Euromaidan Press
News and Opinion from Ukraine and Europe on Military and Political Developments.
30 years of “color revolutions”: historical revisionism of Russian propaganda.
Historical revisionism gets a modern spin as the pro-Kremlin media label the events of 13 January 1991 in Vilnius a “color revolution.”
An otherwise mediocre mouthpiece of state-sponsored pro-Kremlin disinformation, “BaltNews” did something remarkable last November. In just one headline – “The first color revolution in the USSR took place in Lithuania”- it managed to sum up the core tenets of pro-Kremlin disinformation.
Read also: Color revolutions everywhere: pro-Kremlin media covers popular protests
The headline, followed by an “interview” with a former propaganda specialist in the Soviet army, indeed ticked all the propaganda boxes:
- engaging in historical revisionism: ✔ check;
- discrediting democratic movements by labeling them as orchestrated “color revolutions”: ✔ check;
- hammering the same old disinformation narratives year after year: ✔ check!
Thirty years ago, on 13 January 1991, thousands of Lithuanians gathered at the TV tower, the Radio and Television headquarters, and the Parliament building in the capital, Vilnius, to take a stand against Soviet troops deployed to crush Lithuanian independence. The Freedom Defenders Day, as it is known now, was one of the key moments leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Three decades later, it is a major target of pro-Kremlin disinformation.
Read also: Russian propagandist invented 6 West-staged attempted revolutions in Belarus
This year, pro-Kremlin outlets alleged that “American fascists” and “local collaborators” used the events of 13 January 1991 to destroy the USSR. Such claims seek to revise not only Lithuanian but also Russian history, ignoring the fact that thousands of Muscovites took to the streets in January 1991 to support Lithuanian independence.
A peaceful protester standing in front of a Soviet tank in Vilnius, Lithuania in January 1991
Baltic States in focus
According to pro-Kremlin media, the independence of the Baltic States is a historical nuisance or an American “plot” at best. This week we saw claims that the Baltic States receive instructions on how to react to key international events from the US state department via fax, that the US is pushing Lithuania to buy American gas and that Lithuania, guilty of strained relations with Russia, is not even an independent state!
One may be surprised, then, that Lithuania, along with Poland and Ukraine – which according to the pro-Kremlin media lack any kind of meaningful political agency – were accused of continuing their alleged active interference in Belarus. In the world of pro-Kremlin disinformation, logic and consistency are optional.
“Color Revolution” in America
Unconstrained by facts, pro-Kremlin media uses the moniker of “color revolution” every time it seeks to undermine democratic movements around the world. Usually, a “color revolution” implies that malicious external forces – most frequently the US – are fuelling the popular protests. We have seen such claims in the cases of Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Hong Kong, and Belarus.
Read also: “Black is the new orange”: Pro-Kremlin conspiracies on color revolutions
This week, following the storming of the US Capitol building by an angry mob, Russian state-controlled TV turned to the familiar trope and tried to convince its domestic audiences that a color revolution, orchestrated by the “Washington swamp”, took place in the US itself. Multiple pro-Kremlin outlets operating in Spanish, English, and other languages relayed the message and claimed that the “deep state” orchestrated election fraud and lured the protesters to the Capitol building in order to impose a one-party system in the US and usher in an era of neoliberal fascism. The disinformation concepts of “swamp” and “deep state” were not invented by pro-Kremlin media, nonetheless, it shows a remarkable ability to appropriate and amplify them.
Anti-Semitism, never too far away from conspiracy theories and apocalyptic predictions, also proved appealing to pro-Kremlin outlets, which claimed that Zionists control both political and military leaderships of the US.
The events in Washington last week showed, once again, the real-life consequences of disinformation. For pro-Kremlin media, it brought not only moments of glee, but also an opportunity to discredit democracy in America in the eyes of both domestic and international audiences, and reinforce disinformation attacks onJoe Biden, the president-elect of the United States.
