Disinformation on COVID‐19 and the war in Ukraine: shared narratives and channels of
Disinformation on COVID‐19 and the war in Ukraine: shared narratives and channels of

Author(s): Ralitsa Kovacheva
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Media studies, Communication studies
Published by: Факултет по журналистика и масова комуникация, Софийски университет „Св. Кл. Охридски”
Keywords: Ukraine; COVID‐19; disinformation; Russian propaganda; genocide; Nazism; bioweapons
Summary/Abstract: The article studies some of the leading disinformation narratives on COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine (2021-2022) and their dissemination channels. The study proves that the same disinformation narratives have been used to oppose the COVID-19 restrictions and vaccines and justify Russian aggression in Ukraine. The research focuses on three leading narratives: genocide/crimes against humanity committed, the policy of nazism/fascism conducted by the authorities, and biological weapons used/experiments performed on people. The study finds that the same actors spread disinformation on both issues using mainly, but not only, social media. The main focus of the dissemination study is on Bulgaria and Central and Eastern Europe, but it also includes examples from other EU countries. Although the official Russian state propaganda pushes these narratives, we find local adjustments and specifics due to specific motivations behind using these narratives. The findings are based on the research provided by six organizations: EUvsDisinfo, EUDisinfo Lab, European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance, SCIENCE + and Factcheck.bg.

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