Belarus Review by iSANS — February 26, 2024 

Belarus Review (2024 edition, issue 08)

A weekly update on the ongoing political crisis in the Republic of Belarus was prepared for you by the International Strategic Action Network for Security (iSANS).

On February 20, foreign military attachés of 21 states visited border guard facilities at the Kamenny Log checkpoint on the border with Lithuania. The representatives of the military agencies got acquainted with the peculiarities of the service at the Smarhon Border Guard Group and the Dog Handlers Centre of the Border Service.
 
On February 20, Lukashenka said that the Armed Forces of Belarus had received from Russia two antiaircraft missile divisions of the S-400 complex and two more divisions of the Iskander-M complex. He also said that tactical nuclear weapons were deployed on the territory of the country. Now, there is still no reliable data that would confirm the presence of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
 
On February 22, Minister of Defense of Belarus stated that in 2025 Belarus would host exercises of a “regional grouping of troops” of Belarus and Russia. Since 2009, strategic exercises “ZAPAD” or operational exercises “Shield of the Union” have been held every two years on the territory of both countries. From 2009 to 2022, eight such exercises were held.
 
A new special-purpose unit, Granit, was formed on the basis of the First Police Brigade of the Internal Troops. The unit became the tenth special forces unit formed recently. The unit’s main tasks include fighting illegal armed groups and diversionary and reconnaissance groups, providing forceful support in apprehending dangerous criminals, and strengthening the protection of the state border.
 
The first batch of 9K57 Uragan multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) of the 111^th Artillery Brigade was sent for modernization. During the modernization, the engines and communications equipment will be replaced, and the guns will be fitted with electronic tablets with software. The modernization will make it possible to increase the range and cross-country capability of the MLRSs and reduce the time required to inflict fire damage on the enemy.

On February 17-19, the President of Republika Srpska, an entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik was on a working visit in Belarus. During the visit, Dodik met with Deputy Minister of Economy Aliaksandr Agarodnikau, and visited Belarusian enterprise “Belkomunmash”, that produces means of public transport such as busses and trams. Together with his delegation, Dodik paid a visit to the Minsk Scientific and Practical Сenter for Surgery, Transplantation and Hematology. As a result, an agreement between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska and the Healthcare Committee of the Minsk City Council was signed. During the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Siarhei Aleinik, bilateral cooperation in the fields of healthcare, economy, trade, education and science, as well as pressing issues of the global agenda such as the regional security, were discussed. Mutual interest in intensifying a complex of bilateral cooperation was expressed during the meeting. On the final day of his visit, the President of Republika Srpska met with Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Both parties of the meeting did not shy away from praising one another. Lukashenka stated he was closely monitoring the situation in the Balkans and expressed his steadfast stance towards the past events in Serbia, meaning the bombing after the collapse of Yugoslavia, and his support to Dodik. Lukashenka offered bilateral cooperation in the spheres which are most attractive to Dodik. On his behalf, Dodik stated that he is aware of all the sanctions imposed against Belarus and underlined that Republika Srpska prevented Bosnia and Herzegovina from voting for sanctions against Belarus. Moreover, he stated that the Serbs won’t forget the visit of Aliaksandr Lukashenka in 1999 when Serbia was bombed and that until now, it is considered as a sign of great courage.
 
On February 20, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis proposed that the country’s government should denounce all existing trade and economic agreements signed with Russia and Belarus a couple of decades ago. The highest diplomat of the country said that the agreements with the aggressor Russia and its accomplice in the war against Ukraine, Belarus, should be denounced in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Reportedly, the Ministry has already drafted and made public the related resolutions.
 
On February 21, it became known that the EU Court in Luxembourg rejected the claim of Hrodna Azot and its branch Khimvolokno demanding to withdraw sanctions imposed against these companies. The claim reached the court already on March 2, 2022. Now, the court found that the EU Council was right in its decision to sanction Hrodna Azot due to its leading and strategically important position in Belarusian economy and because it is a state-owned enterprise, which supports the Lukashenka regime. Therefore, the sanctions against the two companies remain in force.

On the same day, it was announced that the EU members approved the 13^th sanctions package against Russia and Belarus for the war of aggression against Ukraine, banning nearly 200 entities and individuals accused of helping Moscow procure weapons or of involvement in unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Earlier, it was reported that the sanctions package will affect Belarus, however in a significantly lower scale than Russia. Under the sanctioned entities there are JSC Peleng, as the leading producer of military optics and the Talay Foundation with its chairman as well as the Belarusian Red Cross with the Chairman Dzmitry Shautsou, both for involvement of unlawful transfer of Ukrainian Children from Russia’s occupied territories to Russia and Belarus. The official announcement of the sanctions was made on the second anniversary of the start of the Ukraine war, February 24.
 
On February 21, the government of Lithuania approved the proposal of the National Committee for Crisis Management to close two border checkpoints – Lavoriskes and Raigardas – at the country’s border with Belarus starting from March 1, 2024. The closure is related to the increased flows of transport and passengers through Lithuania’s borders as the neighboring countries Latvia and Poland only have one operating border checkpoint with Belarus each.
 
Last week, the leader of Belarusian democratic forces and the head of the United Transitional Cabinet Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit in Vienna, where she attended the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting . During her speech, Tsikhanouskaya called on the Assembly to exclude the “Parliament of Belarus” from the OSCE PA and not to recognize the sham election in Belarus, organized by the Lukashenka regime. Moreover, she held meetings on the sidelines of the Assembly session, in particular with the Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg. The situation with Belarusian political prisoners, especially those kept incommunicado, was discussed. Tsikhanouskaya urged the Austrian Minister to appoint a special envoy for working with democratic Belarus, addressed issues with legalization of Belarusians in Austria, especially with expired passports. Austria stated that it will recognize expired Belarusian passports as valid and that there is no need to renounce Belarusian citizenship to obtain an alien passport. On February 23, Tsikhanouskaya commented on the sham parliamentary elections held in Belarus, appealing to Belarusians to protect their children as the regime attempts to get into the minds of children, and not to let the children attend the events of the regime.
 
Tsikhanouskaya’s Representative for Parliamentary Solidarity Anatol Liabedzka and Tsikhanouskaya’s Senior Advisor Franak Viachorka went on a working visit in Ukraine on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion to Ukraine. The politicians will participate in events marking the second anniversary, as well as hold meetings with a number of Ukrainian politicians. One of the first meetings took place with the Advisor of the President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office Mykhailo Podolyak. Both meeting parties discussed Belarus-Ukraine relations and plans for the nearest future. Representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus expressed their gratitude for appointing Ihor Kyzym as Ukraine’s Ambassador-at-Large for Belarus making him responsible for cooperation in information space, as well as for supporting Belarusian volunteers, including the Kalinouski regiment.

On February 19, the Prosecutor General, Andrei Shved, declared his readiness to make decisions on depriving opponents of the regime of citizenship. “We deal with criminals. Accordingly, this allows us to make relevant decisions, including confiscation of property, raise the issue of deprivation of citizenship, and take other measures. These people have not just encroached on statehood, on our country, they are making statements and actions to cause economic harm,” he said. The Prosecutor General also said that opponents of the current government are talking about an “armed seizure of power.” Amendments to the law “On citizenship”, which made it possible to revoke citizenship for extremist activities and causing serious harm to the interests of Belarus, were adopted last year.
 
On February 19, the Supreme Court published statistics on the consideration of criminal, administrative, civil, and economic cases by courts of general jurisdiction for 2022. The courts reviewed 34,864 criminal cases, in which 38,206 people were convicted, which is more than last year. Only 33 people were acquitted, which makes only 0.09% of the total number of sentences.
 
On February 20, 63-year-old political prisoner Ihar Lednik died in the Minsk regional hospital where he was taken from the Bobruisk colony. Cardiac arrest was declared as the cause of his death. Ihar Lednik, a former member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), was sentenced to three years in prison for “slandering” Lukashenka. The reason for his arrest on April 12, 2022, was his article sharply criticizing Lukashenka. The authorities have recognized Ihar Lednik’s Facebook profile as “extremist material.” Lednik had a group II disability due to heart problems. In the colony his health deteriorated, he underwent a gastrointestinal surgery. Human rights activists demand investigation of of Ihar Lednik’s death. The statement they issued emphasizes that serving a sentence in isolation should not deprive prisoners of access to specialized medical care. At the beginning of 2024, there were at least 48 pensioners among political prisoners (two times more than in 2022), as well as at least 42 people with disabilities and serious illnesses. “Often, failure to provide medical care is used by the authorities as a form of pressure on political prisoners, which is unacceptable and can be considered as torture or other types of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” the authors of the statement note and demand to initiate a criminal case on the death of Ihar Lednik, conduct an objective and comprehensive investigation and inform the public about its results. They also urge to inform the public about the results of the investigation into the deaths of other political prisoners in Belarusian prisons — Witold Ashurak, Mikalai Klimovich, Ales Pushkin, and Vadzim Khrasko.
 
On February 21, the trial of Uladzislau Beladzed, a graduate of the Belarusian State University Institute of Theology, student of the Roman Catholic seminary, began in the Minsk City Court. He is accused of inciting social discord; making and distributing pornographic materials or objects of a pornographic nature; insulting Lukashenka; insulting a representative of the government. The case is being considered behind closed doors. Uladzislau Beladzed was detained on May 31, 2023. He was arrested several times in a row for 15 days. After 30 days spent in Akrestsina detention center, he looked like a person who had been subjected to torture and inhuman treatment. He was forced to record a “repentant video” in which he looked depressed and under obvious duress declared his homosexual orientation, which puts him at additional risk. In the propaganda video, he was spoken about in a humiliating tone, was forced to denigrate himself, photos and videos aimed at discrediting him in the eyes of believers were demonstrated. It is known that Uladzislau Beladzed has serious health problems. On the first day of the trial, European diplomats came to the courthouse where Uladzislau Beladzed ‘s case is being considered to express solidarity with him, and to demand the release of all political prisoners in Belarus.
 
Former political prisoner, Aliaksei Ramanau, was not released after 30 days of administrative arrest. He was detained during a January raid by security forces. He was arrested for 15 days under the charge of dissemination of extremist materials, and then added another 15 days. Ramanau was supposed to be released on February 22, but was not released “due to the elections.” He has a disability, cancer, and pancreatitis. He got sick several times in the isolation ward, was taken to the hospital and returned back. Homel activist, Vasil Palyakou, also was not released after 30 days of arrest. He was detained during the raid and twice sentenced to 15 days of arrest on administrative charges. A criminal case was opened against him.
 
After a large-scale January raid by security forces on relatives of political prisoners and former political prisoners, at least 275 people were persecuted. 115 people were tried in administrative cases. Of these, 85 were tried for the “misuse of foreign gratuitous aid.” Judges imposed heavy fines along with compensation payment orders.
 
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, at least 1,575 Belarusians have been detained in Belarus for their anti-war position; 56 of them have been convicted in criminal cases for a term of one to 23 years. For sabotage on the railway, 12 people were sentenced to a total of 191.5 years in prison. 31 people were sentenced for transmitting or publishing photos of Russian military equipment in the media. 11 more people were detained for their desire to go to fight in Ukraine, eight of them were convicted. At least 20 people were persecuted for publicly condemning Russian aggression and supporting Ukraine. On February 22, Aliaksandr Zaretski, pastor of the Novalukoml Evangelical Church, was detained for praying for an end to the war in Ukraine during religious services in his community.
 
The Prosecutor General’s Office has drafted a law providing for administrative responsibility for  “propaganda of abnormal relationships, paedophilia and voluntary refusal to have children.” The Prosecutor General, Andrei Shved, said that the document is already at the approval stage. “The activities of our opponents, who are trying to destroy our values, trying to destroy our statehood, our morality, are aimed at the destruction of Belarus as a country in general,» he commented.
 
On February 19, the European Union Council approved conclusions reaffirming its unwavering support for the Belarusian people’s quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe. The Council expresses its continued and deep concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. It strongly condemns the continuing persecution and intimidation campaigns against all segments of Belarusian society, the unprecedented level of repression, and restrictions on political participation, which undermine the potential for fairness and legitimacy of the parliamentary and local elections scheduled to take place on 25 February 2024. The Council expresses its deep concern about the Lukashenka regime’s actions affecting the national identity of Belarus and reaffirms its commitment to supporting and promoting the Belarusian language and culture. Furthermore, the Council strongly condemns the continued support provided by the Belarusian regime to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and calls on Belarus to refrain from such actions and to abide by its international obligations. It also condemns the regime’s hybrid attacks at the EU’s external borders, including the instrumentalisation of migrants. The EU has imposed targeted sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and stands ready to take further restrictive and targeted measures as long as the Belarusian authorities continue their actions. The conclusions also underline the EU’s strong support for Belarusian civil society, welcoming the establishment of the EU Consultative Group with Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. “Belarus remains high on the EU agenda. We denounce the Lukashenka regime’s continued senseless violation of human rights and unprecedented level of repression ahead of the upcoming elections. Those responsible will be held to account. We stand in solidarity with the Belarusian people and remain determined to mobilise all tools to support their quest for peace and democracy,” noted Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
 
“Navalny’s death is also a bitter reminder of all Belarusian political prisoners, and nothing has been known about the most famous of them for more than a year,” the European External Action Service’s Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Belarus, Dirk Schuebel, wrote on February 19. The diplomat added that “the brave Mikalai Statkevich is one of them.” On February 17, the wife of political prisoner, Mikalai Statkevich, reported that she had not heard from her husband for 373 days.
 
Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, during the official meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels, raised the topic of repressions in Belarus and compared them to the military suppression of Solidarity in Poland more than 40 years ago. “In Belarus, as in Russia, fake presidential elections will be held soon. We all remember how the previous elections ended — the wave of repression is still not abating. In relation to the population, this is worse than it was during the martial law. Let me remind you that today there are more political prisoners in Belarus and Russia together than there were under Leonid Brezhnev in the USSR,” he noted.
 
On February 21, the European Union commented on the death of political prisoner, Ihar Lednik. “The tragic death of Ihar Lednik in prison shows the inhuman scale of Lukashenka’s repressions. There are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus, they are being mistreated or deprived of medical care. The regime is responsible for their lives and health and will be held accountable,” wrote Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy. Referring to Lednik’s death, Deputy of the German Bundestag, Robin Wagener, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus.
 
On February 21, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights issued a statement on deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. “Human rights work can include criticism of the government and contributes to the wellbeing of any society. It is regrettable to see that this work has now been criminalized in Belarus,” said ODIHR Director, Matteo Mecacci, — “Many human rights defenders, activists and ordinary citizens voicing their dissent have been convicted, imprisoned and harassed. We call once again on the Belarusian authorities to respect the rights of human rights defenders and of all citizens, as the health and even life of these citizens and of their families is at stake.” The human rights situation has resulted in the flight of thousands of Belarusians to safety abroad, including many members of civil society and the political opposition. Recent changes to Belarusian legislation mean that some may even be arbitrarily deprived of citizenship and made stateless as a punishment for poorly defined “extremist activity”, which goes against international human rights law. ODIHR reminds the Belarusian authorities of their international obligations and OSCE commitments to respect human rights and the rule of law, and to ensure accountability for human rights violations. ODIHR has reiterated its offer on many occasions to assist in this process by monitoring the trials of human rights defenders together with the Office’s other expertise and tools to protect the rights of all citizens. Particularly given this context, ODIHR deeply regrets the decision of the Belarusian authorities not to issue an invitation to observe this weekend’s parliamentary elections, depriving the country’s citizens and institutions from an impartial, transparent, and comprehensive assessment by an international body. ODIHR also reiterates the importance of citizen election observers and their ability to work free from intimidation or pressure. While the Office is unable to observe the elections, ODIHR continues to follow closely the events in Belarus and their consequences for democracy and human rights from all the areas covered by its mandate.

On February 19, the Prosecutor General of Belarus Andrei Shved stated that he was ready to take decisions on depriving opponents of the authorities of citizenship and confiscating their property. He noted that several of Lukashenka’s opponents had already been sentenced, so he could speak about them as criminals.  The topic is further developed by semi-official Telegram channel of the regime.  “Zheltie slivi” [Yellow leaks] on February 23: “It has been going on for months in the circles of the opposition that fugitive extremists are having their property confiscated. The funniest thing is that there are still propagandists who promise the “freedom fighters” that when there is a change of power, they will allegedly receive a compensation from the state and the person who bought the apartment. Except that the “freedom fighters” don’t need all these apartments anymore. When they return to Belarus, they will already have a place of residence guaranteed by the state – prison”. 
 
In the evening of February 19, Siarhei Husachenka, a propagandist at Belarus-1, devoted an issue of the program “Ponyatnaya Politika” [Understandable politics] to the 10-year anniversary of the events on the Maidan in Kyiv. The presenter claimed that Ukraine was “thrown into the abyss of chaos”, “a coup d’état” won there, after which “the state collapsed in a short period of time”. It was separately emphasized that Belarus had avoided such a fate thanks to Lukashenka. Pro-state expert Aliaksandr Shpakouski claims “there is a lot of evidence that these shootings were initiated by the supporters of the Euromaidan, behind which were Ukrainian oligarchs and government circles of Western countries, primarily the United States, playing their dirty geopolitical game on the territory of Ukraine”. In an article for Belarus Segodnya, propagandist Liudmila Hladkaya tries to convince the reader that Lukashenka preserved peace and security in Belarus: “Maidan is a direct path to war, misery, destruction, loss of national identity. This is what our President has been saying for so many years. He speaks everywhere: communicating with people in the fields and factories, discussing urgent and strategic issues with managers and law enforcers, meeting with leaders of other countries and speaking at international platforms”.
 
During a meeting with security forces on February 20, Aliaksandr Lukashenka shared three “main scenarios” for his overthrow, which are allegedly being developed by “fugitives and their foreign handlers,” and also urged to be ready for war “mentally and strategically,” since “the appetites and activity of the collective West will only increase, Washington and its allies will continue to expand NATO.” In his opinion, this will pass easily, as “almost all European leaders have become subjects of the United States,” whose interests %and policies “dominate the EU territory.” Without specifying the source of the information, he also said that Polish and US intelligence is preparing a large-scale provocation against the civilian population of Poland, in which they are going to accuse Russia and the Republic of Belarus. At the meeting, he once again stated that Poland wanted to get “legal rights to a part of modern Belarus” and Belarus should get a part of “defeated Russia”, so they wanted to “inflict a global defeat on Belarus and Russia, and then deal with the territories as well”. According to him, such plans were discussed by “fugitive Belarusian oppositionists” and representatives of the West. The pro-government historian Vadzim Hihin commented on this statement: “The President of Belarus, voicing the received intelligence, acts proactively. Publicized plans of the potential enemy demoralize the organizers of possible provocations, forcing them to take unnecessary actions. Belarus has already had a successful experience of such security and information operations. On the whole, we have a situation when we are opposed by a triple alliance of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. Such a new “small Entente” within the “Lublin Triangle”. And behind their backs are the Americans and the British”. And propagandist Ryhor Azaronak reacted to the message about the “prepared provocation” this way: “Bravo to our intelligence! The fact that we shone a light – consider it prevented – is very expensive. The Americans are trying to create a ‘casus belli’.”
 
On February 20, the rector of Mahiliou State University Dzianis Duk stated on the air of STV that a single textbook on the history of Belarus and Russia is already used in schools “as additional literature, as literature for optional classes, for in-depth study”. When asked whether such a textbook would replace the Belarusian one, the rector said that “unequivocally” no, but since Belarusians and Russians live “in the union space”, it was decided to work out “common approaches”. Also last week, Director of the Institute of History Vadzim Lakiza donated to the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus the textbook “History of the Union State” for universities. He is a co-author of this manual, which was published at the expense of the Federal Agency for Nationalities of the Russian Federation. The textbook was published with support of a Russian state grant, with the participation of the History Department of Moscow State University, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Academy of Administration under the President of the Republic of Belarus, and the History Department of Belarusian State University.
 
During the period under review, state media and propagandists paid close attention to the topic of the February 25 elections. ONT: “The CEC reports high voter turnout in early voting. During these February days, we are forming deputy corps at all levels – from local Councils to the House of Representatives. Despite the fact that the main voting day is February 25, voters are active already now. Young people also realize the importance of the moment. Some are studying the programs of candidates on their own, while others are making a real interrogation of opinion leaders and representatives of the authorities before they perform their civic duty”. Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Belarus Ihar Karpenka expressed the opinion that the OSCE statements on the elections in Belarus are “unfounded”: “Probably, the OSCE ODIHR should first of all look at its structure, how this structure works, how double standards are applied, how there is interference in internal affairs during such election campaigns that we conduct”.  At the same time, the experienced propagandist Andrei Mukavozchyk in his materials urges Belarusians to trust the CEC and to vote at the elections: “Can one trust the CEC if for 30 years the whole world does not recognize our elections? You can. And it is necessary. And here’s why. The “30 years of not recognizing” is a lie. Certain countries do not recognize when it is profitable for them, when they want to exert extra pressure or bargain for something. This is a type of sanctions. When they themselves need something from Belarus, they immediately recognize it. It’s a lie about “the whole world”. The Anglo-Saxon West and its satellites do not recognize it. They are our enemies. What do we care what our enemies and their clientele think about our elections? Our friends have recognized and will recognize everything.” 
  
On February 22, the MFA of Belarus promised to give a “harsh response”’ to “unfriendly actions of Vilnius”, e.g., the closure of two border checkpoints “Lavoriskes” and “Raigardas”. Diplomats consider that the closure is needed “to artificially create an enemy out of Belarus” covering up their own miscalculations in the economy, destruction of the transportation industry, mindless arms race, violence against migrants at the border”. According to the MFA representatives, the authorities do not like the flow of Lithuanian citizens who travel to Belarus without visas and “tell the truth” when they come home.
 
On February 22, the Minister of Defense of Belarus Viktar Khrenin underlined yet again that the deployment of the Russian TNW in Belarus was a “forced action”:  “Having held negotiations with the Russian leadership at the level of heads of state and defense ministers, we realized that today, so that the enemy clearly understands that if it comes to us, we have a clear and quick response”. In an interview with Rossya 24 the head of the military department noted that the deployment of air defense systems in Polish Redzikow, “aggressive militaristic statements of Polish leadership”, as well as holding large scale NATO military drills at the borders with Belarus, do not correspond to the principles of transparency and openness of the Western countries, and promised “not to be ceremonious” in case of violation of the Belarusian state borders: “The Armed Forces are responsible for protecting the state border in the airspace. We have forces and means of radio-technical troops and other capabilities that can see and record flights and react to them. Unfortunately, recently, just since last August, there have been six violations of the state border. We respond to all these violations: when necessary, our combat aviation is lifted, our anti-aircraft missile forces are brought to the appropriate level of readiness. If, of course, they have completely lost any brakes on their part, we will shoot them down. We will not be ceremonious”.
 
On February 22, the Delegation of Belarus left the hall before the speech of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the OSCE PA Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in Vienna. According to Franak Viachorka, Tsikhanouskaya’s Senior Advisor, one of the members of the delegation, MP Andrei Savinykh, explained his demarche to journalists that “a person who is under investigation was invited”.  In her speech, Tsikhanouskaya called for excluding the “Parliament” of Belarus from the OSCE PA and not recognizing the results of the upcoming election. The official media did not comment on the demarche.
 
Director General of Belarusfilm Yury Aliaksei made a report at the board of the Ministry of Culture of Belarus, in which he told about the plans for 2024. The text of his speech was published in the February 23 issue of the state newspaper Kultura [Culture]. He stated that, among other things, three patriotic films would be released for younger schoolchildren this year, while film projects about the genocide of the Belarusian people (“Burnt Villages” and “Death Camps”) were planned for high school and college students. Aliaksei did not say anything about shooting a movie about the protests in 2020 or about making a movie about Aliaksandr Lukashenka, which had been discussed earlier.

Best regards,
iSANS team