Russia Aims to Stir Distrust in Europe on Virus Disinformation

(Bloomberg) --

A substantial Russian campaign has spread disinformation about the coronavirus with the intention of worsening the crisis in Western countries by spreading distrust in national health-care systems and intensifying fear and confusion, according to an analysis by the European Union.

“A significant disinformation campaign by Russian state media and pro-Kremlin outlets regarding COVID-19 is ongoing,” according to an internal EU document dated March 16 and seen by Bloomberg News. “The campaign is designed to exacerbate confusion, panic and fear, and to prevent people from accessing reliable information about the virus and public-safety provisions.”

The EU analysis found that disinformation was spread in multiple languages including English, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. It also said the East StratCom Task Force -- a multi-agency EU team focusing on such campaigns of deception -- had identified 80 cases related to coronavirus since January 22.

The pro-Russia campaign has sought to “advance a narrative that coronavirus is a human creation, weaponized by the West,” according to the memo. “Messages targeting Italy aim to exacerbate fears over the ability of national and international authorities to manage the outbreak.”

Meanwhile, messages in Spanish “advance apocalyptic stories, blame capitalists for trying to benefit from the virus, and emphasize how well Russia and Putin are dealing with the outbreak.”

‘Real-Life Consequences’

Russia’s state-sponsored coverage of the virus has been popular on social media. For example, coverage by the Kremlin-backed RT Spanish was shared on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit 6.8 million times, the EU found.

The EU’s analysis was carried out in partnership with researchers at Cardiff University’s Crime and Security Institute, according to the memo. The researchers found that, instead of developing original content, Russia is amplifying theories originating in China and Iran as well as among the American far right. Other researchers cited in the memo found disinformation narratives that included the theory that migrants were responsible for spreading the virus.

The EU analysis said that disinformation campaigns create “real-life consequences.” As an example, it cited a fake letter that purported to be from Ukraine’s Health Ministry, falsely saying there were five cases of the disease in the country. The letter was authored outside of Ukraine, according to that country’s security services, but managed to incite riots.

Russia’s disinformation campaign around coronavirus aligns with its “broader strategy of attempting to subvert societies from within by exploiting their vulnerabilities and divisions,” the memo said.

Outside of Europe, the State Department has also suggested that adversaries, including “the entire ecosystem of Russian disinformation,” are propagating fake narratives about coronavirus. Russia’s disinformation effort included state proxy websites, official state media, automated bot accounts and “swarms of online false personas,” Lea Gabrielle, who serves as special envoy and coordinator of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, said March 5.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.