DISINFO: Protests in Russia erupted at the exact moment set by the US embassy
SUMMARY
Protests erupted in Russia on Saturday 23 January, at the exact time and according to the same places mentioned and published on the official page of the US Embassy in Moscow with the utmost precision.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation associated with opposition figure and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
While the narrative alleges that the US moved to interfere with Russian domestic affairs and therefore violated Russia's sovereignty, the aforementioned statement, which was published by the US Embassy in Moscow and the US State Department, specifically advised US citizens residing in Russia to stay away from the demonstrations.
It is common practice in diplomacy for Embassies to inform foreign nationals in a country about potentially risky political events by issuing so-called Demonstration Alerts, especially for the protests that aren’t secret and has been called for in the days before.
See other similar cases claiming that neo-liberal forces are behind Navalny, or that the West is sending Navalny back to Russia to prevent him from becoming irrelevant; or that only caffeine and alcohol were found in his blood during his alleged poisoning; or that Navalny is financed by the West.
The same article mentioned another case claiming that Americans and Europeans sent Navalny back to Russia to divert attention.