Vaccination disinformation competing for attention
Busy covering global events through a lens of disinformation, pro-Kremlin media nonetheless found time to reinforce its narrative of “vaccine wars”. The West, it said, is against the Sputnik V vaccine as it is afraid of competition. The European Union was accused of refusing to buy the vaccine for political reasons, NATO allegedly aimed at containing Russia by discrediting the Russian vaccine, and Ukraine was blamed for what pro-Kremlin media described as the planned destruction of its own people.
Yet despite the lies and vitriol spread by pro-Kremlin media, the vaccination against COVID-19 has already startedacross the EU, which is conducting talks with more companies to secure an even greater number of vaccines. Meanwhile, Lithuanians are commemorating their victory against Soviet occupation and the next president of the United States will be inaugurated next week.
Further reading:
- Color revolutions everywhere: pro-Kremlin media covers popular protests
- “Black is the new orange”: Pro-Kremlin conspiracies on color revolutions
- Russia’s self-victimization as propaganda tool for evading responsibility: disinformation review
- “We’re all living in America”: this week’s Russian disinformation
- “Let’s get the popcorn ready” – Russian tv covers US protests
- Disinformation figures of the year 2020: from 16 to 117 million
- Over 3000 Russian propaganda cases registered by EU disinformation watchdog in 2020
- Czechoslovakia should be grateful to the USSR for 1968, Russian propaganda says
- Week’s disinformation: NATO maneuvers “killed a child,” Ukraine to run “provocations” amid World Cup
- Subtle art of information manipulation: misleading headlines as Russian propaganda tool
- Russian propagandist invented 6 West-staged attempted revolutions in Belarus
- Internet, not TV, now Moscow’s main propaganda channel for Baltic countries, Lithuanian expert says
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Russo-Ukrainian war, day 785: Patriot quest for Ukraine picks up steam.
EU, NATO leaders urge Allies not to stockpile their air defense systems but send them to Ukraine; Germany hopes to find seven
Frontline report: Ukraine hammers Russian supply lines as Kupiansk offensive loses steam.
Seizing on a lull in Russia's months-long offensive, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of punishing strikes on ammunition depots, bridges, and command posts, aiming to starve the invaders of vital supplies.
UK intel: Russia improved naval infrastructure in Novorossiysk, where it relocated its ships from Sevastopol away from Ukraine’s strikes.
To avoid Ukrainian sea-borne attack, Russia largely moved its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, where it is improving infrastructure to support long-term basing, per UK intelligence.
Drones attack Russian factory that produced missile fuel.
Geolocated footage suggests a workshop was on fire at the Kamensk chemical factory
Ukraine destroys Russia’s Dzhankoi helicopter base air defenses, enabling further deep strikes on occupied Crimea.
Ukraine's April 17 ATACMS missile attack on Russia's airfield in northern Crimea reportedly destroyed multiple air defense assets, potentially enabling future air attacks on the occupied peninsula from the north.
Biden hits campaign trail as Trump's New York trial enters 2nd day.
Both presidential candidates were in their hometowns for very different reasons Tuesday. CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes explains. CBS News Streaming Network is the premier 24/7 anchored streaming news service from CBS News a...
How the Mayorkas impeachment trial could play out
Senators will be sworn in as jurors Wednesday in the historic impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas. CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane has the details on how the trial against the Homeland Security secretary is expected to play out...
Supreme Court appears split on law used in Jan. 6 prosecutions
Supreme Court justices began hearing arguments Tuesday surrounding a key part of the Jan. 6 prosecutions. The case revolves around the use of a federal obstruction statute. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson joins to break it all down. CB...
Recapping Day 2 of jury selection in Trump's «hush money» trial.
Seven jurors have officially been sworn in on Day 2 of former President Donald Trump's New York criminal trial. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports from Manhattan. CBS News Streaming Network is the premier 24/7 ...
Ohio man charged with murder of Uber driver: Police.
An Ohio man has been charged with murder for shooting an Uber driver he believed was attempting to rob him following a fraudulent phone call. Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Live: ...
Israeli war cabinet to discuss Iran attack response - DW News.
Governments around the world are calling for restraint as Israel weighs its response to last weekend's attacks by Iran. European Union foreign ministers are holding hastily-scheduled talks to discuss the volatile situation in the Middle East. Isra...