Plus, there's some evidence the west is fanning the flames to topple a Russia-friendly government and create a second front for a new war against Russia.

I don't think this possibility should be just skipped over without consideration. Mass protests are either ignored by major media outlets (like Reuters) or given attention based not on the merits of the protests but the "western" (ie CIA) support and if the function the potential destabilization serves the CIA's goals.