Belarus Review by iSANS — October 21, 2024 

Belarus Review by iSANS — October 21, 2024
Photo: Belarusian Hajun Project
  1. MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS
  2. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
  3. HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
  4. PROPAGANDA

MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS

Belarus Review (2024 edition, issue 39)

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 October 12, amendments were made to the Regulation on the order of military training. According to the new requirements, summonses to the persons liable for military training must be delivered no later than 7 days before the start of the training camp. The previous term was 10 days.

Russian drones used in the war against Ukraine continued to fly into the airspace of Belarus. During the week, at least 17 drones (mostly Shahed-136/131 drones) flew into the airspace of Belarus. Thus, on October 15, one reconnaissance drone was recorded. On October 16 – 2 Shahed-136/131. On October 17 – two Shahed-136/131. On the night of October 17-18 – nine Shahed-136/131. October 20 – at least three Shahed-136/131. It is known that twelve drones from among them subsequently flew to Ukraine; there is no information about the further fate of four more. In addition, on October 20, one drone was shot down by the forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus over Yelsk district (Homel region). Most likely, it was done by one of the units of the 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. During the week, Su-30SM fighter jets of the Armed Forces of Belarus were sometimes used to intercept some of the drones. In total, at least 75 Russian drones have flown into the airspace of Belarus since mid-July 2024. Of these, six were shot down by units of the Armed Forces of Belarus and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or crashed on the territory of Belarus.

On October 14-17, a delegation of the financial department of the General Logistics Department of the Central Military Council of China visited Minsk. During the visit, the delegation met with the head of the main financial and economic department of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus. During the talks, the sides exchanged views on the financial support of the armed forces of Belarus and China and discussed new areas of cooperation and prospects for their development.

Battalion tactical exercises were held with the 7th Independent Tank Battalion of the 11th Mechanized Brigade at the Gozhsky training ground. According to the exercise plan, the battalion was tasked with destroying an illegal armed formation. A motorized rifle company and mortar crews were assigned to the unit. Unmanned aerial vehicles were used during the exercise. Special attention was paid to covert troop movements and camouflage.

On October 19, a group of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Belarus went to Russia for training in one of the “combat training centers”. According to the head of the main department of combat training of the Armed Forces of Belarus, after the training, the best servicemen will be appointed as instructors in combat training subjects. It should be recalled that in January-February 2024, the first group of instructors of the Armed Forces of Belarus was trained in Russia.

According to state media, about 10,000 conscripts are planned to be sent for compulsory military service during the fall draft of 2024. The number of conscripts has remained unchanged over the past years.

The 1st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of the Armed Forces of Belarus is training specialists to operate Pantsir-S1/SM anti-aircraft missile-cannon systems and Russian-made Tor-M2K anti-aircraft missile systems. The issue of the timing of the transfer of these systems to the Armed Forces of Belarus remains open, as the deliveries directly depend on the capabilities of the Russian military-industrial complex. As the example of Su-30SM fighters shows, the transfer process may take years.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

On October 14, it was announced that Poland will test the “Eastern Shield” – a set of fortification measures, which is being built to defend against possible attack from Belarus and Russia. According to the TVP channel, at the training range in Ozysz, the soldiers will practice such elements as detection of the enemy, occupation of the defense area, withdrawal of the observation post, simulation of enemy artillery fire, crossing the Polish border, an attempt to overcome the anti-tank ditch and concrete hedgehog fence by enemy soldiers, establishment of fire contact, an attempt to bypass the fence and evacuation of damaged equipment, and fire support of self-propelled mortar Rak. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Minister of Defense Wladislaw Kosiniak-Kamysz are said to attend the testing.

On October 15, the Polish Council of Ministers approved the migration strategy for 2025-2030, which includes a temporary territorial suspension of asylum rights for migrants and a strategy for the return of legal residents who are recognized as representing a security threat. The migration strategy “adopts the overriding priority of security,” which is supposed to result in migration processes being “regulated in detail and remaining under control both in terms of the purpose of arrival, the scale of the influx and the countries of origin of foreigners”. In this context, the document announces that “the Polish government will demand a change in the current approach to granting asylum” from the EU. Additionally, the strategy calls for stricter criteria for work permits and educational visas, while maintaining current employment conditions for some countries, including Belarus, until 2025. Requirements for obtaining Polish citizenship will be tightened, including a citizenship test and proficiency in the Polish language. The European Commission previously warned that Poland’s unilateral denial of asylum could violate human rights obligations. In response, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Polish border security would not be negotiable.

On October 15, Lithuania began the process of denouncing the intergovernmental agreement with Belarus on customs cooperation. The Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) adopted the issue for consideration unanimously at its plenary session. Now, the document will be provided to the Committee of Foreign Affairs for further consideration and voted on at the next plenary session of the parliament on November 5. The Lithuanian Minister of Finance, Gintare Skaiste, said that it would be “wise to denounce the agreement, as the Lithuanian Customs essentially has no ties with the customs services of Belarus and has not exchanged information with them since 2022”. The agreement between Lithuania and Belarus on preventing violation of customs laws has been in force since 1996.

On October 17, the release of a new book of the former U.S. Secretary of State and presidential candidate in the 2016 U.S. election, wife of U.S. President Bill Clinton, politician and civic activist Hillary Clinton, “Something lost, something gained” was announced in the media. The book by Hillary Rodham Clinton describes, among other political issues, the situation in Belarus after the rigged presidential election of 2020. It has passages about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, currently political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski. In her book, Clinton writes that in 2020 as the support for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was growing, Aliaksandr Lukashenka took it very seriously and decided to falsify the presidential election results. The book reads: “As a result, he [Lukashenka] announced himself the winner of the election with 80% of votes, whereas, according to the independent vote count, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya won. As a result, she was forced out of the country and her husband was put in jail for about 20 years”. Hillary Clinton considers in her book, that back then Lukashenka underestimated Tsikhanouskaya and this is why he didn’t block Tsikhanouskaya’s candidacy during the election, whereas she united with other two women – Veranika Tsapkala and Maryja Kalesnikava, to mobilize the society. Furthermore, Clinton writes that now, Tsikhanouskaya advocates with international leaders to make Lukashenka accountable for his crimes against Belarusians and support Belarusians in their strive for freedom.

During the period under review, the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit in Germany. On October 14, Tsikhanouskaya attended the Belarus Future Forum, the event in Berlin that brought together over 130 participants, including representatives from European ministries, embassies, and civil society. During the discussions of the Forum, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the current situation with political prisoners in Belarus, international support, the future of Belarus in the context of regional security, and the aspirations of the Belarusian people. On October 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Belarusian diaspora in Berlin and with the members of the German Bundestag, primarily from the group “For a Democratic Belarus”. During this meeting, Tsikhanouskaya was accompanied by the head of the Belarusian National Anti-Crisis Management Pavel Latushka and the Speaker of the Coordination Council Anzhalika Melnikava. The parties discussed, among other topics, the release of political prisoners, the non-recognition of the sham 2025 presidential election in Belarus, Lithuania’s referral of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes to the ICC, Germany’s support for independent Belarusian media and initiatives, and internships for Belarusians in the Bundestag. Also, during her working visit in Berlin, Tsikhanouskaya met with the German Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger, where the politicians discussed grants and scholarships for Belarusian students and researchers, possibilities to increase the number of visas, scholarships and educational programs for Belarusians and possible expansion of the DAAD programs. During the meeting with the German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talked about the release of Maryja Kalesnikava and Ales Bialiatski and all political prisoners, expanding the Schengen visa issuance for Belarusians and urged Germany to issue more multi-entry and long-term visas as well as make visas free of charge for young people, Germany’s support for Lithuania’s referral to the ICC, migration issues faced by Belarusians in Germany, assistance to the Belarusian diaspora, and the increase of pressure on the Lukashenka regime. During the meeting with the Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya raised the issue of the internships for Belarusians at the German Bundestag, activities of the group “For Democratic Belarus” in the German Bundestag, solidarity campaign for Belarusian political prisoners, implementation of the Bundestag resolution supporting Belarusian civil society, diaspora and mobility for Belarusians, expanded cooperation between the German Bundestag and the Coordination Council, and other important issues. Also, during her visit to Berlin, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received the Schwarzkopf Europe Award, which recognizes people in public life who are particularly committed to a peaceful, unified, and sustainable Europe.

HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

In September, the courts of Belarus continued to actively sentence persons for political reasons, “Viasna” Human Rights Center reported. According to preliminary data, 170 persons were convicted in September, 46 of whom were women and 124 were men.

In October, at least 25 trials have been held or will be held to replace restriction of freedom with referral to an open-type correctional institution (“home chemistry”) with imprisonment for former political prisoners. It is known that some of them left the country after their release from jail, so their trials are held in absentia. For example, on October 14, eight such trials were held in Minsk. Judgment was delivered, among others, in the case of former political prisoner Volha Ritus. On October 11, the court of the Savetski district of Minsk held a trial to replace the punishment of Valeryja Charnamortsava, a researcher of Belarusian GULAG prisoners. She was detained after the trial and transferred to the colony, along with other former political prisoners who remained in Belarus, “Viasna” Human Rights Center reported.

Relatives of those who have left Belarus receive letters with a proposal to apply to the Commission on Return. The letters tell how those who have left can return home. They should indicate the reason for their departure, report violations they have committed, and in case of crimes, express remorse, publicly apologize, and compensate for the damage. This is not the first attempt by the authorities to get back those who have left Belarus. In January, the security forces conducted a raid, during which they pressured people to persuade their family members to return through the Commission on Return. Applying to the Commission, however, does not guarantee that the returnees will not be persecuted. For example, Ihar Nemirovich, who returned after applying to the Commission, was subsequently sentenced to a year of imprisonment for a photo with an “offensive caption” on Instagram. In court, his appeal to the Commission was not recognized as “an unconditional basis for concluding that he was remorseful.”

On the border of Belarus with the European Union, the Belarusian security services sometimes summon a new category of persons for a personal conversation — parents whose children live abroad. One of them said that he was asked why his child does not live in his homeland and why he does not want to work there. Servicemen strongly suggested the man call and ask his child to return to live in Belarus.

On October 6, the trial of analyst and political prisoner Andrei Parotnikau began. He is charged with high treason, conspiracy, or other actions committed to seizing power, assisting extremist activities, joining an extremist formation, and obstructing the exercise of electoral rights. The case is considered by the Minsk Regional Court behind closed doors. Parotnikau is known as an expert in the field of security, he ran his own blog Belarus Security Blog. The KGB detained him in the early spring of 2023. It is known that he pleaded not guilty to “high treason”.

On October 15, political prisoner Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk was sentenced to another year (and one day) of imprisonment, once again on charges of “malicious disobedience to the administration of the institution.” This is the third extension of her term of imprisonment. Relatives, human rights activists, and the UN declare the threat to her life, she has been diagnosed with a serious illness. “There was only one day left from the last prison term… the sentence sounds like a death sentence, because Palina may not physically withstand the fourth circle of hell. Palina’s life is hanging on a thin thread that can break at any moment…”, — wrote Andrei, Polina’s husband on Facebook. EU ambassadors came to the courthouse in Rechitsa, where the trial took place, to express their solidarity with her.

On October 15, the Homel Regional Court sentenced Svetlogorsk human rights activist Alena Maslyukova in absentia to three years of imprisonment.

On October 16, the house of opposition politician Valery Tsepkala was put up for auction. Information about this appeared on the website of “Belyurobespechenie”. In April 2024, his apartment in Minsk was sold. It was seized in 2023 after the Minsk Regional Court sentenced him in absentia to 17 years of imprisonment. His wife Veranika Tsepkala was sentenced in absentia to 12 years of imprisonment. Earlier, the real estate of political prisoners Viktar Babaryka and Siarhei Tsikhanouski was sold.

