Social media users believed a fake report claiming that unconditional income would be introduced for residents of Moscow.

In early February, social media users began reposting and sharing messages claiming that residents of Moscow would receive a universal basic income. This experimental economic measure is implemented in several countries. Essentially, it is a "salary from the government" just for living in a certain territory. Such measures are taken to stimulate economic activity. In simpler terms, it encourages people to spend money on goods and services.

The messages assert that Moscow's mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, has decided to introduce a universal basic income. The post is disguised as similar news about benefits. It details the eligibility criteria (for instance, having residency in the capital since 2011), the payment amount (12,000 to 18,000 rubles), and the payment mechanism (through the mos.ru portal).

However, there is no such announcement on the blog of the Mayor of Moscow, his social media accounts, or even on the official portal of the city government, mos.ru. It has not been published in the media either.

“Komsomolskaya Pravda,” in collaboration with the project “Lapsha Media” (which aims to expose misinformation), investigated the source of the news about the introduction of a universal income circulating on social media.

The original source was a post from the satirical publication “Panorama.” This site lacks media registration credentials and is not listed as a news agency. Essentially, it is just an online resource that masquerades as a news outlet. Notably, it has a disclaimer stating:

“All texts on this site are grotesque parodies of reality and do not constitute real news.”

However, the satirical creators at “Panorama” excel at styling their messages to resemble official announcements. As a result, they are often picked up by social media and even major media outlets, while conveniently omitting the portal's disclaimer about being a “grotesque parody of reality.”