On March 19, online edition infopostalioni.com published an article, headlined “FDA’s statement: The USA created a drug against coronavirus.” The article reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a statement, as if the USA has developed a drug against novel coronavirus, which is prepared based on anti-malaria drug. According to the article,...

On March 17, a pro-Kremlin online edition News Front Georgia released an article headlined “Georgian company has released an English-language bestseller about Vladimir Putin.” The article reads that the book titled “Vladimir Putin – Top Leader of Modern Humankind” was written by Bangladeshi citizen Ashok Gupta, who has no links to Russia and is absolutely...

On March 17, 2020, saqinform.ge published an article that claimed that there had been a cyber-attack on the website of the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Saqinform connects the cyber-attack to the novel coronavirus and claims that “libertarians, LGBT, NGOs, and theologists” are fighting the Church. They also added that the website of the...

Fake information about a cure for Coronavirus is still being disseminated in the Georgian media. News agencies Alia.ge and Tvalsazrisi.ge published interviews with Georgian doctors on March 4 and March 9, respectively, where they claimed to have had created a medicine to treat COVID-19. The information about the Georgian doctors creating a cure for Coronavirus...

Against the backdrop of the spread of coronavirus and fight against it, Facebook pages closely linked to the ruling party, Georgian Dream, have launched a new campaign to discredit leaders of the political opposition.  On 12-15 March, the Facebook pages “ლიდერი 41” (“Leader 41”), “სირცხვილის კორიდორი” (“Corridor of Shame”) and “News TOP” were busy spreading...

On March 15, the online editions gadacema.ge and fbmediatv.com published information, as if Dutch scientists have found a medicine against coronavirus. Both articles have the identical headlines: “I am too old  to stand on the table and jump on it…” – Right at this moment Dutch scientists have discovered a medicine against coronavirus.” The headlines...

Russian politicians and experts keep disseminating conspiracy theories about the origins of coronavirus. This time, the Head of the Moscow Scientific Union of Therapists, Pavel Vorobyov, disseminated the conspiracy theory. The theory was later re-printed from Russian websites by Georgian online media outlets Progressnews.ge and Hotnews.ge. Progressnews first published Vorobyov’s conspiracy theories with a title...

On February 28, Georgian web page hotnews.ge published an article, titled “The apple vinegar and iodine will protect you from coronavirus – Turkish doctors’ recommendations”. The author of the publication advises readers to swab nostrils with cotton bud soaked in iodine, and to gargle with the apple vinegar. Since February 28, hotnews.ge’s article has 470 Facebook...

After exposing, through open sources, fake profiles (14 trolls) with close ties to the pro-Russian political party, Alliance of Patriots, the Myth Detector additionally revealed a Facebook page (“Real Opposition”) and three groups (“Reasonable Georgia,” “Against Enemies of the Country,” “Prison Awaits UNM Mob!!!”), also with close links to the Alliance of Patriots, which,  in...

On March 10-11, several online editions spread the information based on Facebook user Mikheil Sharvashidze’s post, as if the Georgian citizens who travelled back from Italy on a special flight, used violence against a bus driver on their way to Sachkhere hospital, where they should have been quarantined for two weeks. According to the reports,...

On March 7, a pro-Kremlin online edition News Front Georgia released an article headlined “Instead of intensified prayers… or how not to resemble the West!” According to the article, Ireland’s Catholic Church has imposed restrictions on physical contacts between representatives of religious confessions due to coronavirus outbreak; in addition, a recommendation has been issued to...

Several publications released by the Myth Detector in February 2020 about disinformation spread by Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi, one of the leaders of the Alliance of Patriots party, triggered active engagement of suspicious Facebook accounts. Fake users are mainly commenting on the materials targeting the leaders of the Alliance of Patriots party and accusing them of spreading...