DISINFO: Germany and other countries planned coup in Belarus
SUMMARY
Germany and other countries planned a coup. Terrorist sleeper cells, so-called self-defence formations, were revealed. These cells, about which the imprisoned Raman Pratasevich recently spoke [...] intend to carry out a coup [in Belarus] on a certain date... The coordinators are Lithuania, Poland, the United States of America, Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Germany.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about an alleged Western attempt to organise a coup or colour revolution in Belarus. In this case, Germany among other Western countries is accused of organising a coup in Belarus, a claim presented without evidence.
The protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election on 9 August 2020, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a big part of the Belarusian society. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called Belarusian elections neither free nor fair.
Mobilisations were organised and carried out by local actors, opposition politicians and Belarusian citizens, without any foreign involvement. In October 2020, the EU-Council imposed sanctions against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists in the wake of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process. See the full text and the Council conclusions (page 10).
The EU imposed new restrictive measures against the Belarusian regime to respond to the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists, as well as to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on 23 May 2021 and the related detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega.
The goal of the fourth package of sanctions is to put pressure on the Belarusian political leadership to initiate a genuine and inclusive national dialogue with broader society and to avoid further repression. However, the EU continues to support the Belarusian people and civil society and outlined a 3 billion EUR economic support package to a future democratic Belarus.
Read earlier disinformation cases alleging that Poland is preparing Euromaidan scenario for Belarus, that Belarus will turn anti-Russian in case it does not deepen integration with Russia, that the West's only interest in Belarus is to make it anti-Russian, and that the US plans to turn Belarus into its colony, a coup and foreign military invasion may happen.