DISINFO: Young people leave the Baltic states. The empty territory will be used either for NATO bases or to home migrants
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: sputnik-georgia.ru (archived)*
  • Date of publication: August 13, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 160
  • Countries / regions discussed: Baltic states
Tags:
migration Demography NATO

DISINFO: Young people leave the Baltic states. The empty territory will be used either for NATO bases or to home migrants

SUMMARY

Unemployment prompts young people to leave the Baltic states. As a result, the UN has already put Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on the list of countries which may become depopulated in the coming decades. NATO will deploy its bases on the depopulated territories of the Baltics, or they may become a shelter for Asian and African migrants.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that the Baltic states are disappearing due to declining demographics. Sputnik's claim contains several disinformation statements and conspiracy theories.

  1. The UN reports do not include any list of endangered countries. According to the UN data booklet on world population prospects, the population of the Baltic states will decline in 2050 and 2100, but they are far from “extinction.” The tendency of population decline has been observed in Eastern Europe, as well as in other parts of the world.

  2. According to Eurostat data, the unemployment rate, as well as the youth unemployment rate decreased in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in 2005-2018.

  3. Two open questions at the end of the video that NATO will deploy its military bases on the depopulated territory of the Baltic States or that these territories may be used to home Asian and African migrants are conspiracy theories.

See more here and similar disinformation narratives here.

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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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