DISINFO: US and EU are looking for new candidates to destabilise Russia from the inside
SUMMARY
The US's and the EU's intelligence services want to destabilise Russia from the inside. They are looking for candidates to replace Alexei Navalny as the main symbol of Russian protests because the interest in “Berlin's patient” in Russian society is decreasing.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation about Western attempts to destabilise Russia, including a narrative about Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who is currently in Russian prison for his political activities. Before that he suffered a poisoning attempt with a nerve agent and has been repeatedly accused by pro-Kremlin media of being a CIA or an MI6 agent.
The claim that the US or the EU want to destabilise Russia is groundless. There is no evidence that Russian opposition, activists, or other political or public organisations are masterminded by the West. The current state of EU-Russia relations stems primarily from Moscow's actions, beginning in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the waging of an undeclared, albeit well-documented, war in Ukraine's Donbas region.
The EU’s approach to Russia is guided by five principles agreed in 2016 and reaffirmed by EU Foreign Ministers in October 2020. In June 2021 the motto: push back, constrain, engage - has been coined to explain the aim of moving towards a more constructive engagement and political commitment by the Russian leadership. Nevertheless, Russia remains a natural partner for the EU and a strategic player combating regional and global challenges.
See other similar examples of disinformation: Russia’s liberal and pro-Western opposition groups aim to destabilise Russia and Western countries use accusations about Navalny to undermine political stability in Russia before elections.