DISINFO: The West tried to destabilise Russia by using Navalny in 2021
SUMMARY
By the beginning of 2022, the United States, through a series of coups, had completed the formation of a belt of hostile countries around Russia; as a result, Russia's military allies, Armenia and Kazakhstan, had turned their orientation towards the United States. Belarus, in a state union with Russia, has been destabilised by an attempted coup. With America still dominating the world, civil war there is only a matter of time. The West tried to destabilise Russia itself by using Russian dissident Alexei Navalny in 2021.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Alexei Navalny and the alleged encirclement of Russia by the West; see also here, Myth 5: encirclement.
The claim that Navalny is somehow used by the West and foreign special services for the political destabilisation of Russia is disinformation:
First, the claims about coups in states around Russia are not supported by any evidence. This narrative typically portrays popular protests and civil uprisings in other states, especially the former Soviet republics, as Western-funded "colour revolutions". This narrative has often been used to justify Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Second, anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has long been the most prominent face of Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin. His candidacy in the 2018 presidential election was banned by authorities over his conviction by a Russian court for embezzlement, which bars him from running for office. He has been arrested and imprisoned several times during his political career.
Alexei Navalny was arrested following his return to Russia from Germany in January 2021, where he was treated for poisoning with a Novichok-type chemical nerve agent. The European Union condemned his arrest and demanded his immediate release.
See further disinformation claims that the West needs Alexey Navalny to destabilise Russia; that Alexei Navalny is a depleted political project; that the neo-liberal forces behind Navalny will intensify their attempts to destroy Russia; that Navalny is used as an instrument by Western special services and that the West needs Alexei Navalny to destabilise the situation in Russia.
*This disinformation message appeared in the same article as the claims that Europe is losing to US hegemony and theft of Russian assets is a breach of private property law