BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians in Ukraine, the Maidan uprising of 2013-14, forced separatist revolts in parts of Ukraine and then him to flee to Russia after a bloody crackdown failed used its military to defend them.* to disperse the demonstrators. Among other things, the episode shattered the old political establishment, 3. Color revolutions pose a danger to Russias allies which had been more or less equally divided between around the world. To communicate its concerns parties that were friendly to Russia and parties that on this front, the Kremlin has invited military favored independence from the Kremlin and an delegations from China, Iran, Egypt, and other orientation toward Europe. For the foreseeable future, authoritarian regimes for meetings at which pro-Russian parties were unlikely to play a major role countering color revolutions is an important in Ukrainian political life. theme.° Russian propaganda encourages gov- ernments to do what is necessary to put down Russia responded by seizing and illegally annexing civil society challenges, and praises incumbents Crimea and fomenting a frozen conflict in eastern who succeed. Ukraine. But the Kremlin also stepped up its campaign to demonize color revolutions more broadly as Amer- 4. Russia itself is under threat. “The aim is obvi- icas favored instrument of regime change, though no ous,” Putin said of protests and social media ac- serious evidence of U.S. involvement in the Maidan tivity in 2015, “to provoke civil conflict and strike revolution was put forward. The color revolution threat a blow at our country's constitutional founda- became a major theme of Russian domestic propa- tions, and ultimately even at our sovereignty.” ganda and political discourse. It even became a focus of the country's military planning. 5. Incumbents are ‘legitimate’ rulers. Russian offi- cials have stressed the legal and constitutional When speaking of color r