DISINFO: Protests in Kazakhstan are sponsored by MI6 to create a new Maidan
SUMMARY
Protests in Kazakhstan are sponsored by MI6 to create a new Maidan just ahead of the Russia-US/NATO talks in Geneva and Brussels, to prevent any kind of deal.
RESPONSE
Emerging pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that the January 2022 antigovernmental protests in Kazakhstan are part of a Western policy of staging “colour revolutions” worldwide with the aim of destabilising Russia and preventing any deal at the Russia-US/NATO negotiations.
Pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors supported by foreign powers who constantly prepare new coups.
There is no evidence to back the claims, such as the presence of MI6 in the mobilisations or the character of Kazakh elites as “Western influence agents”. The trigger and immediate cause of the protests in Kazakhstan was the government's lifting of price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that took place in early January in the Western region of Manghystau and unrest soon spread to the capital.
As the Guardian reports, the official story from the Kremlin began with explanations that the protests were a military coup organised by foreign terrorists. Later the notion of a "colour revolution" was added. However, the narrative is not based on facts and contains many gaps and inconsistencies.
See also the statement by the EU High Representative here.
See similar cases claiming that Protests in Kazakhstan are a new Western attempt to organise a colour revolution and that US-sponsored Kazakhstan protests aimed to undermine CIS stability,