PRINCIPAL LINES OF BELARUSIAN PROPAGANDA
BELARUS
- Propaganda media continues to exploit official holidays and commemorative dates to strengthen Alexander Lukashenko’s grip on power. In July, there were two such holidays – the official Independence Day (July 3) and the unofficial, but ideologically significant, 32nd anniversary of Lukashenko’s election as president (July 10). In Belarus, “Independence Day” refers to the liberation of Minsk from Nazi invaders in 1944, not the declaration of sovereignty after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as is common in all other former Soviet countries.
- Stakes continue to be claimed on nostalgic feelings for the Soviet past held by a significant portion of the older generation in Belarus. Lukashenko is credited with his desire to “make things like they were in the USSR.”
- The glorification of Belarus’s achievements and victories is an integral part of Alexander Lukashenko’s personality cult. State-controlled media link the country’s positive characteristics (“peaceful, nourished, well-fed, prosperous, calm,” etc.) with the activities of the “president,” thereby reinforcing the personification of his power.
- Representatives of the democratic opposition and Belarusians who disagree with the regime remain the main targets of propaganda attacks. The state is attempting to suppress any manifestations of freedom and independence in the country. In July, a widespread state campaign against Belarusian ethnic symbols was launched, during which ethnic shops were closed and a historical reenactment festival was cancelled.
ANTI-WESTERN LINES
- The “West” continues to be portrayed as an alliance of hostile countries united by the idea of opposing Russia and weakening its alliance with Belarus.
- On July 23, the EU adopted the 21st round of sanctions against Russia. This provoked outrage among pro-Kremlin propaganda media. The main argument against the sanctions was that of the old “sanctions boomerang” narrative concerning those who imposed them.
- The most aggressive statements and threats are being directed at Belarus’s closest neighbors – Poland and the Baltic states – due to their most consistent and principled stances against the dictatorial regimes in Russia and Belarus and their condemnation of Russian aggression in Ukraine. Propaganda media accuses these countries of militarization, preparing for war, anti-Russian policies, and Russophobia.
ANTI-UKRAINIAN LINES
- Ukraine continues to be the target of Lukashenko’s propaganda attacks. State-controlled public social media pages shift the blame for the ongoing war from the aggressor (Russia) to the victim of aggression (Ukraine) and accuse Kyiv of civilian deaths.
- In propaganda narratives, Lukashenko is the main peacemaker, calling for an end to the war. Propagandists justify his complicity in Russian war crimes, including the forced displacement of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
- Calls for negotiations are increasingly heard in state-controlled media. Propagandists insist that Belarus participate in the negotiations as an equal partner, because only “brotherly Slavic peoples will understand each other.”
- Another propaganda point is that Belarus (represented by Lukashenko) is resisting with all its might the West’s desperate attempts to drag it into war.
- Propaganda media insists that Western aid to Ukraine harms, first and foremost, the West itself. In our opinion, this line is aimed at reducing international aid to Ukraine.
- Pro-government media in Moscow and Minsk continue to fan the flames of discord between Poland and Ukraine.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of Belarusian propaganda (July 2026) at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Дезинформация и пропаганда режима Лукашенко в июле 2026
