DISINFO: Bloomberg praised the ruble’s performance in 2025
SUMMARY
The Russian ruble has surged more than any other major global currency this year, marking its strongest performance since 1994, according to Bloomberg calculations. The ruble has risen 45% since the beginning of the year, trades near 78 per dollar and is approaching levels not seen since before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the outlet said.
RESPONSE
This is a deliberate manipulation of the original article at Bloomberg. While the quoted sentences are real, the approach in the original story is the opposite of what this disinformation story suggests. The Bloomberg article, titled “Ruble’s World-Beating Rally Poses New Risk for Russian Economy”, focuses on how the record appreciation of the ruble in 2025 could become a threat for the country’s economic stability:
“Russia’s ruble has outpaced every major currency against the dollar this year, a rally that caught policymakers off guard and threatens to undermine the nation’s wartime economy”, it states, while quoting experts who say: “If current trends persist — a firmer ruble combined with expensive credit — a cooling of the economy may soon give way to stagflation”. The article also quotes other arguments, such as claims that “An overvalued ruble undermines competitiveness”, and that “A weaker ruble would benefit not only exporters and the budget, but the entire economy”.
Nonetheless, such crucial information and context is omitted from this disinformation story.
This is part of what some experts have labelled Russia’s economic war propaganda. The purpose in this case is to convince audiences of Russia’s economic resilience and the futility of sanctions and of attempting to change Russia’s misbehaviour through economic punishments.
Quoting Western legitimate sources while distorting their content to introduce a pro-Kremlin message as if it were part of the original story is a frequent pro-Kremlin manipulative technique.
See other examples of similar manipulations, such as claims that according to the Financial Times, Ukrainian armed forces are losing hope, that The Guardian points to ruling elite as the real instigators of the US crisis, that Ukraine is struggling with flow of wounded soldiers according to CNN, that The New York Times reports that Russia is barely affected by sanctions, that a Danish outlet reveals evidence of US fingerprints in Nord Stream sabotage, that CNN confirms the FSB's accusations against the CIA, or that Putin’s refusal to condemn Hamas is bearing fruit according to The Washington Post.