Russia called on the United States authorities not to transfer their problems to other countries amid the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19. So the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Information Policy Alexei Pushkov reacted to the statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who on the eve accused Russia, China and Iran of spreading misinformation about the disease.
“If the United States has many thousands of infected and even more dissatisfied, this is a review of the US authorities, and not Russia's fault. Do not bring the blame on the healthy, ”Pushkov wrote on Twitter, noting the“ flexible ”attitude of Pompeo to the truth.
Secretary of State Pompeo, known for his flexible attitude to the truth, has accused Russia of "misinformation about the coronavirus." But if in the US there are many thousands of infected and even more dissatisfied, this is a scan of the US authorities, and not Russia's fault at all. No need to blame from a sore head for a healthy one.
- Alexey Pushkov (@Alexey_Pushkov) March 20, 2020The day before, during a briefing in the presence of President Donald Trump, the Secretary of State announced the alleged "coordinated efforts" of a number of countries, the purpose of which is to discredit the activities of the US administration in the fight against the virus.
“We definitely saw how it (misinformation. - RT ) comes from countries such as China, Russia and Iran,” said Pompeo.
Misinformation campaign
In February 2020, publications appeared in a number of foreign media that claimed that the US State Department was allegedly opposed to a misinformation campaign about coronavirus. In particular, as AFP reported, the source of such information was allegedly related to Russia accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
“Russia's intention is to sow discord and harm American institutions and unions from the inside, including through secret and violent campaigns that are detrimental,” RIA Novosti said then. about. Under Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Ricoeur.
Commenting on such assumptions, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, called the “deliberate dumping” of allegations of Moscow’s involvement in the disinformation campaign.
The Chinese side also spoke about this situation. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian expressed the view that countries facing a common health threat should unite and cooperate.
“We drew attention to the reaction of the Russian side. I would like to emphasize that at the moment in the face of the epidemic we need to rely on science, reason and cooperation, ”said the representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
As Konstantin Blokhin, American researcher, leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a conversation with RT, the world really needs to consolidate in a situation like the current global crisis.
“It’s global in that one country simply cannot physically overcome it without the help of others. Instead, this information war continues, which shows the immorality of the information war, ”the expert emphasized.
In addition, Blokhin believes, the attention of the population of many countries is now riveted to how effectively their authorities cope with the spread of coronavirus.
“Obviously, in many Western countries this efficiency is not. And therefore, it is better to turn the arrows on to the fact that problems arise due to the subversive activities of Russia, China and Iran, ”the expert added.
Mutual accusations of the United States and China
Note that in the early stages of the spread of COVID-19, US authorities have repeatedly called the virus "Chinese." This definition was used several times in his speeches by Donald Trump.
Subsequently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry suggested that the virus could enter the territory of China through the fault of the US military. This was stated by the official representative of the department Zhao Lijian in his profile on Twitter. Later, another official spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Gen Shuang, commented on the situation, noting that conclusions should be made on the basis of a thorough scientific analysis of the situation.
Yuri Rogulev, director of the Roosevelt United States Research Foundation at Moscow State University, drew attention to this circumstance, pointing out that the situation with the virus requires joint coordinated actions.
“The opposite is happening. We heard mutual accusations. Trump and other leaders of the United States called this virus Chinese, and China made statements that the virus was “thrown” to China from the United States, ”the expert said.
He added that US officials are now criticizing the White House for not taking the threat seriously.
“And when they realized the seriousness, it was too late and the virus was enormously spread. Therefore, now they are trying to answer this criticism in the traditional way: “It's not us, it's all the machinations of those who are fighting against the States,” Rogulev summed up.
According to recent data, the number of cases of COVID-19 in the United States came close to 20 thousand, 260 people died.