Germans are purportedly making fun of their Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces constant criticism for his stance on Russia, along with demands to “call off” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At least that’s what Russian state media like news agency RIA Novosti reported last year, prompting other media outlets around the country to spread similar headlines.
But how do these false reports come about? To understand this, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the actual pieces.
For example, RIA Novosti published a text in August 2022 entitled, “Enough! Germans react harshly to Zelenskyy’s appeal to Russians.” This seemed intended to create the impression of anti-Ukrainian sentiment spreading in Germany.
Anonymous accounts
On closer…