DISINFO: US involvement in the protests in Russia is a proven fact
SUMMARY
The blatant involvement of the United States in Russia’s internal affairs is proven by the fact that the internet platforms, under US control, spread fakes and calls to participate in un-sanctioned actions. Videos with calls to participate in manifestations, sometimes addressing minors, have been published by YouTube, controlled by Google.
RESPONSE
This message is consistent with pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives that protests, disorders and civil uprisings are never manifestations of popular discontent but are "colour revolutions" directed and funded by Western intelligence services or other Western actors in order to destabilise targeted foreign states and bring about regime change(opens in a new tab). And the West is always an aggressive actor constantly preparing new coups (opens in a new tab)and colour revolutions(opens in a new tab) in post-Soviet states. This narrative has been applied, among others, to the Arab Spring revolts, Euromaidan(opens in a new tab) in Ukraine, protests in Catalonia(opens in a new tab), Venezuela(opens in a new tab), Georgia(opens in a new tab), and Belarus(opens in a new tab).
Unlike traditional media, content of social media is provided by the users. YouTube, Facebook, Google etc provides platforms for peer-to-peer exchange of content, be that pictures of kittens, political memes or discussions on current affairs. The companies issue terms of use for the platforms and can, if necessary, limit the access to the exchange if a user violates those terms. The platforms themselves do not produce the content.
The 2021 Russian protests(opens in a new tab) began on 23 January 2021 in support of the arrested opposition leader Alexei Navalny and as a reaction to the investigation Putin's Palace(opens in a new tab). The rallies — from Russia’s Far East to central Moscow — came less than a week after Navalny returned from Germany, where he recovered from a nerve agent poisoning in August during a trip to Siberia. Navalny was arrested shortly after stepping off the plane. More than 3,300 people were arrested in protests spanning nearly 70 cities and towns across Russia(opens in a new tab).
See other similar cases claiming that The neo-liberal forces behind Navalny will intensify their attempts to destroy Russia(opens in a new tab), or that The West is sending Navalny back to Russia to prevent him from becoming irrelevant(opens in a new tab).