DISINFO: The US used the pandemic to interfere in the affairs of other countries like Belarus
SUMMARY
The US and its closest allies tried to use the situation with the pandemic to increase their methods of pressure, blackmailing, ultimatums, illegitimate actions with the introduction of restrictive unilateral measures and other forms of interference in the internal affairs of other countries, including Russia’s closest neighbour, Belarus.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative framing popular protests in Belarus as Western-backed. There is no evidence that the US or its Western allies used the pandemic and are interfering in the internal affairs of Belarus or any other country.
Contrary to the claim, protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election in Belarus on the 9th of August, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a large part of the Belarusian society. Further mobilisations were organised and carried out by local actors, opposition politicians, and Belarusian citizens, without any foreign involvement.
On 19 August 2020 the European Council called the Belarus elections neither free nor fair and on 2 October 2020, the Council imposed restrictive measures against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and journalists, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process. The Council added 15 members of the Belarusian authorities, including Alexandr Lukashenko, as well as his son and National Security Adviser Viktor Lukashenko, to the list of sanctions, on 6 November 2020.