Russia accused of creating atmosphere of fear

Australia also believes that Russia is to blame for spreading false information about the coronavirus. This is the official position of the Aussie authorities. It is "troubling that some countries are using the pandemic to undermine liberal democracy and promote their own, more authoritarian models," Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said at the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra on June 16. "And they must serve as bulwarks against disinformation. Let's be clear: disinformation during a pandemic will cost lives," she said. At the same time, the Australians seem to have no opinion on Russia's  "sinister role" in the pandemic. Payne referred to the recent report from the European Commission, in which Russia and China are mentioned among the states that conduct "targeted propaganda operations and disinformation campaigns" in Europe. The report in question was distributed last week. In particular, the report says that foreign entities and certain third countries, in particular Russia and China, participated in targeted operations to spread propaganda and disinformation campaigns in the EU, neighboring countries and around the world. As the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrel noted, disinformation during the spread of coronavirus may kill people, so the EU authorities must take efforts to protect their citizens from false information. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied Australia's charges. According to him, Beijing has never resorted to disinformation to improve its image.