DISINFO: Russia jails people for high-level corruption, whereas the US, UK and Europe don't
SUMMARY
In Russia, people engaged in high-level corruption are jailed, including governors, ministers, including from the federal government. […] But we hear nothing of imprisonment at such level from the US, the UK, Europe. Isn’t there any corruption? There absolutely is, there is no imprisonment.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russian superiority.
The claim is a logical fallacy, the lack of high-level imprisonments is not an indication of rampant corruption in the US, UK or Europe.
According to 2019 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, Russia ranks 137th out of 180 countries. On the index, Russia scored 28 points out of 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. The score is less than the average score for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. Recently, Transparency International Russia’s public opinion poll showed that 44 per cent of Russian citizens believe corruption is widespread at the highest levels of their government.
On the same Corruption Perception Index, the US scored 69 points out of 100 (and ranks as 23rd most transparent country in the world), the UK scored 77 points out of 100 (ranking 12th most transparent country in the world). The Corruption Perception Index in the EU Member states in 2019 ranged from 87 points out of 100 for Denmark, which together with New Zealand ranks as the 1st most transparent state in the world, to 43 points out of 100 for Bulgaria (74th most transparent country in the world).
The disinformation claim appeared in the same broadcast as an allegation that the German government co-produced a film with Navalny to provoke Russia, that NATO secret services made a blunder in their script for Navalny, and that the Kremlin was unfoundedly accused of Navalny’s poisoning.