1/ INSIDE Russia, Putin’s government aggressively promotes vaccination against preventable diseases as an important public health measure.

OUTSIDE Russia, Kremlin-controlled media outlets aggressively spread anti-vaccine hysteria and fear. Here’s why...

I’ve spent several weeks studying disinformation surrounding #COVID19 coming out of Russia, China and Iran.

Russia, and the Soviet Union before, have a long history of blaming the US, and specifically our military, for diseases.

Starting in 1983, the Soviets concocted a myth that AIDS was created by the US military to kill African-Americans. Within 4 years stories on this ran in 25 languages in 80 countries.

In 2009, Russia’s RT ran at least 9 stories blaming H1N1 flu on the US Army. They did the same in 2014 with Ebola, with one RT host claiming Liberians are likely to blame the US for the virus.

The NY Times recently documented Russia’s long history of promoting attacks on the US CDC, mainly by promoting kooky anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists on RT television.

RT was previously named Russia Today, and is controlled by the Kremlin.

Russian troll farms were caught amplifying anti-vaccine messages through the invention of a non-existent “CDC Whistleblower” and using hashtags to get this subject trending.

It is evident from a review of Kremlin-controlled media outlets that Putin’s government is actively working to (1) lengthen the pandemic outside of Russia, and (2) promote confusion on the subject by polluting the media coverage with false stories.

Recent stories in Kremlin controlled media outlets have (1) claimed hand washing has no effect on preventing spread; (2) smokers do not get COVID-19, and (3) taking ginger can prevent infection. All of these claims are false and none have been retracted.

The Kremlin also promotes Bill Gates as a bogeyman, asserting among other things he is behind COVID-19 and/or he stands to personally profit by the disease. Both claims are false.

Interestingly...

Bill Gates and others like him are inconvenient for Putin’s regime. He is a billionaire who made his money by developing software that changed the world for the better. He is the opposite of the Russian oligarchs who made their money by currying favor and paying off the regime.

Further, Gates symbolizes the American tradition of charity. The man is literally working to give his billions away and saving lives in the process, such as through efforts to combat malaria in Africa.

This runs counter to Russian oligharachs who just want to get their money..

...Out of Russia and into some other country where they can spend it without fear the Russian government will claw it back.

This is why western sanctions on Russia are inconvenient. They frustrate oligarchs ability to launder money out of the country.

America is a world leader in health. President Bush’s AIDS initiative in Africa was truly historic. US universities, hospitals and health agencies are world leaders. They generate enormous good Will internationally. This is what makes them a target for Russian disinformation.

It is clear America’s adversaries want this pandemic to last as long as possible. That is evident from the disinformation they push into traditional and social media via multiple channels.

The longer COVID-19 lasts, the longer the world is distracted from their mischief.

While we are preoccupied, Russia maintains its control in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics. Iran continues its expansionist plans throughout the MidEast. And China’s South China Sea ambitions are well known.

These countries rely on Americans to pick up and amplify their disinformation on social media. Let’s not.

Let’s focus on defeating the virus and getting America back on track. This demands national unity and focus. /END