Russian officials have denied the existence a Kremlin-backed propaganda campaign targeting the European Union.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the European Parliament for comparing Kremlin-backed media outlets such as Sputnik and Russia Today to propaganda made by terrorist groups banned in Russia, like the Islamic State.
“We have repeatedly stated that Russia has no propaganda campaign against the EU. If the European Union has any internal issues, the cause of those problems must be found within, rather than blaming them on a third party,” she said.
In a non-legislative resolution passed on Nov. 23, the European Parliament condemned Russia's state media as “disinformation and propaganda” designed to “increase Russia's influence and weaken the EU.”
The motion passed by 304 votes to 179, with 208 abstentions.
Russian officials criticized the resolution immediately, with President Vladimir Putin claiming that Europe wishes to silence “alternative viewpoints.” "We are observing a certain, quite obvious, degradation of how democracy is understood in Western society," Putin said on Wednesday.
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