A fake letter announcing the alleged withdrawal of allied troops from Lithuania showed state and non-state actors are trying to capitalise on the Covid-19 crisis, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis received the fake email that appeared to be from the NATO chief. It was also sent to the Lithuanian media and addresses at the main NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“[The letter] demonstrates that we have seen state actors and non-state actors trying to utilise the coronavirus, the Covid-19 crisis, to spread disinformation, to create confusion and to undermine the resolve and the unity of the NATO allies," Stoltenberg told reporters.
Read more: Fake news on NATO withdrawal from Lithuania sent to media, Brussels
He said the attempt failed, adding that NATO allies demonstrated "a rock-solid commitment" to Lithuania "not only in words, but also in deeds".
"We continue air policing, just today [it was reported] that we intercepted a Russian plane, we continue to intercept, we continue to protect the airspace over allied countries and we maintain our naval operation, our naval presence also in the Baltic Sea."
Read more: Belgian air force shares video of Russian jet intercept over Baltic Sea
Russia and China
The NATO chief did not say who might be behind the disinformation campaigns, but noted that Russian and Chinese officials have previously made false statements to undermine the Alliance.
"Normally, those who are behind the disinformation campaigns, they try to hide what they are doing and they use different platforms to spread disinformation, not least in social media. And they are trying to hide their activities," he said.
"We have seen public statements by both Russian spokespersons and Chinese spokespersons, indicating that NATO allies are not supporting each other at all, that NATO allies are not able to deal with Covid-19 crisis, that they are not protecting their elderly or that NATO allies are responsible for spreading this virus,” added Stoltenberg.
"And these are public statements made both by Russia and China. So that is available for everyone who reads those statements and again, this is wrong."
NATO and the coronavirus
Stoltenberg said that a Covid-19 outbreak in NATO's battalion stationed in Lithuania had been properly handled.
“The personnel who have tested positive have been given care, either they've been brought back to their home country, some have also been taken care of in the country where they are stationed."
"Some are in quarantine and we have implemented measures, in line with the recommendations from the World Health Organization to make sure that we avoid the spread of the virus."
Read more: Croat and German medics arrive in Lithuania to treat NATO troops
Stoltenberg added that Germany and Croatia had sent in extra medical personnel to help deal with the situation in the German-led international battalion stationed in Lithuania.
According to the secretary general, NATO allies stand together in countering the Covid-19 crisis.
"We see how NATO allies use NATO mechanisms, NATO airlift capabilities, [and] how our military across the lines are playing the key role in helping the civilian society to deal with this with everything from transportation to disinfecting public spaces, to controlling borders, to setting up field hospitals," he said.
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