Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC for biased coverage of events in Russia, in particular related to measures to combat the coronavirus.
She noted that in all the materials of the BBC, which deals with Russia, there is "a careful selection of words that should form a negative perception of reality."
“The restrictions, quarantines and self-isolation, medicine, the abolition of the parade, face recognition technologies as outlined by the Air Force should put an end to the perception of Russia as part of global reality with its pros and cons, traditions and features, problems and achievements,” Zakharova wrote in her Facebook page.
She added that the British regulator Ofcom loves to threaten fines to the Russian media for an unbalanced flow of information, and urged it to finally pay attention to the BBC and evaluate “this cold prudence”.
In addition, the representative of the Foreign Ministry advised the corporation to pay attention to events taking place within the UK itself.
“Yes, and I want more news about Britain itself in the Air Force. Do not be shy, you have something to show, ”summed up Zakharova.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the British media have published a number of materials in which measures taken in Russia to combat COVID-19 were presented in a negative light.
- © BBC News
“Coronavirus: Russian President Vladimir Putin may attract an army (to fight against coronavirus. - RT ) due to a sharp increase in the number of infections,” wrote the BBC on April 13.
- © BBC News
“Coronavirus: A pandemic used to strengthen power in Europe?” - writes the BBC on April 18.
- © Sky News
“Coronavirus: Putin is trying to earn political points on the global crisis caused by COVID-19,” Sky News wrote.
- © Sky News
“Coronavirus: Moscow intends to“ completely control ”the movement of citizens during the period of self-isolation introduced due to COVID-19,” Sky News also writes.
Meanwhile, the UK is in fifth place in the world in the number of people who have died of confirmed coronavirus infection. According to the Johns Hopkins University, more than 15 thousand people died in the country, the number of infected exceeded 115 thousand with a population of about 67 million. According to the British Ministry of Health, only 888 people died in the country's hospitals over the past day. In Russia, these figures are much lower - 313 and more than 36 thousand, respectively, with a population of about 147 million.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin noted that timely measures to combat the spread of the new disease prevented an explosive increase in the number of patients with COVID-19, and now medical institutions in the capital are moving to a more stable mode of operation.
“I believe that the effect of“ smoothing ”and preventing an explosive increase in the incidence at this stage has been achieved. This is the first, modest, but very important victory, ”Sobyanin wrote on his blog.
Earlier, the World Health Organization noted that the efforts made by the Russian leadership can prevent a sharp increase in the incidence.
In turn, the British authorities were in no hurry to introduce measures to combat the spread of the virus. Moreover, in mid-March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed developing “collective immunity,” that is, allowing most of the population to get sick. However, a week later the head of government changed his mind and nevertheless introduced a quarantine regime, but this step was belated - since the last decade of March, a sharp increase in the number of sick and dead has begun.
Johnson himself was among the infected, who spent some time in the intensive care unit, then was discharged and continued treatment at home.
On April 16, British authorities extended quarantine measures for at least three weeks. Foreign Minister Dominic Raab noted that any changes in the current regime could lead to a worsening of the situation.
Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University Vladimir Shapovalov in a conversation with RT noted that all the news about Russia published in the British media is negative. The materials are critical, and often false reports about the situation in the Russian Federation, and reports on the fight against coronavirus in the Russian Federation were no exception.
“At the same time, the picture that is drawn in relation to Great Britain or other countries of Western Europe and the USA is diametrically opposite. Situations in Russia, the problems that exist, are exaggerated, are intensified, and those problems that exist in the UK are being retouched, a good picture is given ... Moreover, we know that the situation in the UK is currently one of the most deplorable in Europe . And in terms of dynamics, and the situation with infection and fatal cases, the UK is rapidly moving to the leading positions in this mournful list, ”the expert noted.
Political analyst Yuri Svetov, commenting on British media publications, expressed the opinion that arrogance and a sense of self-importance are typical features of English society.
“There are still echoes of the fact that in recent years Great Britain, feeling itself to be the center of the world around which everything revolves, more and more ceases to be this center of the world. And for self-affirmation it is necessary to show that others are doing worse, ”he said.
Svetov added that criticizing the United States or the European Union is dangerous for Great Britain, and therefore the British media are tackling Russia.
“Let's see when the pandemic ends, the results will show whose activities were more correct,” he added.