Russian state media has dismissed warnings issued by Canada’s CSIS federal intelligence agency about Russian, Chinese and Iranian disinformation about COVID as “madness” and “False claims in blame Russia-fashion.”
The Kremlin often blames Western media and critics of “blaming Russia,” “Russia-bashing” or the classic, “Russophobia”, when facing allegations that it has no evidence to defend itself against. Instead of addressing the allegations or arguments, pro-Kremlin media and commentators frequently ascribe irrational motivations – including “madness” and “insanity”.
The European Union’s External Action Service’s Eastern StratCom has found that: “in 2020, the word “Russophobia” or its adjective, “Russophobic”, has appeared in over 30,000 articles published across 4,800 Russian-language websites.”
A recent EU vs Disinfo report finds that:
“A “Russophobic” action cannot reflect a legitimate interest or a sincere concern. Instead, it’s a symptom of a deep inbred hostility to Russia and everything Russian that cannot be argued or negotiated with. Because Russophobia is irrational, it’s also convenient because it helps to repress any nagging doubts that self-reflection might be in order…. You can even go truly meta and accuse your adversaries of needing an external enemy, just as you do. Ride this train of thought long enough, and you arrive at a simple axiom: if you oppose Russia, you’re a Nazi.”