Another big businessman was convicted for donating money. Siarhei Yunchits, a business owner in the medical field, was sentenced for donating to public needs. Nothing is known about the date of his detention, as well as about the nature of the charges. Yunchits was tried in the Minsk regional Court on charges of financing extremist activities, facilitating extremist activities, and financing an extremist formation. It is not known yet which of them he was found guilty of, but it is known that he was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

Human rights activists have learned that over the past month, the KGB has been calling for “conversations” and detaining people involved in various civic initiatives and projects still legally operating in Belarus. Pressure on initiatives is exerted throughout the country and affects projects of various directions. During the “conversations”, people are threatened with criminal charges if the media and human rights activists find out about the persecution. Human rights activists have a list of organizations and projects that have come under KGB repression, but they do not make it public for security reasons.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka assigned new powers to the Commission on Return at the Prosecutor General’s Office . The corresponding decree No. 397 was signed on October 17. The Commission’s activities will now be permanent. Previously, its term of operation was limited to December 31, 2024. The Commission is given now the right to consider applications from Belarusian citizens not only from abroad, but also from within the country.

Blogger Ruslan Linnik was not released on October 8, after serving his sentence in full. He was transferred to the pre-trial detention center in Kalyadzichi. It is not known what Linnik was charged with. In 2021, he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment on charges of defamation, slandering Aliaksandr Lukashenka, and insulting Aliaksandr Lukashenka and a representative of the government. In his final word at the trial, Linnik said that he was forced to admit guilt and thereby incriminate himself under psychological and physical pressure.

The family of one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, Maryja Kalesnikava, has not received letters from her for more than a year and a half, since February 2023. Her father, Aliaksandr Kalesnikau, tried several times to visit her but failed. Kalesnikau said that during his last attempt, the colony staff told him: “If she doesn’t call or write, that means she doesn’t want to.” “I can only pray to God that she is still alive,” Kalesnikau said. A former prisoner, whose cell was next to Kalesnikava’s and who was released in August 2024, said that in May or June Maryja was hospitalized. It is unknown why this happened. According to the source, for six months she had not heard Maryja talking to the colony staff. Other prisoners told her that they had heard Kalesnikava asking for medical help, but doctors had not come for a very long time. Whether this happened before or after the hospitalization in May-June is not clear.

The former political prisoner told Belsat about the conditions of Viktar Babaryka’s detention in the Navapolatsk high-security colony N 1. Specifically, ahead of Viktar Babaryka’s arrival, many things had been changed in the colony, everything was done to keep him as hidden from the others’ eyes as possible. For this purpose, the mesh fence was replaced with solid gates, so that no one could see anything. In the place where he worked, the number of cameras was increased several times so that there was not a single blind spot. No one could talk to him after his admission to the colony, “not even prisoners from his squad, not even workers from his brigade.” Even his foreman, who was obliged to communicate with him at work, was put in the punishment cell for talking to Babaryka. In February 2023, for unknown reasons, the attitude of the colony administration towards him changed dramatically. It was as if a command had been given from above to “tighten the detention regime to the maximum.” They stopped allowing a lawyer to see him and registered him as “prone to attacking the administration and taking hostages” under the pretext that he was cutting lard and accidentally left scratches with a knife on the windowsill. A report was drawn up against him for far-fetched violations every month. After that, they usually sent him to the punishment cell. In addition, he was deprived of the opportunity to use the colony store. At the same time, he was also deprived of the opportunity to receive parcels. On April 25, 2023, Viktar Babaryka, severely beaten, was taken from the colony to the hospital. He was in the surgical department in moderate condition at first, then he was transferred to the prison hospital at SIZO-1 in Minsk. Later, he was returned to the colony. According to the source, he spent the spring and summer of 2023 in a solitary cell-type room, in complete isolation from other prisoners. The trail of him was lost in November 2023. At the beginning of 2024, according to the source, information appeared that Viktar Babaryka was not in the colony. Allegedly, masked, unmarked men arrived and took him away. “Previously, there was a card on every door in the punishment cell with the name of the prisoner who was sitting in this cell.  So, when you were being led, you could read who your neighbor was. But since Babaryka was beaten, these cards were turned over to the backside. Now it is unclear who is sitting in the cell,” the source said.

The intercontinental relay of solidarity in support of the repressed Belarusians “Voices Across Borders” has started. The event will last until December 18. “This is a unique initiative because no one has ever organized actions of this format,” said Irina McLane, one of the initiators of the project, coordinator of the People’s Consulate of Belarus in Scotland, member of the Board of Trustees of the Country for Life Foundation, – “As part of the relay, exhibitions, concerts, discussions, and webinars will be organized, telling about Belarus, our culture and the challenges we face”. Funds will also be raised to help Belarusians affected by the regime.

