(Slovak version)
In the previous series:
- in Belarus, at the military airfield in Machulishchi, unidentified explosions damaged an expensive and important aircraft of the Russian army. He coordinated air strikes in Ukraine. Every time he took to the air, an air alert was announced in Ukraine;
- state propaganda and Lukashenka did not admit for several days that something had happened. Only on the fourth day after the explosions did they show on state TV that all was well with the plane. True, some time after the plot, the plane flew away from Belarus for repairs – and did not return;
- at the same time, indirect signs confirmed explosions and serious damage: searches began at the owners of drones around the country, a wave of arrests took place in the village near the airfield, cars were carefully examined on the roads around the airfield for some time;
- ByPol, an organization of former representatives of the security forces of Belarus, took responsibility for the sabotage.
And now, a week later, on March 8, while congratulating women, the dictator burst into revelations about sabotage at a military airfield.
The speech of the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko was emotional. He did not hesitate in epithets to those whom he accused of organizing sabotage. It also seemed that the dictator was completely sincerely perplexed why, after two and a half years of repression, there were still people in Belarus who disagreed with him and were ready to act actively. And so announced the tightening of repression.
Here are key quotes from Alexander Lukashenko’s speech.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky got it personally: “I somehow thought that Ukraine needs peace, that Zelensky is rooting for his people. President Zelensky is just a nit. Just nit! Such operations are not carried out without the consent of the head of the country and the commander in chief. I’m telling you this as the president.”
With all his rage, Lukashenko said that this was not a reason to attack Ukraine: “If you think that by throwing this challenge you will drag us into the war tomorrow, which is already going on all over Europe today, you are mistaken. Once again I want to emphasize, especially to the local scoundrels and those who ran away: they are all installed, we will find them, there, abroad. And I repeat to the fluent: get ready, we have already come to you. And don’t howl. Our nerves are strong, we know what needs to be done.”
And, finally, the same announcement of a new wave of repressions: “They are sitting and waiting for something. It will be like in 1941, what is there to hide: when the Nazis came here, these cells were there, there were accomplices. And then they put a bandage on their arm, “Schmeisser” on their shoulder and acted together with these fascists. Nothing changed. Therefore, we must find them. Our guys are already on the doorstep, let them get ready. The best option is if they come themselves. Hands up, they’ll come and surrender. This will be their salvation. We will calculate them all. Let’s clean it out of our society.”
What does all of this mean?
- Lukashenka apparently does not feel confident that he is in control of the situation. He has been jailing, raping, expelling him from the country for more than two years, but all the same, these Belarusians and Belarusians do not like his policy. All the same, they are ready to protest – and even more.
- The lack of control scares Lukashenka. On the one hand, Putin feels like the master in Belarus: he uses the territory for any military activities, and in general he plans to absorb the country sooner or later. Lukashenka can say as much as he likes that he loves Russia and Putin, but he loves power more. On the other hand, the Belarusian dictator can no longer guarantee the safety of Putin’s friend – a sabotage was committed at a military airfield, the most important combat aircraft of the Russian army was damaged.
- Lukashenka’s unwillingness to send the Belarusian army to war. Despite all the rage, the dictator clearly says – albeit in his own way – that he will not attack Ukraine.
- Limited response tools. Lukashenka may threaten a new wave of repressions (not that the previous one has ended), he may hand out sentences in absentia to those who left, he may shout again that he cannot be drawn into the war – but all this has already happened. When it is impossible to reach his offender, the dictator tries to pretend that he will respond in some special way. But in fact, he has nothing new to offer.
We are following developments. Against the backdrop of such speeches by Lukashenka, official representatives of Ukraine only praise the Belarusian partisans for their courage and thank them for such an important sabotage – a damaged aircraft helped to direct missile strikes, including on civilian targets.
Week in Belarus
in numbers, words and repression
Sentence of the week
Lukashenka’s court delivered a verdict in the “case of the Coordinating Council” – a body created by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya after the 2020 elections to negotiate with the dictator’s regime. Tikhanovskaya herself was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Pavel Latushko – 18 years in a high-security colony, and three more defendants in the case – 12 years in prison. These are all trials in absentia – those accused by Lukashenka’s dictatorship, of course, are abroad.
Week number
In Belarus, there are at least 534 women who have been punished by the Lukashenka regime since 2020 for political reasons – Belarusian human rights activists shared such statistics on International Women’s Day.
Quote of the week
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a meeting with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, appreciated the contribution of Belarusian volunteers and urged to remember about Belarus: “In the context of what is happening in Ukraine, we must also remember about Belarus. In particular, one should note the courage and heroism of the Belarusian fighters who are fighting in Ukraine and liberating the country from Putin’s troops.”
Extremists of the week
The Lukashenka regime recognized the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the largest independent association of media representatives in Belarus, a member of international federations, as an “extremist formation.” This is a prime example of how the dictatorship treats independent journalism and how it looks at freedom of speech.
The Belarusian diary is published with the support of SlovakAid.