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Disinfo: Western-backed anti-government forces use the COVID-19 crisis to destabilise Russia

Summary

It becomes obvious that anti-government Western-backed forces are trying to use the COVID-19 crisis to destabilize the situation in Russia.

Disproof

An unfounded conspiracy theory. 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.

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publication/media

SouthFront - English
  • Reported in: Issue 192
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 08/04/2020
  • Language/target audience: English
  • Country: Russia
  • Keywords: coronavirus, West, Colour revolutions

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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EU member states were just thinking of themselves during the coronavirus crisis

The story of the epidemic in Italy, and how it found itself in the first weeks of the outbreak left to the mercy of fate and without the help of its partners in the European Union, showed perfectly that when a general disaster strikes, everyone just thinks of themselves.

April 09, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the lack of inter-EU solidarity.

EU Member States have been actively helping each other in this crisis, which most EU member states have been grappling with themselves. For example, German hospitals offering to treat critical coronavirus patients from France as well as taking in patients from Italy and the Czech Republic sending masks to Italy.

Even the coronavirus did not distract Lithuania from the eternal disease called Russophobia

In Lithuania, even the situation with the coronavirus has been tied to Russia. One would think that the current situation in the world – a recession of the economy, an epidemic of the coronavirus, would at least slightly distract these “daredevils” from their eternal disease, called Russophobia. But no.

April 08, 2020
Disproof
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobia in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The disinformation message appeared after a statement (see in also in Russian) made by the head of Lithuania's State Security department Darius Jauniskis: "What we are observing is the activity of the Russian special services. These are attempts to disinform society and spread panic, distrust to the Euro-Atlantic space and governments." See similar pro-Kremlin disinformation cases: "Russophobia is the main export of Lithuania", "Free Russia Forum in Vilnius is an anti-Russian gathering", "Lithuania is afflicted by total Russophobia", The only idea that strongly unites Lithuanian society is Russophobia.

The coronavirus: the weapon of global capital against humanity

A secret ruling elite composed of global capital owners has deliberately engineered the coronavirus in order to pin the otherwise inevitable collapse of the global economy on the pandemic. While EU countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Spain were reminded that they should not be too assertive on the world stage, the puppet-masters, part of the “deep state” in Britain and the United States, rejoiced. Given the democracies’ inability to contain the crisis, the coronavirus is a “convenient” excuse to achieve the ultimate end goal for this secret global elite: fascism.

April 08, 2020
Disproof

This article is an example of a conspiracy theory about secret global elites. This theme is a recently recurring Kremlin-led narrative in relation to the coronavirus. The idea of a “Shadow World Government” in itself is also a recurring narrative. As with many conspiracy theories, this one is appealing because it is based on the premise that the very absence of evidence is the proof for the existence of a secret puppet-master world elite. In the case of the coronavirus, however, there is strong evidence that the virus was not artificially created. COVID-19 is a new strain of a large family of coronaviruses (CoV) which also cause the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The coronaviruses are transmitted between animals and people, and previous research has revealed that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels. Other known coronaviruses among animals have not yet been transmitted to humans. Researchers in Guangzhou, China have suggested that the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) may have originated in the pangolin. As of April 8th, 2020, over 150 countries reported at least one case of coronavirus. See the updated figures on coronavirus cases per country here.