DISINFO: The West sponsored the Belarusian protests and planned to attack Belarus
SUMMARY
Belarus continues strengthening political and military relations with Russia due to the West-sponsored protests of autumn 2020. The Western forces promoted a “new Belarus” project to model Iraq, Libya, or Yugoslavia. Washington and Brussels have turned the Baltic states and Poland into one large military training ground near the Belarusian and Russian borders.
RESPONSE
The disinformation message is consistent with recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the aggressive West and NATO, protests in Belarus, the puppet status of the Baltic states and Poland, and the Western attempts to instigate colour revolutions in the EU neighbourhood.
There is no evidence that Western countries staged massive unprecedented protests in Belarus following the 9 August 2020 presidential elections. In fact, the Belarusian people revolted against election fraud and police violence towards thousands of rally participants. Read more about the Belarusian protests and the EU's response to massive election fraud and violence by state authorities.
No proof of any Western plans to attack Belarus is provided. The Baltic states, Poland, and other NATO states respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belarus, and did not intervene in its domestic affairs. Following the deployment of additional units of the Belarusian army on the country's border with Poland and Lithuania in late August 2020, the Polish Defence Ministry denied Belarusian authorities' allegations and reiterated in its official position that Poland has no territorial claims on any country.
On 27 August 2020, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denied a NATO military build-up in the region and stressed that NATO respects the sovereignty and borders of Belarus. He also called on the Belarusian authorities to respect the fundamental freedoms of citizens, including the right to peaceful protest.
"All NATO Allies support a sovereign and independent Belarus. The regime in Minsk must demonstrate full respect for fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest. NATO has no military build-up in the region. So any attempt to use that as an excuse to crack down on peaceful protesters is absolutely unjustified" - emphasised Stoltenberg.
Regarding the claims about Poland and the Baltic states, these countries are sovereign and shape their own foreign and domestic policies. Their political, economic and military relations with the US and EU have a mutually beneficial character.
See other examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives in Belarus, such as claims that Belarus mobilised its air force fearing an imminent NATO invasion, that NATO builds up military forces on the border with Belarus, that the EU reaction to Lukashenko’s victory is an example of Western double standards, and that NATO and Poland establish a unit, which is supposed to take over the territory of Western Belarus.