DISINFO: The West may seek to destabilise Russia ahead of Duma elections
SUMMARY
The West may try to undermine the domestic situation in Russia ahead of the Duma elections on 19 September. The aim is to question the election results by inciting social unrest and demonstrations.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Russophobia and anti-Russian provocations led by the West in order to destabilise Russia and question the legitimacy of its regime.
These types of narratives portray any spontaneous disorders or civil uprisings in any state and more particularly in the former Soviet republics, as "Western-funded colour revolutions". According to the pro-Kremlin media, protests and civil uprisings are never manifestations of genuine popular discontent and political desires manifested by the population, but are foreign engineered colour revolutions directed and funded by Western intelligence services or other Western actors, to destabilise targeted foreign states and bring about regime change.
Ukraine is the main case used by pro-Kremlin media to prove the existence of such a narrative, focusing on the Revolution of Dignity (Euromaidan) which took place in 2013. Most recently though, pro-Kremlin media insisted that Alexey Navalny was the main figure behind the organisation of demonstrations in Russia aiming at overthrowing the regime. However, the claim that the calls made by Navalny’s team to protest are foreign engineered colour revolutions is a baseless accusation. The 2021 Russian protests that began on 23 January 2021, erupted in support of the arrested opposition leader Alexei Navalny and as a reaction to the investigation of Putin's Palace.
Read more about the concept of "colour revolutions" in the pro-Kremlin media here.
See other similar cases in our database claiming that the neo-liberal forces behind Navalny will intensify their attempts to destroy Russia, or that the West sent Navalny back to Russia to prevent him from becoming irrelevant, or that the West has launched a second wave of colour revolutions, or that the West needs any cause to sanction Russia, or that even EU sanctions against Russia are illegal.