- MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
- POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
- HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
- PROPAGANDA
MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
Belarus Review (2024 edition, issue 27)
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 July 6 – 8, a delegation of the Main Directorate of Training and Management of the Central Military Council of the People’s Republic of China visited Minsk. On July 8, negotiations were held on the organization of education, as well as improving the system of training in military educational institutions of Belarus and China. The prospects of Belarusian-Chinese cooperation on joint training of military personnel were also discussed. As a result of the negotiations, new areas for cooperation were outlined.
On July 8, the opening of the joint Belarusian-Chinese anti-terrorist training “Attacking Falcon-2024” took place at the Brestski training ground. During the week, the servicemen practiced storming trenches and communication passages, parachute-free landing from a helicopter, cleaning the interior of the building, etc. The training will continue for 2 weeks. It should be noted that the first joint anti-terrorist training “Swift Eagle” took place back in July 2011. Trainings named “Swift Eagle” and “Attacking Falcon” were held in 2012, 2015, and 2018 in both Belarus and China.
A delegation of the Joint Logistics Forces of the People’s Liberation Army of China was in Minsk from July 11 to 13. On July 12, negotiations were held on bilateral cooperation in the field of logistics of the armed forces of Belarus and China. New areas for cooperation were discussed. A visit to the 2780th fuel base and the 202nd of the Chemometric Fuel Center of the Armed Forces of Belarus was made by the delegation.
On the evening of July 11, Ukrainian monitoring channels reported that a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle of the Shahed-136/131 type, launched towards Ukraine, flew into the territory of Belarus. It is known that the drone was in the airspace of Belarus for at least one hour. The area of the Shahed-136/131 flight was patrolled by helicopters and a fighter aircraft of the Air Force of Belarus. On the night of July 12-13, during another missile attack on Ukraine, a Russian Shahed-136/131 flew into the airspace of Belarus again. The drone flew for more than 350 km over the territory of the country. At about 5:00 on July 13, a Mi-24 helicopter and a Su-30SM fighter of the Air Force of Belarus were alerted to intercept it. What happened to the drone next is unknown.
On July 13, Aliaksandr Lukashenka visited the 56th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment, which is stationed in Luninets. After the visit to the regiment’s command post, a meeting was held “on the issues of ensuring the country’s military security in the southern operational direction.” It was attended by the heads of the Belarusian military and security agencies. During the meeting, Lukashenka stated that tensions on the border with Ukraine had been eliminated: “The Ukrainians have withdrawn their armed forces and additional troops that they had [earlier] transferred to our border, from the border, and generally have withdrawn from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border zone.” Following the meeting, the instruction was issued to withdraw the units of the Armed Forces from the border with Ukraine to places of permanent deployment. At the same time, units of the special operations forces of the Armed Forces (which have been on a rotational basis in the regions of Belarus bordering Ukraine since March 2022) and “minor” forces on duty will remain in the border area to monitor the situation. The border guards will continue to serve on the southern borders in an enhanced mode. Lukashenka also stated there is a military threat from the north-western direction: “There is an intensification there. Therefore, the guys should be ready for anything.” After the meeting, a remarkable statement was made by the Chair of the State Security Committee Ivan Tsertsel. According to the official, “In general, the task given by the head of state to prevent escalation, take adequate action, and demonstrate our peaceful position, has had an effect. We noted that the Ukrainian side behaved with restraint. Sometime on July 3-4, our foreign intelligence service recorded the withdrawal of these units from the areas bordering the Republic of Belarus.” At the same time on July 5, the Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Uladzimir Kupryanyuk, stated that the situation on the border remains tense. The above statements mean the end of the so-called sudden readiness check of the Armed Forces of Belarus, which began on June 21.
As part of the operational and tactical exercises of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces of Belarus, from August 11 to 25, units of the 15th Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade and the 56th Anti-aircraft Missile Regiment will carry out combat launches from anti-aircraft missile systems (S-300, S-400) at the Ashuluk training ground (Astrakhan region, Russia). As in previous years, the exercises will be held in two stages: the first — on the territory of Belarus, and the second — at the Ashuluk training ground.
By the end of 2024, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus plans to purchase a batch of 10-inch FPV Chimera CX10 drones from the Chinese company iFlight. In the official online store of the company, one such drone costs 329.99 USD. However, the Ministry of Defense plans to spend 460,000 Belarusian rubles for the purchase, which makes it 8,951 USD per drone. It can be assumed that the Chimera CX10 will be used to train FPV drone operators in the Armed Forces of Belarus.