A mural dedicated to Belarusian political prisoners has appeared at the Józefa Szczepańskiego «Ziutka» roundabout in Warsaw. It depicts Ales Bialiatski, Maryja Kalesnikava, Andrzej Poczobut and Marfa Rabkova. The project was realized thanks to the joint efforts of the National Revival Office of the United Transitional Cabinet and Amnesty International Polska with the support of Belarusian and Polish activists. An important aspect was the support from the City of Warsaw, which played a key role in organizing and financing this project. The local government was actively implementing the initiative, emphasizing the importance of expressing solidarity with political prisoners and human rights in Belarus.

PROPAGANDA

Former journalist Raman Pratasevich, who was arrested and convicted by the Belarusian authorities as a result of the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk in May 2021, gave an unusually long interview to Russian TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak. It is worth noting that Belarusian propagandist Ryhor Azaronak joined them in the last hour and hijacked the conversation. During the conversation, Ksenia Sobchak repeatedly showed her sympathy for Pratasevich and even wanted to encourage him, but at the same time she carefully tried to whitewash herself as a professional, emphasizing that the choice of the interviewee is quite ethical, as Pratasevich was no longer a prisoner or a “hostage”, he allegedly worked honestly as a welder at one of Minsk enterprises. He even went on a trip to Dubai, from where he could “escape”. Nevertheless, the product, created and promoted by Sobchak’s team, works in favor of Lukashenka’s propaganda, because the narratives broadcast in it echo or coincide with the narratives offered to Belarusians by the state propaganda (about Lukashenka’s “greatness and strength”, about the venality and weakness of his opponents, including democratic forces and human rights activists, about “threats” from the West and its “desire to drag Belarus into war”, about the “stabilization” of the situation in the country after the protests of 2020 because people “calmed down”, and those who are still against it are in jail, left or “quieted down”, and the law enforcers “know everything about everyone”). Azaronak declared that it is “wrong” to live in Belarus and not support Lukashenka, but one can do it “passively” – for example, in one’s kitchen (“sit there in your kitchen and talk about something”), and immediately warned that such a “quiet” opponent can still “take a knife and kill” or “blow up Ksenia Sobchak, who came to Belarus as an agent of the Russian world, on the  assignment of the Ukrainian Security Forces”. He praised the dictatorship and justified his faith in the dictator by the fact that he supposedly “protects the country from the great threat of war.” Throughout the interview, it was hinted that the struggle against the regime is pointless and that any resistance will end in prison and other troubles for the person; Azaronak also agreed with Sobchak that one of Pratasevich’s functions is to convince those who have left to return to Belarus, repent and live in their own country instead of “being a second-class person” in “unfriendly” Europe. At the very end of the interview, Ksenia asked Raman to advise those “who find themselves in a similar situation,” specifically whether to choose “in favor of themselves” or “in favor of ‘heroism’.” Pratasevich responded as follows: “I can give only one personal advice. When you find yourself in a complete f*cking mess, no one will come to your aid. No opposition, human rights activists or anyone else”.

On October 14, pro-government propagandist Aliaksandr Shpakouski praised Lukashenka’s press service for starting to publish his quotes, calling them “Lukashenka’s theoretical legacy, which should become a guide to action for current and future generations of Belarusian statesmen”, and urged to “think about a printed edition as well”. He also claimed that since the early 90s, there were many attempts of “deliberate compromise of the integration idea” and “conscious infection of the integration agenda with the poison of distrust”, because “the enemy through his agents of influence in the information-political field tried to torpedo the Belarusian-Russian integration, fearing the emergence of the assembly point of the destroyed Soviet Union”, and “a certain number of citizens really fell under this destructive influence”. But, in his estimation, “all these years” Lukashenka “with the support of sensible patriotic forces of Russia has been implementing the idea of an equal Union” and as a result “not only did not lose, but strengthened the state sovereignty”, which “should be used to destroy the stereotypes imposed by the West”. As a negative example, he cited “post-Soviet countries that took the opposite course” and received “deindustrialization and economic degradation,” “internal conflicts and war,” and “devaluation of state sovereignty,” since, according to Shpakouski, these countries are “in fact ruled by the American ambassador.”

