MOSCOW (Shahid Ghumman): Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that the information being spread by Western countries and media about the recent Siberian laboratory incident is aimed not at protecting public health but at creating political pressure and a negative narrative against Russia.
During the Global Digital Forum in Moscow, Dunya News correspondent Shahid Ghumman asked Maria Zakharova how Russia is countering fake news about the Siberian laboratory incident while protecting legitimate and responsible journalism.
In response, Maria Zakharova said that incidents involving viruses and diseases keep occurring in various countries around the world, but when such an incident occurs in Russia, certain Western countries suddenly begin showing unusual interest.
She said the United States and other Western countries should first pay attention to the serious public health problems facing their own citizens. In the US, thousands of people are affected by measles and other diseases, drugs and AIDS, but these issues do not receive the attention given to any incident related to Russia.
Maria Zakharova said the aim of such a campaign is not to prevent possible medical risks, find joint solutions or protect people’s health, but to conduct propaganda.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said this is not just propaganda but extremely dangerous propaganda, which can actually cost people their lives.
Citing the example of the Western countries’ attitude toward the Russian Sputnik V vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said Russia was the first country to develop and register a vaccine against the coronavirus, but several countries that are now spreading disinformation against Russia did not license the Russian vaccine at that time.
According to her, people who received the Russian vaccine faced difficulties in some Western countries regarding travel, visas and other facilities, while those who received Western-made vaccines were provided these facilities.
Maria Zakharova said this attitude shows that for some Western governments, political and financial interests were more important than public health. She alleged that the purchase and distribution of vaccines during COVID-19 was also used for political and commercial purposes.
Referring to the case of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s purchase of American vaccines through SMS messages, she said that widespread negative and misleading information was spread against the Russian vaccine, while large quantities of American vaccines were purchased for European citizens.
Maria Zakharova said that some countries behaved responsibly during the pandemic, shared their research and experiences with others, and participated in international cooperation to overcome the global threat. However, some Western countries used the crisis for political gain.
She said the reports about the recent Siberian laboratory incident are also part of the same extensive information campaign against Russia.
The Russian spokeswoman, referring to the Bucha incident, claimed that it too was used for large-scale propaganda against Russia.
She said that in 2022, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine had begun and delegations of both countries were working on a peace plan, but the negotiation process was halted after the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to Kyiv.
She alleged that Western countries were interested in continuing the fighting rather than a ceasefire and negotiations in Ukraine, which is why the Bucha incidents were used to justify this decision before the international community after the talks ended.
Maria Zakharova said Russia has repeatedly demanded the names, dates of birth, burial places and other information of those allegedly killed in Bucha, but complete details were not provided to Moscow.
She claimed that when Russian authorities examined the names inscribed on the memorial erected in Bucha, they included fighters who had no connection to Bucha, while some individuals were associated with banned nationalist groups.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, citing the examples of the Racak incident in Yugoslavia and Nemmersdorf during World War II, said that in history, provocative incidents and false information have been used as justification for military operations and political decisions.
Maria Zakharova said that fake and misleading information against Russia is being used to increase military budgets, block the negotiation process, create political pressure and justify anti-Russia measures.
She said this continuous flow of disinformation is maintained to keep the anti-Russia narrative alive. Russia is not facing such a situation for the first time. During World War II, propaganda of the same nature was carried out against Russians, Jews, Roma, Slavic peoples and others.
Maria Zakharova said Russia has countered such propaganda and pressure in the past and will continue to respond to fake news through facts, official information and historical evidence.
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