The Colour revolutions were a series of often non-violent protests and accompanying changes of government and society that took place in post-Soviet states and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the early 21st century. The aim of the colour revolutions was to establish Western-style liberal democracies. They were primarily triggered by election results widely viewed as falsified. The colour revolutions were marked by the usage of the internet as a method of communication, as well as a strong role of non-governmental organizations in the protests.
Protesters standing in front of the Georgian Parliament Building during the Rose Revolution
Ukrainian protesters at Maidan Nezalezhnosti during the Orange Revolution
Rioters in Chișinău during the April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests
Belarusians protesting against the results of the 2006 Belarusian presidential election in Minsk during the Jeans Revolution
The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union (FSU) or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they existed as Union Republics, which were the top-level constituents of the Soviet Union. There are 15 post-Soviet states in total: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Each of these countries succeeded their respective Union Republics: the Armenian SSR, the Azerbaijan SSR, the Byelorussian SSR, the Estonian SSR, the Georgian SSR, the Kazakh SSR, the Kirghiz SSR, the Latvian SSR, the Lithuanian SSR, the Moldavian SSR, the Russian SFSR, the Tajik SSR, the Turkmen SSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the Uzbek SSR. In Russia, the term "near abroad" is sometimes used to refer to the post-Soviet states other than Russia.
Image: Vahagn Khachaturyan portrait (cropped)
Image: Ilham Aliyev 2020 (cropped)
Image: Lukashenko (October 2019) (cropped)
Image: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Estonian President Karis in Kyiv 2022 (13) (cropped)