In 2026, the repair and modernization of the infrastructure of the 2766th fuel base of the Armed Forces of Belarus (military unit 55461), located in the Zhlobinski district, should be completed. The realization of the project began back in 2019. However, in 2022, the construction site was mothballed for unknown reasons. In 2024, the realization of the project, funded from the budget of the “Union State”, was resumed. Modernization of the base’s infrastructure will allow increasing production capacities for the supply of fuel to the troops.
In 2024, the State Border Committee of Belarus has planned preparations for the construction of two new border posts on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. The facilities will be based in the Loyeu and Naroulya districts of the Homel region. Since 2022, the strengthening of the border infrastructure on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border has been intensified.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
On July 9, it was announced that the Lithuanian government will allocate 17.5 million Euro over three years for counter-mobility measures and infrastructure adaptation, aimed at fortifying the country’s borders with Belarus and Russia. Up to three million Euro to be spent this year. The Defense Ministry of Lithuania registered the respective draft government resolution last week. The plan is to install counter-mobility parks at locations designated by the Lithuanian Armed Forces along the border with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region by April 1, 2025. By November 2025, reserve barriers are to be installed on roads of national importance and approach to bridges. Engineering structures on bridges for securing explosive materials also will be built following military requirements. Drainage ditches and streams in southwestern Lithuania are to be designed and restored to their original technical parameters by the end of 2027. Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has said that work on the fortification of some border areas will start at the end of the summer.
On July 9-11, the NATO Summit took place in the U.S. capital Washington. The heads of state and governments gathered to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Summit focused primarily on the war in Ukraine and the financial and military support for the country as well as on the changed security situation in Europe and globally, as also other military conflicts emerged since the previous NATO Summit in Vilnius a year ago. The final declaration of the NATO member states welcomed the 32nd NATO member Sweden and stated that with Finland and Sweden on board, the Alliance is stronger and the member countries safer. The document reads that “Russia bears sole responsibility for its war of aggression against Ukraine” and condemns “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and coercive nuclear signaling, including its announced stationing of nuclear weapons in Belarus”. In general, the final declaration mentions Belarus three times (whereas the 2023 Vilnius Summit declaration mentioned the country seven times): once as described above, in the condemnation of Russia’s nuclear bravado, and the second time by stating that Belarus continues to enable the war in Ukraine by making its territory and infrastructure available to Russian troops. And the third time by saying that “Russia’s deepening political and military integration of Belarus, including the deployment of advanced Russian military capabilities and personnel, has negative implications for regional stability and the defense of the Alliance”. During the EU event “EU Defense Night” at the NATO Summit, Josep Borrel, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that “we understand that if we allow Putin’s Russia to turn Ukraine into a second Belarus, and to put a ‘puppet government’ in Kyiv, we will pay a much higher price later.”
The leader of the Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attended the NATO Public Forum in the framework of the NATO summit in Washington D.C. In her statement at the Forum, Tsikhanouskaya expressed her hope that one day Belarus would be considered a predictable and reliable partner. The Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus also held several meetings on the sidelines of the NATO Summit: with the Foreign Minister of Iceland Thórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir, with Hakeem Jeffries, the Leader of the Democratic Caucus in the US House of Representatives, with the Estonian prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, with the Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorsky to especially discuss the migration crisis, issues Belarusians face in Poland, and preservation of the independent media outlet Belsat; and joined the first female Speaker in U.S. history and Member of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi for an article in the Washington Post, where both politicians stated that NATO was built to battle dictators like Putin and Lukashenka.
Last week, just before the NATO Summit kicked off in Washington, Belarus, and China started joint military drills “Attacking Falcon – 2024” at the Brestski training ground. The drills were conducted in a very close proximity to the EU’s Eastern borders. The event drew international concern and huge international press attention: The Independent wrote that the drills come right after Belarus became a full SCO member and, according to the official Minsk, it should strengthen ties between Belarus and China. According to the article, China called these exercises “anti-terrorist drills” which are carried out according to “an annual plan and consensus”. Politico wrote that “two key Russia allies claim to be responding to the “aggressive foreign policy” of Western countries”. CNN emphasized that the drills are being conducted right after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the security agreement with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. German media outlet Deutsche Welle wrote in an article that by joining the SCO, Belarus became one of the members of an organization that doesn’t provide “with any financial or economic support. Instead, it serves as a platform for negotiations and talks”. Moreover, the member states of the SCO constantly engage in anti-terrorist military drills. The article reminded about previous military drills of both countries, calling the current ones not the result of Belarus’ full membership at the SCO. All in all, the international media statements refer to the fact that the Chinese army has never been so close to NATO’s Eastern borders before.
