DISINFO: The COVID-19 crisis is manufactured by media and might lead to the breakup of Russia
SUMMARY
The current crisis, which caused the pandemic of fear additionally to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the result of the specific media coverage and political-motivated decisions of particular actors. […] The specific of the Russian political culture, a complex tangle of contradictions within the Russian regional and federal elites, as well as the fact that a significant part of the Russian elites is affiliated with the collective West contribute to this scenario. Therefore, the developments triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to the deformation of the political and administrative structure of the Russian Federation, and lead to notable social and economic tensions. If this scenario turns into reality, the stability of the entire Eurasian region will be undermined.
RESPONSE
An unfounded conspiracy theory, sharing a recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about the COVID-19 outbreak as a Western scheme to crush Russia and China. COVID-19 comes from a family of viruses originating in animals that include other viruses such as SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central China and has been rapidly spreading across the world, with cases being reported in 190 countries, territories and areas. The number of COVID-19 cases is closing up on 1,200,000 globally with over 72,000 deaths by 7 April 2020. The claim is also consistent with an unfounded perspective of Russia being under attack by foreign forces. See more examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation about the coronavirus here.