MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/: Russia's Safe Internet League detected over 9,000 coronavirus-related fake news stories in April and May, the organization said in a statement.
"The League has detected 9,052 fake news stories about the coronavirus since the beginning of April," the statement reads. "We also received more than 21,000 requests from people concerning the spread of misinformation," the statement quoted the organization’s head Yekaterina Mizulina as saying.
Most fake news stories are spread on WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte and TikTok.
Some fake news stories allege that coronavirus-infected health workers in Russia's Astrakhan region deliberately continue their professional activities. Other stories say that Moscow street cleaners report to police how the city’s residents comply with lockdown restrictions. There are also fake news stories saying that the coronavirus was created artificially and pine tree root extract can help treat the infection, while mask-wearing leads to respiratory illnesses.
