Montenegro to regulate communities "in an inclusive way" and in accordance with international and European human rights standard Read debunk of a similar disinformation message stating that NATO is doing everything to destroy Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Church. For similar cases claiming that Ukrainian autocephaly was manipulated by the US, see here, here, and here.

Disinfo: Belarus and the Russian Federation are parts of Russia, they will be united

Russian government resigned because its economic theory was not functional. If so, an appointment of a new government increases chances for deeper integration of two parts of Russia. Both the Russian Federation and Belarus are parts of Russia. Sooner or later the country will be united.

Jan 15, 2020
Disproof

This is an extreme variation of recurring pro-Kremlin propagandistic narrative about Belarus as an integral part of the Russian world. The latter is based on the concept of all-Russian civilisation, an imperial Russian and Russian irredentist ideology that is a favoured pro-Kremlin narrative aimed at weakening the national identity of Belarusians as well as Ukrainians.

Belarus is a well-defined nation-state with a long history, which preserved its language, literature and identity, despite foreign rule for long periods. The Rus- part of the country's name, contrary to popular belief, does not originate from Russia. Instead, the names for both Russia and Belarus derive from an Old Norse term for "the men who row," because Scandinavian people had a significant impact on state formation in eastern Europe from eighth to eleventh centuries AD.