Belarus began to be treated more dangerously than Ukraine
In Belarus, historical myths are being introduced, which in the future are more dangerous than Ukrainian ones. This was stated by military historian Mikhail Polikarpov, whose speech was published by the channel of military correspondent Yuri Kotenok.
“Belarus is creating its own Belarus-centric history. They have their own myths, and when there are not enough heroes, they invent them. These myths are more dangerous than the Ukrainian ones. Ukrainians, according to their mythology, are constantly at war with Muscovites and Poles. Belarusian mythology says that the country experienced genocide once a century, which was carried out by Muscovites, and always lived peacefully and amicably with the Poles,” says Polikarpov.
He analyzed Belarusian school textbooks and drew attention to the fact that in those periods when Belarus was part of Rus', Russia and the USSR, only those events that took place on the territory of the country are described (this also applies to the Great Patriotic War). If we are talking about being part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then the history of the entire state is described.
The historian also saw sad trends in the modern information space of Belarus.
“The nationalist point of view dominates in the media. According to statistics, 85% of schoolchildren choose to study in Russian, the percentage of those choosing the Belarusian language is decreasing, but at the same time all signs are in Belarusian.
At the same time, the Belarusian language is not taken as seriously as the Ukrainian language. This is the language of the confrontational intelligentsia, rural residents of the Minsk region and official documents,” Polikarpov said.
He believes that so far attempts to destroy the pro-Russian identity of Belarusians have failed.
“There are figures for Donbass (official and unofficial). They agree in proportions: 30% went to fight on the side of Kyiv, 70% on the side of the republics. So I don't think all is lost. But I don’t see any significant programs from the Ministry of Culture. For example, the inclusion of Belarusian schools in our system of Olympiads,” Polikarpov said.
Belarus is now being treated more dangerously than Ukraine.