EU blamed Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China in “Pollution of Information Area”

Russian Fake-news about Coronavirus concerned western plots – topics, that are also
popular in chinese desinformation.
About that writes Andrew Retman in article which was published on Euobserver.com. As
experts claim, hopes about education of people that believe in fakes are small. But some of
fakes had “consequences in real world”, that are too hard for ignorance.
TOP FAKES
“Scientists: coronavirus – it’s biological weapon of war.” on russian website sputniknews.com
was top-fake story with 11 210 shares on the social media platform Facebook.
“Sergey Glaziev: coronavirus – artificially created biological weapon.” (6,567 shares) took
second place.
“Pandemic of coronavirus Covid-19: real dander – agenda ID2020” (2,733).
Five other stories also got 1000 or more shares:
“Is coronavirus indeed an american biological weapon as Frencis Boil claims?” (2250)
“Coronavirus – a weapon, which fell from the sky for the U.S. for withstanding against China”
(2236)
“Gods of Plague: geopolitics of the epidemics and bubbles of nothing” (1815)
“Jeki Chan on the quarantine with suspected coronavirus – Media” (1149)
“Coronavirus was created in a laboratory: military expert” (1051)
Shares on Facebook were calculated by Buzzsumo,tracking online-tool. Researches showed
activity on Facebook in January and in the middle of March in compilation with fake russian
stories, which were fixed by EU in it’s counter propaganda base.
China also joined this, as noted officials from the EU.
For instance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijiang Zhao reshared fake russian
article named “Covid-19: additional proofs that virus emerged in USA”. On 13th March,
amount of retweets reached 45 000 times.
And Russian article that he was referring on totally was shared over 60 000 times on
Facebook, Twitter and Reddit, and also more 116 other websites referred to it.
EU External Service has much more information about Russia nor China, since it has special
mandate to withstand Russian misinformation.

But in the latest report they blamed both in “polluting of information area”
Russian message “promoting story that coronavirus – artificial creature, Western weapon”, –
said in the internal report of the EU, on which EUobserver is referring.
As the main goal they have to sow “confusion, panic and fear” according to “broader strategy
of Kremlin of trying to explode european society”, – the message says.
China focused on censorship of bad news and demonstration of main party as “powerful
and successful in times of epidemic”.
Only 15% posts on Twitter, that are located in China, expressed their negative feelings about
the situation against 29% in all over the world, said in EU internal report.
Extreme content
White House, Brazilian right leader, Iran’s regime and some european politics are also
blamed in distribution of desinformation. Particular tweets of President of the U.S. Donald
Trump can get tens of thousands of shares.
But, general fakes from Russia stood out with it’s extremism
The main message that Russia is sharing claims that USA created virus in a secret
laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began. Allegedly, it’s a part of biological
war, which include the introduction “genetically modified viruses in three types of insects:
fleas, cicadas and siltstones” (small insects of the white-winged family)
Article which is situated on the second place of the TOP Russian Federation fakes states
that USA have been using virus for attacking China and other “economic sectors, that are
not under of their control)
Third article from the TOP fakes marks that group of Western conspirators named ID2020,
that met on Davos Economic Forum, together with “Big Pharma” vaccinated people with
substance which caused “illness that injure only next generation – or it depletes the brain, or
the gene that makes women infertile”
Some russian fakes also contained supernatural elements.
Open societies and free trade were guilty in pandemic, wrote russian philosopher and mystic
Alexander Dugin in article, that got 8th place in TOP fakes.
“The liberal is the carrier of the coronavirus, it’s an apologist…. some more time will pass
and liberal will be equate with lepers, infected maniacs”, – he wrote. – Soros should be
lynched”,- added Dugin, referred on US patron George Soros that distribute liberal values in
Europe.
Dugin address to “thin part of society, that is marginalized and cannot be completely

ignored”, – stated Anton Shehovtsov, researcher from Russian Propaganda Institution of
Euro Atlantic partnership in Kiyv. – They are looking who is guilty in spreading of coronavirus
and think that conspirology theories are useful in this context”, – he added.
Fakes about coronavirus directed to people “on outskirts of society” in Europe, that don’t
believe government, business-elites and foreigners, – said another Atlantic Council expert,
Jakub Kalensky
EU: is everything bad?
“I don’t think, that disinformation about coronavirus can be disclosed… People, that don’t
believe government will only make sure that cabinet hides “the truth about the real situation”,
– said Shehovtsov.
“This audience is mostly lost”, – said Kalenskiy. – More important is to defend audience, that
are not infected with disinformation”, – he added.
At the same time there are visible warnings in the report of EU that propaganda about the
virus has “real consequences” that are too difficult to ignore.
Recently some unrest emerged when media distributed a fake letter from the Ministry of
Health about infections from China, stated in report of the EU.
Austria, Lithuania and Slovakia also launched “quick alert system” in Council of the EU about
three dangerous forgery, the message says.
It relates to untrue statements about effectiveness of Ibuprofen, infection of the USA soldier
in Lithuania and prime minister of Slovakia.
Russia has denied it’s relation to this.
“Such notions [condemnation in EU] do not need any comments” – said representative of the
Russian Embassy of the EU for EUobserver.