On July 10, the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in her interview with zerkalo.io commented on the latest EU sanctions applied against the official Minsk, but also largely impacting ordinary Belarusians. First and foremost, she stated that the tightened control at the EU borders with Belarus because of the new restrictions is the result of the Lukashenka regime’s policies. Tsikhanouskaya said, “If the regime was bothered with the interests of the citizens rather than its lust for power, none of this would have happened”. She also added that neither she nor anyone else can convince the “EU politicians to make decisions that they believe contradict their national security interests”. In her opinion, the EU has reviewed different schemes of sanctions circumvention and took more decisive measures. According to her, convincing the world to differentiate between the regime and Belarusians needs the efforts of all Belarusians and not just politicians.
On July 11, the Telegraph published a video on its YouTube channel showing the attack of illegal migrants against Polish servicemen. The attack was carried out by a group of irregular migrants from the Belarusian side of the border just before dawn. The migrants threw tree branches with metal blades taped at the end of them. As a result, several soldiers were injured. Earlier, on 6 June, a 21-year-old Polish border died in a hospital from wounds resulting from a knife strike by an irregular migrant during an attack on May 28. According to the Telegraph, the actions of migrants (using weapons) show “a new level of organization and intent from the waves of migrants arriving at the gates of the EU. It also shows the lengths that Russia and Belarus are going to in their quiet hybrid war with Europe”.
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The Brest Regional Court sentenced Polish citizen Tomasz Beroza to 14 years of imprisonment in a high-security colony. He was accused of “agent activities” and “espionage”. The verdict was handed down a year ago — on June 14, 2023, but became known only now. The case was considered behind closed doors. “Viasna” Human Rights Center knows about three Polish citizens convicted under political charges: Jerzy Żywolewski, Robert Tampala, and Tomasz Beroza. Another one, Roman Galuza— is being held in custody and is currently being tried.
On July 8, the Brest Regional Court sentenced in absentia participants of the “Forum of Democratic Forces of Belarus”, including the Foreign Ministry former employee Anatol Kotau and opposition activist, wife of politician Valery Tsapkala, Veranika Tsapkala, to 12 years of imprisonment on charges of conspiracy to seize power. Anatol Kotau, as the head of the organization, was also found guilty of leading an extremist formation and facilitating extremist activities. Veranika Tsapkala, as well as activist Volha Karach, architect Vadzim Dmitrenka, and Yauhen Vilski, a member of the opposition party Narodnaya Hramada, were found guilty of, among others, slandering Aliaksandr Lukashenka and discrediting Belarus. They were also sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment. In addition to imprisonment, they were fined: Kotau and Karach – 600 thousand rubles (183.3 thousand USD), Vilski – 480 thousand rubles (146.7 thousand USD), Dmitrenka – 440 thousand rubles (134.4 thousand USD), Tsapkala – with 40 thousand rubles (12.2 thousand USD).
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus Anaïs Marin commented on the current human rights situation in Belarus. She underlined that the situation when political prisoners are held incommunicado can be defined as “enforced disappearance”. The responsibility for these prisoners lies with the authorities, who are obliged to provide information about their location and condition. The lack of information about the prisoner constitutes torture for his/her relatives. The practice of incommunicado detention, as well as mass torture, “is not just a violation of human rights. Some facts can be interpreted as crimes against humanity, and this is a completely different level, a very serious crime,” Marin said. The main problem, in her opinion, is the impunity of those who commit these crimes. While, for obvious reasons, the UN Security Council cannot be expected to take action towards bringing to justice those responsible for human rights violations in Belarus, there are other possibilities, including the use of the principle of universal jurisdiction, filing a suit to the International Court of Justice on the violation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, making a referral to Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and creation of a special tribunal for Belarus. To realize all these options, the key condition is the existence of the political will of states. The problem of holding political prisoners incommunicado was raised by iSANS back in 2023. iSANS also analyzed various instruments to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations and crimes against humanity, named by Anaïs Marin, including applying the principle of universal jurisdiction, filing a suit to the International Court of Justice, making a referral to the International Criminal Court, and creating a special tribunal.
