DISINFO: The Orange Revolution in Ukraine was the US attempt to marginalise Russia
SUMMARY
New democratic rules regarding “the three tours of voting” during the 2004 presidential elections in Ukraine, together with the so-called Orange Revolution and the victory of Viktor Yushchenko [in the presidential elections] are proof that the US made another step to marginalise Russia on the international arena and engaged in conflicts near Russian borders.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory. No evidence given for the US behind the orange revolution.
Ukraine’s Orange Revolution of 2005 was sparked by the election fraud. Nonpartisan exit polls during the 2004 presidential election had given Viktor Yushchenko a commanding lead, with 52 percent of the votes, compared to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich's 43 percent. Yet when the official results came in, Yanukovich had supposedly beaten the challenger by 2.5 percent.
Protestors clad in orange, Yushchenko’s campaign colour, took to the streets, and the country endured nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Yanukovych’s supporters in the east threatened to secede from Ukraine if the results were annulled. Nevertheless, on December 3 the Supreme Court ruled the election invalid and ordered a new runoff for December 26. Yushchenko subsequently defeated Yanukovych by garnering some 52 percent of the vote. Although Yanukovych challenged the validity of the results, Yushchenko was inaugurated on January 23, 2005.
Pro-Kremlin outlets regularly use narratives about the West or the US behind protests or other events which kremlin does not support. See analogous stories on the Euromaidan here and on colour revolutions here.