Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine: COVID-19 disinformation in Eastern Europe

Please join the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) and Ukraine Crisis Media Center on Wednesday, May 20th, at 8:00 EDT (14:00 CEST) for a 360/Virtual event focused on how the COVID-19 crisis has influenced the information environment in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine.

As the novel coronavirus has swept the globe, Eastern European countries have displayed unique responses to the pandemic. Governmental actions range from the strict quarantine measures in Ukraine to selective restrictions without a full-scale lockdown in Belarus.

COVID-19 has made Eastern Europe increasingly vulnerable to internal and external actors exploiting the crisis through disinformation and propaganda. Foreign and domestic actors have been sowing mistrust towards state institutions and officials, criticizing either too soft or harsh measures, and diminishing the dangers of the pandemic by providing unproven methods to protect from coronavirus. In one instance, a false narrative circulated in Ukraine and Moldova claimed that the U.S. biological laboratories are developing bioweapons in both countries. This 360/Virtual event will gather experts from Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine to discuss the unique disinformation campaigns in each country during the pandemic and explore recommendations to build resilience against this ‘infodemic.’