SUMMARY
- Propaganda sees its role as supporting the Belarusian government in maintaining political stability and seeks to fulfill this role by addressing three objectives: 1) promoting the image of Belarus as a peaceful and prosperous country; 2) strengthening the “cult of personality” of Lukashenka as the sole and irreplaceable leader; 3) uniting society against internal and external threats.
- Propaganda capitalizes on nostalgia for the USSR in order to further rally society around familiar, time-tested symbols. These symbols include holidays celebrated during the Soviet era. In March, one such holiday was International Women’s Day.
- The latest lifting of U.S. sanctions on the banking sector and the potash industry in exchange for a pardon for a group of political prisoners was portrayed by pro-government commentators as a victory in the “big deal.”
- Belarusian democratic forces, the opposition, and Belarusians who simply disagree with the regime continue to be portrayed in propaganda narratives as the main threat to the state.
- Two contradictory theses coexist regarding the U.S. On the one hand, there is a rise in support for the U.S. due to the revival of contacts with the Trump administration (visits by the U.S. President’s Special Envoy to Minsk, the partial lifting of sanctions, etc.), which has led to false illusions about an imminent return to “business as usual.” On the other hand, there is increasing anti-American rhetoric against the background of the war in the Middle East.
- The main focus of criticism is gradually shifting from the U.S. to Europe. According to propagandists, Belarus and Russia will do business with the U.S., while Europe will decline on its own.
- As for the war in Ukraine, propaganda channels continue to promote the narrative that Belarus is a peaceful and neutral country, a venue for negotiations. Lukashenka calls for peace, but he still directs his demands for an end to the war at Ukraine and the West, rather than at Russia, effectively urging Ukraine to surrender on Moscow’s terms.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of Belarusian propaganda about International Women’s Day and soviet holidays at the service of the Lukashenka regime (March 2026) at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: «Президент поднял белорусскую женщину на высоту». Международный женский день и другие советские праздники на службе режима Лукашенко (март 2026)