Since the beginning of the year, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Brest region has sent to the courts 194 applications for recognizing Internet resources as “extremist materials”. Of these applications, 185 have already been considered. 87 Telegram chats and channels, 27 Facebook accounts, 14 Instagram pages, seven websites, seven Odnoklassniki accounts, 14 TikTok accounts, 14 Vkontakte accounts, six printed books, one X account, six YouTube channels, and two Viber groups have been recognized as “extremist materials”. Nine more applications are pending in court. According to the prosecutor’s office, these resources are aimed at increasing social tension and creating distrust of representatives of public authorities.
During a raid on a rock concert near Pinsk, security forces detained the sister of a soldier of the Kalinovsky regiment (a group of Belarusian opposition volunteers, which was formed to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion in 2022), Kirill Ivanov. It is unknown what she is accused of and where she is now. Besides her, 10 other people were detained. The unofficial GUBOPiK telegram channel claims that “a gathering of neo-pagan Nazis and informal Satanists was dispersed”.
Belarus “categorically rejects” the accusations of deportation of Ukrainian children. This was stated by a Belarusian representative to the UN in a dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, which took place on July 10 within the framework of the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council. “We categorically reject the “highly likely” unfounded accusations of Belarus in the deportation of Ukrainian children. Such statements are irresponsible, groundless, and unsupported by names and facts. They are used for politically motivated speculation around this topic and misinformation of the international community. Meanwhile, Belarus provides all possible assistance to international efforts to reunite families. We openly, following all international standards, accept children from the conflict zone for rehabilitation,” the Telegram channel of the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the UN office and other international organizations in Geneva quotes the representative as saying.
Since February, 46 people have been added to the KGB’s “terrorist list”. 35 of them are Belarusians. Among them are a young mother, Katsiaryna Shablinskaya-Ivanava, an individual entrepreneur from Baranavichi, Siarhei Bunata, a mother of a person with a disability, Nadzeya Laptenak, an 18-year-old first-year student, and German Lebedeu. Some were recently convicted in absentia – Volha and Andrei Pavuk, a former member of Viktar Babaryka’s team and secretary of the Coordination Council Ivan Krautsou, as well as political analyst Dzmitry Balkunets. There are presently 1,187 persons on the “terrorist list”, 447 of them are Belarusians.
On July 12, political prisoner Eduard Babaryka was sentenced to two additional years of imprisonment in a new criminal case. He was found guilty of disobeying the colony administration. These charges are often applied to political prisoners to add time to the term they are serving. Eduard Babaryka, the son of Viktar Babaryka, banker and public figure, presidential candidate in 2020, was detained in July 2020. In July 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in a high-security colony on charges of tax evasion, aiding and abetting group actions that grossly violate public order, and aiding and abetting hostility and discord. Meanwhile, another property belonging to Viktar Babaryka was put for sale at an auction — a plot of land with an area of 0.75 hectares in the village of Machany. The property was seized by the investigation. The auction is scheduled to take place on July 31.
The former ONT TV Channel presenter Ivan Podrez was recognized as an “extremist”, after which his apartment was confiscated. According to Podrez, his mother, who lived in the apartment, was thrown out of the house. She spent three weeks in the hospital and now lives with a friend. Ivan Podrez left the television company in 2018. After the 2020 elections, he was forced to leave Belarus and moved to Ukraine, and, after the outbreak of war, to Poland.
Ahead of July 14, the third anniversary of the imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ales Bialiatski, Chair of Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, whose health is reportedly rapidly deteriorating, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said: “As we prepare to mark three years since the detention of Ales Bialiatski and his colleagues, we remain deeply concerned about their wellbeing. We once again demand their immediate and unconditional release and urgently request they are granted immediate access to adequate healthcare and their lawyers and relatives.” In early May 2023, Ales Bialiatski was transferred to penal colony No. 9 in Horki. The colony’s administration has refused to accept parcels containing medical supplies from his relatives, leaving his state of health, already impacted by a previous politically motivated imprisonment, in danger.