On October 16, Vadzim Pakhomchyk, advisor to Belarus’ representative to the UN organizations in Vienna, said that the country managed to reduce the number of migrants who end up in the territory of the EU countries to the level of 2020 and below, calling the actions of the Belarusian authorities “very effective”, which “bring a great effect, first of all, for the EU countries”. He complained about the “curtailed border cooperation,” which, according to him, prevents the EU from fully assisting Belarus, and suggested solving this problem “only through comprehensive efforts and only through the cooperation of all actors involved.” Pakhomchyk expressed hope that “all interested parties” will take part in the conference devoted to “measures taken in Belarus to counteract illegal migration” in Minsk on November 15.

During the period under review, Belarusian propagandists actively promoted the story of the Morozov family with many children, who lived in Riga, calling it “the story of salvation”. According to the version of propagandist Anastasiya Benedzisiuk, they were allegedly threatened with the deprivation of parental rights and the prohibition from receiving benefits for large families because of the use of the Russian language. The Morozovs appealed to Putin and Lukashenka for help with their relocation. “All the necessary instructions were given instantly. Today the family is already in Minsk. And safe. We do not abandon our own!”, noted Lukashenka’s press service.

Anatol Hlaz, a representative of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, commented on the statement of the EU leaders after the EU summit, during which, among other things, the problem of illegal migration was discussed. According to him, the topic of instrumentalization of migration was “cynically invented by Brussels in order to engage in blatant hypocrisy,” while with its statement, the European Council “crossed out all the provisions of international law concerning refugees and publicly admitted that all their years-long rhetoric ‘about universal European values’ was just an illusion for external use.” Hlaz said that the reason for the “chaos” on the border between Belarus and the EU was the EU’s decision to destroy border cooperation with Belarus and accused the EU of unwillingness to solve the migration problem. He also added that the Belarusian authorities “don’t need ‘modern European values’ for nothing,” and that democracy in Brussels “has not existed for a long time”.

Over the past week, Lukashenka-controlled media closely followed the preparation and holding of presidential elections in Moldova. Thus, pro-government expert Vadzim Yalfimau called them “a meaningless show”, because among eleven candidates there is “not a single truly opposition candidate who favors integration with Russia and the Union State”, because, in his assessment, they were previously eliminated by the “pro-Romanian” authorities “with the help of repressive acts”. Political scientist Andrei Lazutkin warned that no radical changes are expected from these elections and that “Russia is unlikely to be able to do anything to help,” since Kyiv has succeeded in “pushing the entire Russian Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk.”

Speaking during the festival “Dazhynki-2024” in Valozhin on October 19, Aliaksandr Lukashenka noted that opponents link his participation in such events with the election campaign: “Remember: most of all, I would not want this campaign to start. Yes, we will elect our president in the usual Belarusian way, cleanly, neatly, in front of the entire world community. You will elect the one who deserves it, from your point of view. Therefore, no election campaign.” But Lukashenka immediately began contradicting himself, saying that he had “every right to believe that this is an election campaign.” He also said that the day before, he had had “very complicated, difficult but interesting talks with representatives of Western states.” According to him, he “realized” from the conversations that they are closely watching the situation in Belarus, “looking for and studying” mistakes and successes. Lukashenka said that when there are no media around, these representatives are “honest and frank.” In his opinion, the Western countries are jealous of Belarus, which has found “its way of development”.

On October 19, top propagandists of the regime addressed the residents of Homel in the framework of the so-called “unity marathon”. Talking about fake news, ONT employee Ihar Tur touched upon the topic of drones, which have been flying over the territory of Belarus lately: “Sometimes, you see some objects in the sky. And then you open state media and see nothing about this topic.” He retold the theses, voiced earlier by Lukashenka: Allegedly, there is an agreement not to inform citizens publicly what drones fly and from which side of the border. “A lot of processes take place hidden and closed –to make us feel better,” he believes.

Best regards,
iSANS team
21.10.2024

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