Russia rejects accusations of spreading virus disinformation

(AP) — Russian officials have rejected accusations that Moscow is spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., slamming them as “conspiracy theories” and a “persistent phobia.”

U.S. officials said on Tuesday that Russian intelligence services were using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday called the allegations “some kind of a persistent phobia.” Lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev said Wednesday that the accusations are either “new conspiracy theories” invented by journalists or “yet another hoax of American security services.”