Several dozen Nobel laureates have urged Aliaksandr Lukashenka to release Ales Bialiatski and all other political prisoners in Belarus in an open letter. They welcomed the recent adoption of the amnesty law and initial steps towards the release of severely ill prisoners in Belarus. However, they urged Lukashenka to demonstrate humanity by freeing all citizens recognized as political prisoners by human rights defenders. The letter was signed by 49 Nobel laureates across all categories.
38 OSCE participating states have again launched the Vienna Mechanism about Belarus. Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States have initiated the launch. Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Moldova, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine joined them. The Joint Statement on behalf of 38 states, delivered by Ambassador Mrs. Barbara Žvokelj, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the OSCE, on July 11, 2024, referred to the 1991 Moscow Document, in which OSCE states declared that commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating states and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the state concerned. In keeping with this commitment, the states wished to express their deep concern regarding the severe human rights violations and abuses occurring in Belarus, documented by rapporteur Hervé Ascensio after 38 states invoked the Moscow Mechanism on 23 March 2023. His report, introduced to the Permanent Council on 11 May 2023, recommended the release of all political prisoners and the reform of existing laws in Belarus to bring national legislation in compliance with international norms and standards. Regrettably, Belarus has followed neither these recommendations nor similar calls for the release of political prisoners issued by UN experts, UN bodies, and NGOs that have confirmed that the human rights situation in Belarus, in particular the situation of political prisoners, has continued to deteriorate. “While we take note of the recent release of several political prisoners, we consider unsatisfactory the Belarusian authorities’ response to the Moscow Mechanism report of 11 May 2023 and, given our ongoing concerns about developments over the past 12 months, our countries are now invoking the Vienna Mechanism, along with the requirements of Belarus under that Mechanism,” the statement noted. The full text of the letter of invocation, including the names of several political prisoners whose situation is particularly critical, was circulated to all participating States. It contained 11 questions related to the conditions of detention of political prisoners and their release. Answers to these questions are expected to be received in writing within ten days. The Vienna Mechanism is the OSCE’s working method aimed at ensuring respect for human rights in the organization’s member countries. It provides for the exchange of information, including at the request of OSCE members, discussions between countries initiated by any of them, as well as debates at the OSCE’s events. The previous time the Vienna Mechanism was launched concerning Belarus was on November 4, 2021. 35 countries signed the document then.
PROPAGANDA
Most of the Belarusian media and propaganda did not comment on the Russian strike on the children’s hospital in Kyiv “Okhmatdet”, carried out on July 8. Some re-printed the news and social media posts reflecting the Kremlin’s position. At the same time, the TG channel working for the Lukashenka regime, Yellow Leaks, started to disseminate the narrative that the Ukrainian government created the “second Bucha” from the “Okhmatdet” tragedy: “The closer to the NATO Summit, the more provocations from the official Kyiv. A missile strike by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a department of Children’s hospital they called a “Russian attack” and, considering how the propaganda unfolds, tend to demand more money from the West imitating the new Bucha. Russia’s Ministry of Defense denied its involvement in the incident”. Also, against the background of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Tusk signing a security agreement, the Yellow Leaks again accused the Polish government of counting on dividing Ukraine and annexing the Lviv region to Poland in the future.
On July 8, Ruslan Kasyhin, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Committee of the House of Representatives, said on the air of the stream “Minsk-Moscow” that Europe and the United States are actively preparing for a war against Russia and Belarus, and in this context called Poland “an outpost of the Americans to push the interests of the United States in the region”. Kasyhin referred to Putin and Lukashenka, which, according to him, “warned not just once about a possible nuclear conflict”. As an argument in favor of the fact that the nuclear threat is “already on the surface,” he mentioned “stockpiles of tactical nuclear weapons” on the territory of Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Turkey, and claimed that the United Kingdom and Poland are planning to deploy nuclear weapons. He believes that “all their [the West’s] activities fit into this message – Europe under the direct leadership of the United States is preparing for war against Russia and Belarus.” The deputy also called Ukraine “an anti-Russian project” and blamed the Americans, who allegedly want to weaken Russia in this way, for unleashing war there. It is worth mentioning that on the evening of July 13, Aliaksandr Lukashenka ordered the withdrawal of military units from the southern directions to their permanent place of deployment. He informed about the “liquidation of tensions” on the border with Ukraine after a situation that he called a “significant escalation of the situation” to which Belarus “had to react” (iSANS drew attention to the matter in previous issues of the Belarus Review on July 1 and on July 8). He said that he reached an ”agreement” with Ukraine as there are “sufficient normal people [there], especially among servicemen”. Lukashenka considers that the Ukrainians continue to fight as they are “pushed by NATO”, but calls on them to “negotiate” as Russians, according to him, are “ready to sit at the negotiating table”. At the same time, Lukashenka ordered the military to concentrate their attention on the Western direction: “And time, after I said about it, confirms that we must not miss [the threat] from the West. There is an activity there. This is why guys in the north-western direction must be ready for anything. They provoke us to draw us into this clash, into this war. We cannot allow this”.
