DISINFO: COVID-19 is an act by the British as part of operation "Coronavirus".

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: COVID-19 is an act by the British as part of operation "Coronavirus".

SUMMARY

The coronavirus is the work of the British. The United Kingdom has deliberately spread the virus, through three different strains, in China, Iran and Italy. The virus was developed by the terrorist organisation Gladio.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy theory consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives that the coronavirus is a man-made biological weapon. There is a consensus in the scientific community that the COVID-19 originated from wildlife, and was not developed by humans. In particular, it has been reported by Chinese researchers from the South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, that the potential origin of the virus could be from pangolins. This was announced to reporters at a press conference on 7 February 2020. There is no evidence of the deliberate spread of the virus, in Italy, as the article suggests. Furthermore, there is no systemic evidence of an operation "Gladio" in Italy. The “Gladio plan” is an anti-NATO conspiracy theory used also during the terrorist attack in Brussels in 2016.

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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