The Kremlin media is spreading this message using international affairs specialist Mark Gaziq, political commentator Rachel Marsden, and Professor John Laughland.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, the Russian narratives are repeated by China Daily. They write that the EU will be in a situation of “the greatest loser, regardless of how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine unfolds”. At the same time, the authors of the material note that the dependence of most countries on Russian gas is not very high, but in general, the future of the EU as an independent political pole in the global geopolitical arena “looks unattainable” precisely because of the support of Ukraine.

Russian propagandists systematically put pressure on the EU leadership, individual member states and citizens through assistance to Ukraine. Russia resorts to outright gas blackmail, saying that without Russian gas Europe will slide into the Middle Ages, as if the US is pushing Europe into the abyss. They also wrote earlier that allegedly in the EU they started talking about the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia.