MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, at least two Russian drones of the “Shahed” type were recorded in the Belarusian airspace between April 21 and 27. Later, one flew to Ukraine, and nothing is known about the fate of the second. There have been no reports of drones being destroyed in the Belarusian airspace.
On April 22, it was reported that the Minister of Defence of Belarus Viktar Khrenin was on an official visit to Qatar, where he held talks with the State Minister for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah. The parties expressed interest in deepening military cooperation, including joint exercises, air defence development, military education, and the exchange of experience in the field of drones. A protocol of intent was signed, and the Qatari delegation accepted an invitation to the “MILEX-2025” exhibition. The Belarusian delegation also visited the 401st Qatar Armed Forces Training Centre, where the possibility of training Qatari military personnel in Belarus was discussed.
On April 22–23, a delegation of the State Authority for Military Industry of Belarus headed by its chairman Dzmitry Pantus visited Tajikistan. During the visit, meetings were held with the Ministers of Industry and Defence and the Commander of the Border Troops. The parties discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral military-technical cooperation, including the implementation of existing contracts, the launch of new projects, and the establishment of joint production facilities. An agreement was reportedly reached to hold the first meeting of the joint commission on military-technical cooperation and for Tajikistani specialists to visit Belarus to familiarise themselves with the capabilities of the Belarusian defence industry. The visit was described as productive and conducive to strengthening Tajikistan’s defence capabilities.
On April 23, Radio Svaboda published a report stating that armoured vehicles belonging to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence, responsible for nuclear weapons, had been delivered to Belarus to take part in the parade. It is worth recalling that a total of 14 vehicles were delivered to Belarus at the end of March, including protected medical evacuation vehicles “Linza” and KamAZ-53949 “Fenix” armoured vehicles. The affiliation of the vehicles to the 12th Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence was identified by their licence plates. The plates displayed code 39, which indicates the military district and branch of the Russian Armed Forces. According to open sources, code 39 is assigned to the 12th Main Directorate. At the same time, according to the Belarusian Railway Workers Community, the shipment was sent by the 200th Motor Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces. Furthermore, the military personnel who arrived with the equipment in Belarus were wearing shoulder patches of the aforementioned brigade.
On April 23, the Ministry of Defence of Belarus reported that bilateral battalion-level tactical exercises with mechanised units of the Western Operational Command were being conducted at the “Obuz-Liasnowski” training ground. Mechanised battalions from the 6th and 11th Mechanised Brigades participated in the drills. The goal of the exercises was to improve the knowledge and skills of unit commanders in conducting both offensive and defensive operations in unfamiliar terrain. Particular attention was given to reconnaissance and the use of drones.
On April 24, the Ministry of Defence of Belarus reported on battalion-level tactical exercises conducted at the “Asipovichy” training ground with the 339th Separate Mechanised Battalion of the 120th Mechanised Brigade. The battalion was tasked with storming and securing platoon strongpoints. The operations were conducted in coordination with attached units — a tank company, a mortar battery, and an engineering unit.
On April 23, Lukashenka signed a decree aimed at regulating the use of drones. The document introduces amendments to Decree No. 297 of September 25, 2023, “On State Registration and Operation of Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” which simplify the procedure for importing drones into Belarus for the needs of security, law enforcement, and other agencies (including the Ministry of Defence).
On April 24, service members of the People’s Liberation Army of China arrived in Belarus to take part in the military parade scheduled for May 9.
On April 25, the Ministry of Defence of Belarus announced that six Su-30SM fighter jets from the 61st Fighter Air Base would participate in the aerial portion of the May 9 military parade in Minsk. It is known that the Belarusian Armed Forces received from Russia four Su-30SM jets in 2019. The plan included the procurement of eight more units. Since then, no official reports have been made about new deliveries, and the timeline for deliveries has been postponed multiple times. Unofficially, it was reported that the fighter jets might have arrived in Belarus as early as August 2024. The participation of six fighters in the parade indicates that the Belarusian Air Force fleet has been expanded by two additional aircraft.
