The Ukrainian way: Lukashenko’s propaganda is preparing Belarusians for a U-turn from Russia
Belarusian official propaganda develops the “Ukrainian syndrome” among the population, telling how bad everything is in Russia and how Moscow gives little to its ally.
Andrey Suzdaltsev, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, spoke about this on the PolitWera YouTube channel, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"This option is emerging with Makei ( the Minister of Foreign Affairs – ed. ), who recently gave a presidential-style interview. He's not a minister, he's a chancellor, and he's meddling in domestic affairs. He says: 'Go West.' The people will say, like in Ukraine: 'What else can you expect from Russia? Let's go West, they have a visa-free regime, they're our next brothers, the Poles and Germans.' And they will go. It won't be an overtly Ukrainian format, but it will be a version of the Ukrainian path," Suzdaltsev said.
He believes that the Belarusian turn to the West will cause a much greater shock in Russian public opinion than the Ukrainian one.
“It will be worse than the Ukrainian crisis. It was difficult with Ukraine even in Soviet times, so we didn’t expect anything from them. We had a grudge for Crimea. It was they who used the collapse of the Union to take this region. And this suited everyone. It was pure occupation. And no one in the West cared about this.
With Belarus, this will be a big blow for the Russian people. It will be a crisis. It will be necessary to explain why we have been investing huge amounts of money in this country for 20 years to no avail,” Suzdaltsev said.
He predicts that after turning to the West, some Belarusians will join the ranks of guest workers, while the other part will emigrate to Russia.
English version :: Read in English: The Ukrainian Path: Lukashenko's Propaganda Prepares Belarusians for a U-Turn Away from Russia