With coronavirus cases and deaths steadily rising, Russia's pro-government TV channels appear to have sensed a prime opportunity for some conspiracy theories: The epidemic could be all the work of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Central Intelligence Agency, and U.S. philanthropist George Soros, their news reports suggest. As yet, proof is not a priority.
Russia's pro-Kremlin TV channels mocked Western politicians for saying Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner until Iran admitted that it had done so. The prevailing editorial line then became one of blaming the tragedy on the United States for escalating tensions by assassinating Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.
In the runup to December 9 peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Russian state media is disseminating a fake-news report that alleges that Kyiv plans to force residents from areas of the Donbas region controlled by pro-Russian separatists to migrate and undergo “re-education.”
The Latvian National Archives has released the first batch of files from the the former Soviet secret police, the KGB. Some Latvians have welcomed the release, hoping it will shed light on the country's dark past. But others fear some individuals could be falsely labeled as former KGB collaborators.
Has a low-profile group of Czech teachers, doctors, students, and other volunteers hit on an effective way to stop Russian disinformation in the EU?
