This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Reports say that people in the West lack the opportunity to succeed because local elites prevent it. Like, the prices for education, health care and childcare are “too high”. The authors of the messages refer to the material of the American Enterprise Institute, which also published a graph in the material, which allegedly shows that the West influences the economy badly. The graph shows the fall in prices for computer equipment, toys, televisions in the United States. On the other hand, one can notice an increase in prices for medicine, education, etc. Consequently, the authors conclude that “Western” elites create conditions under which it is “impossible for ordinary people to succeed”. This is manipulation.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project investigated the case, they found out that the graph belongs to the economist Mark Perry. By it, he demonstrates the difference in pricing in selected areas, which is explained by the presence or absence of state influence. The material accompanying the chart does not say that the authorities are trying to restrict ordinary citizens from receiving services. That is, the propagandists distorted the context of the material and made up profitable graphics data.

In the article, the author mentions that this chart has been updated regularly over the past few years. It really notices the rise in prices in the field of medicine, education, etc. There is also a depreciation in technology, software, clothing. Perry attributes this to the impact of globalization: the more competition in the international arena, the lower the price of a product. Therefore, the cost of toys, equipment, and computer technology is cheaper. At the same time , the greater the degree of state participation in the provision of a good or service, the more the price rises over time. However, it is not about the fact that the Western leadership limits services for its citizens, the economist talks about general market trends and how high competition generates low prices for products and vice versa.