DISINFO: CSTO should have intervened in Belarus to prevent a colour revolution

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: CSTO should have intervened in Belarus to prevent a colour revolution

SUMMARY

While some were predicting for a long intervention, Russian military bases and Tokayev handing the keys of Nur-Sultan to a Russian general, none of that happened because Russia acted very thoughtfully towards its ally. Russia's broad support to Kazakhstan in a difficult moment, which allowed Kazakh govenment to restore order. This support was pragmatic and professionaly executed to achieve immediate results.

Russia's interest is to keep Kazakhstan stable with a strong president who is not accused of depending on foreign interference. The same could have happened in Belarus, but Alexander Lukashenko was overconfident and missed the right moment before Western “colour revolution” techniques were used in domestic protests.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the protests in Belarus. This is consistent with the narrative about popular protests around the world which claims that they are incited and funded by Western states, including colour revolutions in post-Soviet states. It claims that protests, disorders and civil uprisings are never manifestations of popular discontent but are “colour revolutions” directed and funded by the West.

Protests in Belarus were not the outcome of "Western colour revolution techniques", but erupted to contest the results of the presidential election that took place in Belarus on the 9th of August 2020, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a large part of the Belarusian society. See here for the EU's reaction.

Similarly in Ukraine, the spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was an organic reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. See the full debunk of this disinformation claim here.

See related examples of disinformation messages alleging that the protests in Belarus are a colour revolution conducted according to Maidan scenario; the EU continues to support a colour revolution in Belarus; the EU provoked a civil war in Ukraine, now it destabilises Belarus; and that the West wants to prepare Maidan in Belarus.

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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