Skip to content
Subscriber Only

Russia Aims to Stir Distrust in Europe on Virus Disinformation

  • Internal EU memo finds fake news produced in many languages
  • ‘Campaign is designed to exacerbate confusion, panic and fear’
Patient suspected of coronavirus infection in Moscow.
Patient suspected of coronavirus infection in Moscow.Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

We’re tracking the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and the global response. Sign up here for our daily newsletter on what you need to know.

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.