Disinfo: EU groundlessly accuses Russia of interference in Western elections while pursuing anti-Russian containment policy

Summary

[In a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament] Among the set of standard accusations against the Kremlin there were unproven reports of "Russian interference in the Western elections", meanwhile there were calls to support the "pro-democratic society" in Russia and directly interfere in Russia’s elections.

Disproof

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West allegedly pursuing a belligerent and hostile agenda to contain Russia. Consistent with the recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative denying any Russian responsibility in interfering in the elections of other countries, despite massive evidence to the contrary.

Russian interference in the US 2020 election has been established beyond doubt not only by US intelligence but also by law enforcement officials, journalists and researchers. Multiple attempts to influence the public discourse to favour one candidate over the other were uncovered throughout 2019 and 2020, though their ultimate success is disputed.

Regarding the 2016 US election, Russian interference was reported by US intelligence in 2017 and confirmed in 2019 at the end of a Special Counsel Investigation.

Russia also has a track record of meddling in democratic processes, including elections, of other Western countries. Independent research, media investigations and parliamentary inquiries have uncovered evidence linking Russian state actors with interference in various electoral processes, including the 2016 Brexit vote, the 2017 French Presidential elections, the 2017 German Parliamentary elections, the 2016 constitutional referendum in Italy and the Dutch referendum on the EU’s Association Agreement with Ukraine. Electoral interference by Russia has been extensively documented in numerous countries around the world.

As concerns the EU's policy towards Russia, it has imposed restrictive measures since 2014, including sectoral sanctions, as a result of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's destabilising actions in eastern Ukraine. Formats such as regular high-level dialogues remain suspended in the absence of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia. These events have seriously affected bilateral relations.

The EU has also strongly condemned the assassination attempt using chemical weapons on Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in 2020 and sanctioned 6 individuals and 1 entity as a result. There is unequivocal evidence that Navalny was poisoned using a Novichok-type nerve agent.

On the other hand, Russia remains a natural partner for the EU and a strategic player combating the regional and global challenges. The EU’s approach to Russia is guided by five principles agreed in 2016 and reaffirmed, most recently, by EU Foreign Ministers in October 2020. Read more about the EU-Russia relations here.

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sputnik-georgia.ru (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 245
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 20/05/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: EU, Russia
  • Keywords: Anti-Russian, Encircling Russia, Destabilising Russia, election meddling, West, Sanctions
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Disinfo: The West uses similar colour revolution technologies in Belarus and Myanmar

Belarus and Myanmar became the hotspots of colour revolutions; very similar technologies were used in both countries despite big differences between them. It is not just a struggle against Alexander Lukashenko, Myanmar’s military, Vladimir Putin, or Donald Trump. This is the struggle of Soros and transnational corporations against nation-states.

May 19, 2021
Disproof

This article promotes recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about “colour revolutions” and about global elites secretly ruling the world, particularly Soros. This is an example of a big conspiracy, which groundlessly attributes groundbreaking events in Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, and the US to the vicious activities of Soros and some unnamed transnational corporations. Read our past analysis "Why authoritarians love the concept of the big conspiracy."

There is no evidence that Soros or transnational corporations stood behind the mass protests in Belarus or Myanmar. The protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election on 9 August 2020, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a big part of the Belarusian society. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called Belarusian elections neither free nor fair.

Disinfo: Medvedchuk case is political, foreigners ordered Ukraine to cut links with Russia and Belarus

Pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk was put under suspicion for high treason on orders from abroad. Foreign countries force Ukraine to oust those who communicate with Russia and Belarus. Medvedchuk was making peacekeeping efforts, and his role was a stabilising one for Ukrainian politics. The fact that people like him are being removed means that the Ukrainian authorities are nervous.

May 19, 2021
Disproof

This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin media outlets claiming that the West compels the Ukrainian leadership to cut all relations with Russia and that the recent legal action against pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk was a political case orchestrated from Western countries. In reality, these allegations are unsubstantiated.

Ukraine and Russia maintain relations in certain spheres, first and foremost where prisoner exchange is concerned. Russia is a party to the Donbas conflict, so Ukraine prefers to discuss the liberation of its citizens with it rather than with its proxies in Donbas. It would mean recognition of the so-called “DNR” and “LNR” as political subjects.

Disinfo: Experienced special forces have been working against the Belarusian authorities

Belarusian authorities must remain alert because there are experienced foreign special forces working against them. Compared to Western special forces, the special forces of Belarus are harmless and innocent. Nevertheless, Belarus can handle anything as long as it stays alert. The truth and the vast majority of people are on the side of Belarus (and its authorities). The attempt for a Blitzkrieg-style riot was overcome. Today, the citizens of Belarus understand clearly what the special forces were aiming for when they were on the streets in August.

May 19, 2021
Disproof

A mixture of recurring disinformation narratives, including the notion that public discontent in Belarus following the Belarusian presidential elections in August 2020 was caused by Western intervention and that there was a US-directed coup attempt in Belarus in April 2021. These are accompanied by an unjustified contrast between Western and Belarusian secret services, unsubstantiated claims about public support for the authoritarian regime in Belarus, and a distorted portrayal of protesters as waging a supposed “Blitzkrieg”.

Outlets controlled by the Kremlin always present a distorted view of pro-democratic protests and movements in Russia and other states from the former Soviet bloc as Western-directed malign operations targeting Russia. No evidence has been presented to support the claim that the widespread protests that started in Belarus in August 2020 were directed by Western secret services or that they were involved in a coup attempt against Lukashenka in April 2021. Both of these claims have been thoroughly debunked in two separate reports by the Atlantic Council, which analysed how these disinformation narratives support Kremlin’s foreign policy.