During the period under review, the Belarusian propaganda observed very thoroughly the actions of the Polish government to solve the migration crisis, orchestrated by the Lukashenka regime. It can be noted that although the Belarusian authorities do not want to show it explicitly, they are concerned about the situation, but in their materials, the state journalists try to convince the audience inside the country that there is nothing to fear. Aliaksandr Tsishchanka, security expert: “To punish the Belarusian bison, the Polish bird of prey is trying to peck the Chinese dragon. This is how it all looks now from the point of view of foreign policy. But in reality, it is the most real plebeian self-mutilation for the sake of other people’s plans for world domination. America has given the go-ahead for anti-China restrictions. And Europe, as with the Russian and Belarusian sanctions, rushed to fulfill the command to the detriment of its interests. And Poland, as always, is ahead of the planet here”. Vita Khanatayeva, BelTA: “…the main misconception of the Polish authorities is the blind belief that Warsaw has some levers of pressure. There is nothing unexpected in Warsaw’s actions – the same tactics of blackmail and threats, against which Belarus has already developed immunity”.
July 10 became a special day for the state media and Lukashenka’s allies – they celebrated the 30th anniversary of Lukashenka’s win in the second round of the presidential election in 1994. Lukashenka’s press service: “30 years ago an ordinary Belarusian called his fellow Belarusians to follow him. 80.3% of Belarusians supported their future leader. As a result, the Belarusian became “Batka” [Father] and the population – the nation”. On this occasion, the supporters of the regime felt the need to go public in the media and on social networks. Some praises can be considered an input into building the personality cult of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. For example, Ryhor Azaronak openly defined Lukashenka’s victory as a “miracle” and called to pray for him: “He has ruled under the radar for 30 years. And time after time, he wins. And after that small pebble from the “City on the Hill”, an avalanche is already falling. And Lukashenka fights. He fights for his people. Let us all worship him. Let’s pray for him. And let’s try to be like him at least a little. And if necessary, the whole nation will kneel and ask him to rule for another 30 years”. Deputy Vadzim Hihin joined the chorus of officials spreading the narrative “Lukashenka has led Belarus away from the abyss”: “A scenario of Ukraine or the Baltics was prepared to us, namely dragging into anti-Russian schemes and combinations, the plundering of the national economy, rampant neo-Nazi ideology, and oligarchization. Aliaksandr Lukashenka prevented this scenario from being implemented”. Also, state media broadcasted movies and TV shows, and published articles praising the path and activities of the dictator (Belarus-1 “Lukashenka – national brand”; ONT – “One for All”, etc.)
On July 11, ONT propagandist Ihar Tur in his program “To be supplemented” addressed Lukashenka’s opponents in exile, predicting that the authorities of European countries would sooner or later extradite them to the regime: “… we are not just sure, but we know for sure that all of you will return to Belarus. Neither of your own free will nor because of some KGB special operations. The authorities of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, France, Spain, and many other countries will provide you to us on a platter. It will be profitable for them. And in this case, our interests will coincide. Black swans are flying in your direction in flocks; you simply refuse to see them. You will all serve your terms – this is a fact”.
On July 12, during the event “The Union State of Belarus and Russia: 25 Years of Strengthening Cultural and Spiritual Traditions,” Information Minister Marat Markau said that YouTube, Telegram, Instagram, and TikTok should be replaced by Belarusian-Russian social networks, because, in his opinion, the profiles and accounts that “say not at all what our Western colleagues would like, are closed at any moment, minimized, pessimized, sent to the shadow ban, or even turned off at once, even if they have millions of followers”. In his opinion, the Russians once created a “wonderful resource” RuTube. “We should have these kinds of tools, work with them. Most of our children sit on Telegram, TikTok, Instagram, etc. But these are not our tools. This issue needs to be solved, including within the framework of the media holding company that will be created,” Markau believes.
iSANS team