According to the annual state procurement plan, the Ministry of Defence of Belarus intends to purchase drones worth USD 3.3 million by the end of the year. The procurement mainly concerns models of Chinese origin, namely: 187 FPV drones Caddx X10 (AI version); 190 FPV drones Caddx X10 (IR version); 20 FPV drone systems (unspecified); 81 DJI Mavic3 Thermal; and 83 Autel EVO MAX 4T.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
From April 21–27, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office focused on commemorating major events and addressing current challenges. On the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Tsikhanouskaya urged Belarusians not to forget the tragedy and honoured the victims by laying flowers at a memorial in Vilnius alongside diplomats from several countries.
A delegation from the Belarusian democratic forces also participated in the funeral ceremony for Pope Francis, during which Dzianis Kuchynski, senior diplomatic adviser to Tsikhanouskaya, engaged in informal talks with world leaders and church figures.
Preparations continued for the IV Conference of Belarusians of the World, set to take place in Warsaw in May, while calls were made to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Belarusian Political Prisoners on May 21.
The Office of Tsikhanouskaya also highlighted security threats reported by Lithuania’s intelligence services, emphasizing resilience in the face of regime provocations.
Additionally, Tsikhanouskaya marked important anniversaries, including the birthdays of activist Maria Kalesnikava and the human rights organization Viasna, and underscored the importance of environmental protection on Earth Day.
During a visit to the General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy in Vilnius, Belarusian democratic leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Chief of Staff Denis Starykovicius. In her speech, she urged Lithuanians not to fall for provocations and manipulations by the Lukashenka regime and emphasized the distinction between the Belarusian people and the pro-Russian authorities. Tsikhanouskaya stressed that a democratic Belarus is essential for regional security and called for unity between Lithuanians and Belarusians. She also addressed current security challenges, warning about hybrid attacks and the use of migrants as a tool of retaliation by authoritarian regimes. Tsikhanouskaya highlighted that Ukraine’s victory would pave the way for a free Belarus and lasting stability in the region. The visit concluded with a discussion with academy officers on supporting Ukraine, combating hybrid threats, peace negotiations, and the activities of Belarus’s democratic forces.
On April 28, Belarusian diaspora in Vilnius commemorated the victims of the Chernobyl disaster. Dozens of people took part in events marking the 39th anniversary of one of the most devastating incidents in Belarusian history. Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Swedes, representatives of international organizations, politicians, and experts also joined the commemoration. One of the main goals of the rally was to protest against the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus.
At the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican, both a state delegation from Lukashenka, led by Chairman of the House of Representatives Ihar Sergeenka, and the senior diplomatic advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski, were present. According to Kuchynski, he did manage to briefly speak with Ihar Sergeenka and Belarus’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Yury Ambrazevich. However, he declined to share details of the conversation, noting that “first and foremost, we were all there to pay tribute to the Holy Father, Francis.” During the farewell ceremony, Kuchynski also spoke with the Presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei; Albania, Bajram Begaj; and Moldova, Maia Sandu, as well as the foreign ministers of Ireland, the Netherlands, and Romania. Brief meetings also took place with advisors to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, along with representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches — in particular, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. “The meetings were not long, but with everyone I managed to speak to, we discussed important points of cooperation,” Kuchynski noted.
In Belarus, a bill on amnesty, timed to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, was submitted to “parliament” on April 24 on behalf of Lukashenka. It is expected that nearly 8,000 convicts will fall under amnesty. However, as with previous amnesties, it is unlikely to apply to those convicted under “extremist” — that is, political — charges.
The election of a new Speaker of the Coordination Council will take place on May 13, according to Yauhen Karavulau, Chair of the Council’s Commission on Statute and Organisational Matters. He explained that, in accordance with the Council’s statute, the election must be held three months after the previous Speaker ceases to perform their duties. Anzhalika Melnikava, who has been missing, stopped participating in the Council’s work on February 12.
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski commented on the current situation in Belarus during his policy speech in the Sejm. He emphasized that Poland continues to believe in the possibility of democratic change in Belarus but remains realistic about the nature of the current authorities. “We realistically assess the rule of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who has made his country dependent on the Kremlin,” Sikorski said. He also reminded that Belarusian society, including thousands of people of Polish descent, deserves freedom and a future based on democratic values.
Meanwhile, according to the Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland will not reopen border crossings with Belarus as long as the migration crisis continues, who stated during a joint press conference with European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Policy Magnus Brunner on Thursday evening. The two officials visited the closed Polovtsy-Peschatka border crossing, located near the Bialowieza Forest.
Polish expert on Eastern Europe, diplomat, and journalist Witold Jurasz sharply criticized Poland’s policy toward representatives of the Belarusian opposition and leaders of the Polish diaspora in Belarus who were forced to flee the country. “It reflects, like a mirror, all the pseudo-great-power arrogance — in reality purely plebeian, boorish, and contemptuous — that underlies our attitude toward Belarus and Belarusians,” he said. Jurasz argued that Poland’s failure not only to protect but even to support prominent figures such as Stanislau Shushkevich or the leaders of the Union of Poles sends a clear signal to Belarusians: Poland cannot be relied upon, and its promises are worthless.
The Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” published the names of more than 700 Belarusians who fought on the side of Russia during its aggression against Ukraine. According to the released data, at least 742 individuals holding Belarusian passports have served in the ranks of the occupying Russian army. The project notes that the list is far from complete. At least 96 of those identified have been confirmed killed, with information available about when and where they died and were buried.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas stated that the government will not rush to respond to Belarus’s proposal to restore passenger rail services, LRT reported, citing the BNS agency. “We are considering it in the context of all sanctions, the war in Ukraine, and the European Union’s relations with Russia,” he said. It was previously reported on April 25 that Belarusian Railways had approached neighbouring EU countries with a similar request.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
In 2024, the State Control Committee opened 44 criminal cases for financing extremist and terrorist activities. This was announced by the Chair of the Committee Vasil Herasimau. He said that the main efforts were focused on analysing the turnover of cryptocurrencies and monitoring payment services of various electronic systems and social networks. Herasimau reported that together with the KGB, 1,445 persons, who transferred money to so-called extremist groups using the Facebook payment service, were detained in 2024, and 34 economic crimes committed by citizens involved in “destructive activities” were revealed.
It became known that on March 3, two criminal cases were opened in Hrodna for facilitating extremist activities against a 20-year-old student of the Hrodna State Electrotechnical College. In the period from 2022 to March 3, 2025, he sent messages to the Belarusian Hajun chat, which was recognised as an extremist group in March 2022. Among other things, he wrote about the movement of military equipment in Belarus. The Belarusian Hajun is a monitoring project by activist Anton Matolka, who tracked the military activities of Russian and Belarusian troops. In February 2025, the security forces gained access to a chat room where personal data of people who had provided information to the project was collected. In the same month, the project was closed. Arrests in the framework of the criminal case on the transfer of information to Belarusian Hajun have been going on for the last three months.
On April 22, the Belarusian human rights community recognised ten more persons as political prisoners. The statement of human rights defenders noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB arbitrarily recognise groups of citizens united by public or political interests, criticising the actions of the authorities and demanding changes in the state and its policies, as extremist. Some media outlets are also recognised as extremist groups. This opens the way to arbitrary criminal prosecution of those who participate in the activities of such groups or otherwise support them, and to their imprisonment as a disproportionate measure of restriction of the right to association and freedom of expression. Human rights activists demanded that the authorities immediately release all political prisoners, review politically motivated sentences, and stop repression. On April 25, human rights activists issued a statement recognising as political prisoners seven more persons accused of or serving sentences for “participating in group actions grossly violating public order” and “participating in mass riots.” Now there are 1,209 political prisoners in Belarus.
Two administrators of the Belarusian Wikipedia, Kazimier Lachnovič and Volha Sitnik, have disappeared. Human rights defenders do not know if they have been detained. Kazimier Lachnovič last made edits to Wikipedia in early March. He stopped communicating in messengers the same month. Around the same time, Volha Sitnik disappeared, while friends noticed suspicious activity from her account. Earlier, the security forces repeatedly subjected the authors of the Belarusian Wikipedia to repression. In June 2022, a court in Minsk sentenced Wikipedia author Mark Bernstein to three years of restriction of freedom (“home chemistry”). Before that, Pavel Pernikau, another Wikipedia author, was found guilty of “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” and sentenced to two years of imprisonment.
Security forces are detaining Belarusians for negative comments about Pakistani migrant workers, whose potential arrival was recently mentioned by Lukashenka. On April 23, the Interior Ministry announced the identification of “active provocateurs” “who deliberately tried to escalate the situation in the country and manipulate public opinion”. “The strictest penalties, including criminal ones, will be applied for inciting ethnic hatred and destabilising the situation in the republic,” the Interior Ministry underlined. It also denied information that 150,000 Pakistanis have already entered the country. Telegram channels linked to the Ministry have published “repentant videos” with Belarusians who published comments about the Pakistanis.
Aleh Loika, a pastor of evangelical church from the Homel region, was detained. He is accused of transmitting information about the movement of Russian military equipment across the territory of Belarus. Earlier, in December 2024, he had already been arrested for ten days on charges of “distributing extremist materials”.
Another Catholic priest has been detained. This is Siarhei Trysten, Rector of the Carmelite monk community of Barefoot in Minsk, Director of the School of Family Life, Lecturer at the Minsk Theological College of St. John the Baptist. The grounds for the detention are yet unknown.
In Dzyarzhynsk, security forces were conducting searches again. This time, they were mainly targeted at those who had left the country. At least four such cases are known, “Viasna” Human Rights Center reported. Searches of homes of persons who have not left Belarus were also reported. It is known that search protocols were drawn up in one copy only, and nothing was given to persons, whose homes were searched. Arrests and searches in Dzyarzhynsk were reported last week. The reason for the arrests was participation in post-election protests — those arrested were accused of organising and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them. Security forces continue to detain people in administrative and criminal cases in other regions of Belarus as well.
The court sentenced five unit leaders and soldiers of the Kastus Kalinouski regiment to 90 years of imprisonment, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported. The verdict in absentia was passed by the Minsk City Court. Ihnat Kireeu, Yan Melnikau, Anastasia Makhamet, Artsyom Bigel and Vyacheslau Hranouski were accused of participating in an armed formation, armed conflict, military operations, recruitment and preparation of persons for such participation on the territory of a foreign state. In total, they faced 11 charges. Melnikau, Kireeu, and Bigel were sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment; Makhamet — to 18 years of imprisonment with serving the first five years in prison, and the remaining term in colonies in conditions of enhanced and general regimes; Hranouski — to 12 years of an enhanced regime imprisonment. “In addition, all the accused, taking into account their financial situation, were given an additional penalty in the form of a fine in the amount of 500 to 3,500 basic units (from around 5,650 to 39,550 Euro),” the Prosecutor General’s Office stated.
On April 24, Maryja Kalesnikava, one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, turned 43 years old. This is the fifth birthday that she spends in custody. She was arrested in 2020, and in 2021, she was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment for the alleged “seizure of power”. Kalesnikava is serving her term in the Homiel women’s colony. Her relatives are not allowed to visit her. They also can not send parcels to her. For a long time, Kalesnikava was not provided with the medical care she needed, and in November 2024 she was transferred to a hospital, where she was allowed to meet with her father. The family has not seen Maryja since. Her sister Tatsiana Khomich commented that previously, relatives of political prisoners could learn about them mainly from other convicts who were released from the same institution. However, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain information lately. “People are afraid to share information. And relatives [of prisoners] are afraid to contact [human rights] organisations. Unfortunately, this is another trend associated with a large number of detentions in recent months, both before the elections and even now, after the elections,” she said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs added 36 more persons to the “List of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities”. There are now 5,228 persons on the list.
On April 23, the Lithuanian Department of State Security reported about the transnational repression operation of the Belarusian and Russian security services regarding the Belarusian diaspora, which has been implemented from 2023. According to the Department, in 2023, the intelligence services of Belarus and Russia launched an information and psychological operation in Lithuania. In 2024, “the operation was no longer limited to threats in cyberspace, attacks simulating the activities of groups operating against the Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania began”. A series of acts of vandalism were committed: the door glass of a store owned by a Belarusian citizen was broken, the window of the Belarusian chapel was shot through with an air gun, and the windows of the Centre for Belarusian Culture and Community were blown out. Inscriptions against the democratic opposition of Belarus and the Belarusian diaspora repeatedly appeared in public places. In 2025, physical attacks on representatives of the Belarusian diaspora were launched. According to the Lithuanian Department of State Security, several attempts to commit acts of violence against Belarusians living in Lithuania have already been recorded. The Belarusian and Russian security services searched for people willing to physically attack representatives of the Belarusian community for money on social networks, according to the Lithuanian Department of State Security.
On April 24, UN independent human rights experts raised serious concerns about an alleged practice of Belarusian criminal courts transferring accused persons to coercive psychiatric treatment in retaliation for their exercise of civil and political rights. The statement was signed by Nils Muižnieks, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; Gabriella Citroni, Chair-Rapporteur, Grażyna Baranowska, Vice-Chair, Aua Baldé, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez, Mohammed Al-Obaidi, members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Alice Jill Edwards,Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Laura Nyirinkindi, Chair, Claudia Flores, Vice-Chair, Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, members of the Working group on discrimination against women and girls; Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Ganna Yudkivska, Chair-Rapporteur, Matthew Gillett, Vice-Chair on Communications, Miriam Estrada Castillo, Vice-Chair on Follow-Up, and Mumba Malila from Working Group on arbitrary detention. “We have received reports about at least 33 individuals, including five women, transferred for coercive psychiatric treatment because they expressed dissent with the authorities since the beginning of the political crisis around the 2020 presidential elections,” the experts said, “the oldest known person transferred for such treatment is aged 77.” The experts warned that this highly irregular penalty could amount to inhuman or degrading punishment and that some of the criminal charges brought against those individuals suggest that their prosecution and transfer to mental health institutions may amount to violations of civil and political rights, including the rights to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. The experts also expressed concern about the fate of those transferred for coercive treatment. The persons concerned are reportedly held incommunicado in mental health institutions under the unrestricted power of the head physician. Unlike prisoners in penitentiary institutions, they are deprived of liberty for indefinite periods of time and cannot request a pardon or release on parole. “The deployment of psychiatric institutions as instruments of repression not only undermines the integrity of mental healthcare but also erodes the fundamental principles of justice and the rule of law,” they said, “The shameful practice of so-called punitive psychiatry violates the sanctity of human dignity, as enshrined in international human rights instruments.” “We call on the Belarusian authorities to immediately ensure that these individuals can access legal counsel of their choosing and are provided with effective remedies to challenge their deprivation of liberty,” experts concluded.
PROPAGANDA
During the reporting period, propagandists continued to monitor the situation around Ukraine and comment on peace negotiations, openly siding with Russia in the conflict. For instance, MP Vadzim Hihin accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of unwillingness to end the war: “From the beginning, it was obvious that the Russian president’s proposal for an Easter truce was a thorn in the side of the Kyiv regime. Then they started flailing: first criticising the idea, then suggesting their own additions. It was clear they had no intention of observing the truce.” According to Hihin, Europeans support Zelenskyy because they have a dogmatic belief in his “infallibility,” and whatever he says is “taken at face value” in the EU.
Accusations against European politicians intensified, with Belarusian state-aligned figures claiming the Europeans are reviving “Euro-fascism.” A new columnist for Minskaya Prauda, Pavel Karnazytski, wrote on April 23: “This year, EU leaders decided to celebrate May 9 in Kyiv, where the authorities venerate collaborators of the defeated Reich and persecute anyone honouring Soviet symbols. In their attempt to rewrite history, German and European authorities are descending into absurdity.” Political analyst Vadzim Yalfimau described EU High Representative Kaja Kallas as the “new Reich minister” who is allegedly seeking a “fascist revanche”: “The chain that once connected everyone — from the European peoples to the Wehrmacht, the Gestapo, and the Führer — has only lost one link: the Führer. Restore that, and the chain starts working again. And it has. Those who naively found themselves within the chain are now trying to jump out as it tightens again. But they do not know how. Today this chain is called the ‘EU’ or ‘NATO’ — the name does not matter.”
During the “Heroism of the People Will Live Through the Ages” conference in Minsk on April 23, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou stated that Europe is rearming “at an accelerated pace, on a scale disproportionate even to the most obvious threats.” He warned that these weapons will not remain mere deterrents and could be used in future conflicts “if European hotheads do not cool down.” He also baselessly claimed that Europe is funding its militarization “at the expense of the most vulnerable populations, healthcare, education, and socio-economic needs.” On April 25, at an event at Belarusian State University, Ryzhankou alleged that the West manipulates institutions like the UN General Assembly and Security Council to suppress the development of other nations. He argued that sanctions against Belarus, Russia, China, Iran, and others are not meant to promote democracy but to hinder their economic growth. “They prefer simple trade — buying resources and selling goods. Once these nations start developing infrastructure and industry, they stop needing Western goods. And then what do you pay with if your goods are not being bought?”
Last week, Lukashenka’s propagandists focused heavily on justifying his plan to bring around 150,000 workers from Pakistan to Belarus. Many regime figures attacked and insulted citizens who voiced concerns. Ryhor Azaronak mocked public fears, saying “Belarus is not stupid Europe,” and insisted that the security apparatus would prevent any incidents. He told Belarusian women “not to even dream” of being sexually assaulted by migrants: “Some Belarusian girls on TikTok act like Pakistanis are coming to rape them, showing off pepper sprays. Feels like a Freudian sublimation, like they are even expecting it. But in vain. This is a dictatorship, remember?” Propagandist Yury Tserakh added: “The people in charge are much smarter than you. Everything will be fine. Someone afraid of being raped in the streets for not wearing a hijab? Let me remind you that our ‘repression steamroller’ has not even been turned off yet. And if our guests disrespect our laws or traditions, it will roll over them just as hard as it did over opposition supporters in 2020.” On April 22, Interior Ministry official Vadzim Zabaronak, in turn, stated that Belarus’s migration situation is allegedly under control. He warned that spreading fake news that “incites panic and ethnic hatred” would be prosecuted. The next day, the ministry claimed to have identified “active provocateurs” who were “deliberately trying to stir unrest and manipulate public opinion.” The authorities threatened criminal liability for “inciting ethnic hatred and destabilizing the country.” On April 25, Aliaksandr Lukashenka personally responded to the controversy, suggesting Belarusians should “work for three, or at least two people” if they are afraid of foreigners. He argued that such labour resources are vital for “preserving the country” and maintaining “sovereignty and independence.” He called concerns over migration exaggerated, saying: “Out of a thousand, maybe 60 or 100 will be foreigners. That is normal.” He again blamed Poland and exiled opposition members for allegedly trying to stir fear, suggesting they worry the migrants might eventually try to cross into the EU. Sarcastically, he reassured neighbouring countries that no Afghans, Turkmens, Uzbeks, or Tajiks would leave Belarus — they would “live and work” there. State media also gave the migration topic extensive coverage — for instance, Minskaya Prauda published five opinion columns in one week extolling the benefits of Pakistani workers. Yauhen Pustavoy, in SB. Belarus Today on April 27, blamed Belarusians for the problem: “[We] do not want to have children, do not want to work more or better, but demand to live wealthier and more comfortably! The solution is imported labour. Our kids are becoming nuclear scientists, IT specialists, and biotechnologists. So, who will clean streets, till the land, and sew clothes? We have got our answer.”
Finally, propagandist Ryhor Azaronak emphasized a “notable” trend in internal politics: “Batka [Lukashenka] is bringing back important terms. How should we call saboteurs, traitors, bribe-takers, careerists, liars, disinformers? Enemies of the people.” He made this remark in response to Lukashenka’s April 21 visit to Vitsebsk Region, where the dictator labelled a local veterinarian as an “enemy” for concealing livestock deaths. The president’s press service also echoed the “enemy of the people” phrase in its Telegram post.
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