DISINFO: The protests in Belarus are a colour revolution conducted according to Maidan scenario
SUMMARY
[The protests in Belarus] are a colour revolution, completely according to the scenario of Kiyv’s Maidan. The protesters have been trained by the Western governments. This situation has been pre-arranged to raise doubts about the legitimacy of Lukasehenko’s victory.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about colour revolutions. Protests in Belarus erupted after thousands of people took to the streets to contest the results of presidential election in Belarus, that are considered fraudulent by a large part of society. The European Union has said that the elections were neither free nor fair: "State authorities deployed disproportionate and unacceptable violence causing at least one death and many injuries. Thousands of people were detained and the crackdown on freedoms of assembly, media and expression intensified. We call on the Belarusian authorities to release immediately and unconditionally all detained. Furthermore, credible reports of domestic observers show that the electoral process did not meet the international standards expected of an OSCE participating State." This disinformation message appeared in the same TV broadcast as the claims that EU reaction to Lukashenko's presidential win is an example of Western double standards. See previous disinformation cases alleging that the EU continues to support a colour revolution in Belarus; the EU provoked a civil war in Ukraine, now it destabilises Belarus; Belarusian opposition wants to turn Belarus into the 51st state of the US.