Analysis: How a QAnon conspiracy theory about Ukraine bioweapons became mainstream disinformation – By Justin Ling (CBC News) / April 10, 2022
It started as a fringe belief. Now it’s an official stated reason for Russia’s invasion
More than a quarter of Americans polled at the end of March said they believe that the United States has been developing bioweapons in labs across Ukraine — a conspiracy conceived, crafted and amplified by QAnon and the Russian government.
Five weeks ago, that conspiracy theory was little more than a fringe belief. Today, it is an official stated reason for Russia’s brutal invasion. And it could be a sign of what President Vladimir Putin is plotting next.
“There’s zero basis in fact for doing anything in bioweapons or any kind of research like that at all,” said Robert Pope, a senior official at the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency. He says this pattern goes back to Soviet propaganda, trying to establish that America has been developing weapons to destroy the Russian people.
“This is purely a Russian propaganda effort to try and undermine the work the United States is doing,” said Tom Moore, a non-proliferation expert who has worked in the U.S. Senate and at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
CONTINUE > https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-russia-bioweapons-theory-1.6412029
