DISINFO: Belarus needs to abandon multilateral foreign policy in favour of closer alliance with Russia

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

  • Outlet: sputnik.by ( archive, original )
  • Date of publication: November 02, 2020
  • Countries / regions discussed: Belarus, Russia

DISINFO: Belarus needs to abandon multilateral foreign policy in favour of closer alliance with Russia

SUMMARY

The colour revolution guidelines did not work in Belarus. Belarus can only preserve its independence in civilisational unity with Russia and in close political, economic, mental, cultural, and humanitarian alliance with it. If Belarus-Russia contacts do not continue strengthening, sovereignty will weaken. The multilateral foreign policy aims at tearing Belarus apart from Russia. The wording about neutrality in Belarus’s Constitution seems like an attempt to terminate membership in the CSTO. This can be followed with the stationing of the NATO military base in Belarus.

RESPONSE

This publication is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narratives about colour revolutions in the post-Soviet countries, particularly in Belarus, and promotes the concept of Russian civilisation. It calls for abandoning independent Belarus's foreign relations with all countries but Russia and criticises the constitutional norm about aiming towards neutrality, using a groundless claim about prospects for stationing NATO military bases in Belarus.

The claim about a West-driven colour revolution in Belarus is a conspiracy. Massive protests in Belarus began in Minsk on August 9 against the results of the presidential election, and then in other cities. People revolted against election fraud and police violence towards thousands of rally participants. Read more about Belarusian protests here.

The publication promotes a classic false dilemma for Belarus's development, promising negative consequences for Belarus's sovereignty in case it does not proceed towards a very close integration format in relations with Russia.

See earlier disinformation cases promoting a similar false dilemma and alleging that Belarus faces either normal development under Russia or a forced Polonization and economic devastation, that the only possible scenario for Ukraine and Belarus to prevent their descent into Nazism through the politicisation of national clothes is to become a Russian western federal area, and that the direction of Belarus and other post-Soviet countries' political development is either a union with Russia or unavoidable degradation.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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