EJIS: "Disinformation in international politics"

January 16, 2023
EJIS

Abstract: Concerns over disinformation have intensified in recent years. Policymakers, pundits, and observers worry that countries like Russia are spreading false narratives and disseminating rumours in order to shape international opinion and, by extension, government policies to their liking. Despite the importance of this topic, mainstream theories in International Relations offer contradictory guidance on how to think about disinformation.

Press Coverage: “BIOLOGICAL (DIS)INFORMATION: Russia – Georgia – USA"

January 09, 2023
Russia-Georgia Media logo collage

1-Information on the production of dangerous viruses and bacteria in a Georgian laboratory under the auspices of the United States needs international verification - Igor Giorgadze

https://www.interfax.ru/presscenter/628867/ (September 11, 2018)

2-Georgia rejected Russia's accusations about the biological laboratory named after Lugara

https://www.interfax.ru/world/629389/ (September 15, 2018)

CWIHP: "China’s False Allegations of the Use of Biological Weapons by the United States during the Korean War"

January 05, 2023
CWIHP

"A little-remembered aspect of the Korean War is an issue of great importance to those concerned with arms control and allegations of the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), namely nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. During and after the war, North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union alleged that the United States used biological weapons (BW) on an enormous scale in areas of both China and North Korea.

SHR: "Disinformation in International Relations: How Important Is It?"

December 16, 2022
Security and Human Rights

ABSTRACT: This article explores the relevance of disinformation in international relations. It discusses the nature of information manipulation, ways to counter disinformation, and possibilities for international organizations, including the OSCE, to initiate confidence-building measures. The article suggests that although disinformation has become an increasingly salient aspect of global politics, its security impact should not be overstated. As in domestic politics, international disinformation parasites on existing divisions and concerns, which it exploits rather than creates.

"Russia’s “dirty bomb” disinformation, annotated": Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

December 02, 2022
BoAS

In late October, after eight months of war, the Russian government claimed that Ukraine was preparing to use a "dirty bomb" and blame it on Russia. There was never any evidence for this claim. But Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nbenzia, nevertheless sent a letter (reproduced below) demanding that the Security Council hold a meeting to discuss the "dirty bomb" issue.

Newsweek:"China Peddles Russia's Claim That U.S. Has Bioweapons in Ukraine"

November 25, 2022
Zhao Lijian

China, ostensibly neutral on Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, took a significant step into Moscow's camp on Tuesday when a government official repeated a Russian conspiracy theory about the existence of U.S.-funded biological weapons in the country.

At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, read out a Russian media report about the alleged discovery of a "military biological program" in Ukraine in the days after the large-scale offensive began.

Newsweek: "Russian Conspiracy Theory Says U.S. Training Birds to Spread Bio Weapons"

November 24, 2022
 Twitter/DRM Journal, March 11, 2022

After accusing the U.S. of producing bioweapons in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense has added another feather-ruffling theory to their accusation: That the U.S. is training birds in Ukraine to spread deadly diseases among Russian citizens.

The claim is just one of many false claims that Russia has offered to justify its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, including the baseless allegation that Ukrainian officials were committing genocide against ethnic Russians.

"Russia (again) peddles its debunked US-Ukrainian bioweapons claims at the United Nations": Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

November 16, 2022
Bulletin

Since invading Ukraine in February, the Russian government has tirelessly worked to convince others of the existence of an illicit US-Ukrainian bioweapons program. It’s brought the claims to the UN Security Council, the Biological Weapons Convention, and other international venues, sometimes more than once. Earlier this month, Moscow went to the Security Council for the fourth time this year. This time, Russian diplomats triggered a never-before invoked mechanism to vote on creating a commission to investigate its bioweapons allegations. Once again, few countries sided with Russia.