DISINFO: US, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania support sleeper cells in Belarus
SUMMARY
Sleeper cells have been active in Belarus and supported by Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania. They were aiming to overthrow the government. The US and Germany are hiding behind these efforts.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western attempts to organise a colour revolution in Belarus – the US, Germany, Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine are presented here as countries with hostile and aggressive plans towards Belarus.
First of all, there is no evidence that a coup d’état was attempted by the US or Germany in Belarus nor of an assassination attempt on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
On 17 April 2021, the Belarusian President claimed that he was the target of a US-backed assassination attempt. No evidence has been provided to support or substantiate this claim and there is currently no evidence that the assassination attempt actually took place.
On the same day as President Lukashenka’s statement, the Russian FSB announced that it had arrested two Belarusian citizens in Moscow, one of whom holds an American passport, accused of an attempted coup d'état and the attempted physical elimination of President Lukashenka.
Also, the claim that Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine are involved in some alleged “terrorist” activities against Belarus are unfounded. Poland is a neighbour of Belarus and it continues to support the Belarusian people. Poland respects the principles of international law and does not intervene in the domestic affairs of any country.
Following the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020, that were widely perceived as rigged by large parts of society, protests erupted in the country. 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 Lukashenka, as well as his son and National Security Adviser Viktor Lukashenka, to the list of sanctions, on 6 November 2020.
See similar pro-Kremlin disinformation messages - Poland presented a plan of active interference in the domestic affairs of Belarus, Poland and Lithuania directly sponsor open extremist actions against Belarus, and the CIA will try to repeat a Maidan scenario in Belarus.