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Disinfo: US wants anti-Russian forces in Belarusian government to wage war against Russia

Summary

NATO is preparing for nuclear war against Russia from the territory of Ukraine. This is the reason why the US needed the coup known as “Maidan” and the new Fascist government in Ukraine. Now they try to drag Belarus into this and bring anti-Russian forces into government to wage war against Russia.

Disproof

The claim is part of an ongoing Russian disinformation campaign on Belarus based on recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, such as accusing other countries of interference and portraying popular protests against electoral fraud in the country as a Western-led colour revolution. Also consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on NATO and Russophobia.

NATO does not provoke conflicts between sovereign countries and does not plan to wage a war against Russia. "Any claims that NATO is preparing an attack on Russia are absurd," NATO's official website says. NATO is a defensive alliance and does not pose a threat to Russia. Its purpose is to protect its member states.

Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets have consistently tried to frame the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution as a coup d'etat, and Ukrainian politics as dominated by fascist/Nazi groups and ideology. The Euromaidan was not a coup but a nationwide popular protest against the government's sudden announcement that it would not sign the EU Association Agreement. See the full debunk on Euromaidan here. Also, see previous disinformation narratives alleging that the 2014 Ukraine coup was orchestrated by neo-Nazis and that Nazis took over Ukraine with a coup.

None of the countries of the European Union, nor the U.S., have anything to do with the mass protests in Belarus: rallies of thousands broke out after Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years, declared that he had “won a convincing victory” in the elections. See similar disinformation cases here and here.

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publication/media

Georgia and the World (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 213
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23/09/2020
  • Language/target audience: Georgian
  • Country: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, US
  • Keywords: Protest, Encircling Russia, Colour revolutions, Russophobia, NATO, Euromaidan

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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Hostile actions of Poland towards Belarus a smokescreen for Poland’s real goals

[By his actions], Prime Minister Morawiecki will not liberate Belarus, but he will turn the Belarusian authorities away from his country. President Lukashenka has already announced that there will be no re-export of “sanctioned” Polish goods to Russia. The hostile actions of Poland towards Belarus is nothing more than a smokescreen for the real goals of Poland, which are still not defined in Warsaw.

September 28, 2020
Disproof

This is a pro-Kremlin narrative about Western attempts to organise a colour revolution in Belarus.

The claim that Poland “realises hostile actions against Belarus” is not confirmed by any evidence. On August 14, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented the so-called “Solidarity Plan”, which is aimed at supporting Belarusian society, which faces harsh repressions from the side of the Belarusian authorities. This Plan has five components – support for people facing political repressions; a scholarship programme; better access to the Polish labour market; support to independent media; support to Belarusian NGOs. These steps have no connection to the alleged “active interference in the domestic affairs of Belarus”.

Navalny wasn’t poisoned with Novichok, he would be dead within 10 minutes

Navalny wasn’t poisoned with Novichok, he would be dead after 10 minutes.

It takes only a few minutes of contact with the nerve poison before the first symptoms appear. “It takes ten minutes until death,” one of the developers of the nerve poison Novichok, Leonid Rink, explained. According to Rink, there are also other indications that contradict the hypothesis that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok – namely that there were no constricted pupils or muscle cramps.

“These are antispasmodic substances that interrupt nerve impulses and thus cause muscle cramps, especially in the eye muscles.” This leads to a narrowing of the pupils, which is “already visible at such low doses of Novichok, where there is no question of poisoning.” According to Rink, these signs are missing in all photos of Navalny taken after the alleged poison attack.

September 28, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

Leonid Rink, the expert often quoted as saying that Navalny would have died if it had been Novichok, indeed has a history of working with the nerve poison. In 2000 Rink was indicted for illegally selling Novichok from his garage, an action that resulted in the first deaths from nerve agent, in 1995. His criminal case was later dismissed on secret grounds and he received a one-year suspended sentence. Read a similar disinformation story by Polygraph.

A “Marshall Plan” is necessary for depopulated Lithuania, corrupted Romania and less and less law-abiding Poland, but not Belarus

The initiative to “support” Belarus was described by Prime Minister Morawiecki as the “Marshall Plan”. Today, this support is more necessary for the economy of depopulated Lithuania, corrupt Romania or less and less law-abiding Poland, but not to the Belarusians, who have dealt with the current crisis in not the worst way.

It seems that the Presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Romania want to push the Belarusians to face blackmail from institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

September 28, 2020
Disproof

This message distorts the presentation of the socio-economic situation in Belarus and the EU. Belarus is presented as a highly developed Communist-style welfare state, while the EU countries face challenges such as corruption, depopulation and problems with the rule of law.

On September 21, the Presidents of Poland, Lithuania and Romania presented the idea to introduce a support package for Belarus, if this country organises free and democratic elections. This package may include benefits such as the visa-free regime with the EU, favourable trade regime and support in negotiations to enter the World Trade Organization.