SUMMARIES OF VIEWS
- This issue is largely dedicated to an overview of the propaganda response to events related to Russia’s war against Ukraine. In June, Ukraine was at the top of the agenda, with references to Ukraine dominating pro-government media and Belarusian television channels. One reason is the emerging turning point in the war. Propagandists’ rhetoric is changing due to a growing understanding that Russia can no longer win the war.
- Alexander Lukashenko’s rhetoric is undergoing changes. In June, he repeatedly and more firmly reiterated the idea that it would be unacceptable for Belarus to be drawn into the war and he has softened his statements toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- An unidentified drone strike in the Bryansk Region damaged a bus carrying Belarusian children, killing one person. Propagandists have accused Ukraine of provoking Belarus with the intention of drawing Belarus into the war.
- Propaganda outlets have been extremely cautious in their reporting on the successful Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and enterprises in Russia and the occupied territories, and have almost completely ignored the large-scale fuel crisis that has erupted in Russia. This is clearly due to a lack of instructions from the Presidential Administration on how to respond to this situation.
- Zelenskyy’s “ultimatum” demanding the elimination of Russian drone relay stations in Belarus has sparked a storm of indignation on pro-government channels.
- Propagandists commented gleefully on the rising tensions between Poland and Ukraine as a result of the Polish president’s decision to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state honor.
- The “collective West” is being portrayed as the main threat to Belarus and its alliance with Russia. Propaganda narratives present the West as the main sponsor of the war in Ukraine and as an enemy of peace.
- On the “domestic front,” representatives of the democratic movement, opponents of the regime, and political exiles remain the main targets of propaganda.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of Belarusian propaganda (June 2026) at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: «Лукашенко спасает Европу от большой войны». Аналитический обзор беларусской пропаганды за июнь 2026
