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DISINFO: The West supports the unofficial Russian opposition

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

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Sovereignty Democracy US presence in Europe

DISINFO: The West supports the unofficial Russian opposition

SUMMARY

The West gave widespread support to Russia's unofficial opposition and turned a blind eye to its domestic political problems. Unfortunately, many European Union countries do not seem to adhere to their principles under pressure from the United States.

RESPONSE

This claim includes two recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives.

First, the claim that the West is supporting what it describes as the "unofficial" Russian opposition is consistent with pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives that protests, disorders and civil uprisings are never manifestations of popular discontent but are directed and funded by Western intelligence services or other Western actors in order to destabilise targeted foreign states and bring about regime change.

This narrative was a reaction to the 2021 Russian protests which began on 23 January 2021 in support of the arrested opposition leader Alexei Navalny and as a reaction to the investigation Putin's Palace. The rallies — from Russia’s Far East to central Moscow — came less than a week after opposition leader Alexei Navalny returned from Germany, where he recovered from a nerve agent poisoning in August 2020 during a trip to Siberia. Navalny was arrested shortly after stepping off the plane. More than 11,000 people who took part in the protests have been detained.

The EU has condemned mass detentions and police brutality during the protests in Russia. Human rights organisations warn about thousands of protesters detained following the protests in Russian cities.

Second is the claim that the US controls the policies of the European Union. All EU countries are independent states whose policies are not regulated externally by any other country. As for the EU itself, it was created by the voluntary initiative of European nations. Its citizens are directly represented in the European Parliament and Member States are represented in the European Council and the Council of the EU. The United States is not part of these institutions. Despite being an important ally to the EU, the US had no role in the creation of the EU and has no say in its decisions.

Similar disinformation narratives claim that European élites obey Washington, that EU member states are subordinate to the US, while the US has long regarded the EU as a kind of protectorate, and that the neo-liberal forces behind Navalny will intensify their attempts to destroy Russia, or that the West is sending Navalny back to Russia to prevent him from becoming irrelevant.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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