DISINFO: Outside powers prepared the colour revolution in Kazakhstan
SUMMARY
The events in Kazakhstan were well-prepared. It automatically raises questions about who finances, trains and manages the protesters. Also, a surprising coincidence cannot be ignored: the events in Kazakhstan happened a few days before the conversation between Russia and NATO about security guarantees.
RESPONSE
This claim advances an emerging pro-Kremlin narrative alleging that the January 2022 anti-government protests in Kazakhstan are part of a US policy of staging “colour revolutions” worldwide with the aim of destabilising Russia.
The pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in Georgia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors supported by foreign powers who constantly prepare new coups.
The trigger and immediate cause of the protests in Kazakhstan was the government's lifting of price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that took place in early January in the Western region of Manghystau and unrest soon spread to the capital.
As the Guardian reports, the official story from the Kremlin began with explanations that the protests were a military coup organised by foreign terrorists. Later the notion of a "colour revolution" is added. However, the narrative is not based on facts and contains from many gaps and inconsistencies.
There are however more deep-rooted causes for the protests in a country that suffers from lack of democracy, corruption and economic difficulties despite being rich in economic resources. For example, Kazakhstan ranks 128 out of 167 countries in the 2020 Democracy Index, and also ranks 94 out of 180 countries in the 2020 Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
See also the statement by the EU High Representative here.
Read also related examples of disinformation claims: US-sponsored Kazakhstan protests aimed to undermine CIS stability, Protests in Kazakhstan are a new Western attempt to organise a colour revolution or EU and US aim to generate a new wave of anti-government protests in Belarus.