SUMMARY
BELARUS
- Strengthening Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s image as the sole and irreplaceable ruler remains one of the main tasks of Belarusian propaganda. The expressions of gratitude directed at him are reminiscent of the rhetoric of Joseph Stalin’s cult of personality.
- Along with the glorification of Lukashenka, the idea of Belarus as a safe and peaceful country surrounded by hostile forces is being promoted.
- According to propaganda, Belarusian democratic forces and citizens who disagree with the regime pose the greatest threat to the regime. They are the main targets of ideological attacks.
- In December, a large group of political prisoners was released. Lukashenka and his propagandists made considerable efforts to justify this step to the public. The emphasis was placed on material and political concessions – the lifting of sanctions and the resumption of dialogue with the U.S.
- The KGB continues to use propaganda (and Lukashenka himself) to spread disinformation in order to divide and sow general suspicion among the ranks of the opposition. One such piece of disinformation in December was the claim that many representatives of the Belarusian democratic emigration are agents infiltrated by the special services.
THE “COLLECTIVE WEST”
- The West is portrayed as a united alliance hostile to Belarus and Russia in propaganda narratives.
- The U.S. is no longer the main antagonist. Now, Europe is the main target of ideological attacks.
- Poland and the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) are subject to the most intense attacks.
- Throughout December, propagandists actively discussed the escalating situation in Venezuela. Lukashenka himself threatened Americans with a “second Vietnam” if armed conflict broke out. Others predicted that Trump would be scared off and would not initiate military action. As is now clear, neither prediction came true.
- Lukashenka’s propaganda is participating in the Kremlin’s hybrid war against the West. In December, Meta announced the discovery of a network of bots designed to influence the Polish audience. According to Meta, the network is located in Belarus.
WAR IN UKRAINE
- Belarusian propaganda is involved in justifying and legitimizing the continuation of Russian military aggression against Ukraine. In this, it is fully in line with the Kremlin’s ideological agenda.
- In December, U.S. Special Envoy John Coale visited Minsk. Propagandists presented his visit as almost the most important international event of the year. Coale’s visit was predictably used to legitimize the Lukashenka regime and strengthen Lukashenka’s position. Propaganda claimed that the American delegation had come to “bow down” to “Batska” and that without Belarus’s participation, the peace process in Ukraine would be impossible. According to propagandists, the “president” is participating in the negotiations on an equal footing with such powerful leaders as Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of propaganda in Belarus for December 2025 at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Пропаганда Лукашенко в конце 2025. Основные нарративы беларусской пропаганды в декабре
