Video by REDUX, it was then posted by Bornaya Solyanka, a successor channel to PolitRussia which has been deleted from YouTube since shortly before August 20th.
Translated by Sasha and captioned by Leonya.
The events in Belorussia bring on more than thoughts about the brotherly country’s internal and external political problems. The shutting down of the Internet over there and the phenomenon of the Telegram channel ‘Nexta’ (Belorussian word for ‘Someone’) make worth an examination of the informational aspect of such a thing as a street protest, particularly in view of the fact that in the era of Internet it is the information which brings people into the streets.
The rally and street protest as a sable form of the public city protest ritual have been considerably transformed under influence of the Internet and social networks. The methods for political mobilization and protest preparation have also changed with the appearance of the so-called new media. The key issue of these methods is naturally the conversion rate, the transformation of a social network reader and user into an active participant of a protest action in the street. The crux is that users can express their discontent at will and on mass in the social networks. But this does not result in people coming out into the streets. The thing is that joining the protests is practically always an emotionally rather than rationally validated action for an ordinary participant. Initially, according to sociologists, the propaganda is always directed to the young generation. The organizers play on the youths’ need to raise the self evaluation and to experience new emotions.
“The youth in any society is the most protest prone electorate,” explains sociologist, the director of the Enterprise group of the Sociology Institute, Maria Fil. “A generational conflict takes place here because the authorities are associated with a certain domineering of the older generation who allegedly are imposing their rules of play, the order of behaviour. In a wider sense it is the fathers and sons problem. The young want to announce themselves, want to have more opportunities and it seems to them that those opportunities are not as freely available as they would be, should the authorities be replaced. The opposition leaders arm themselves with an image of a modern advanced person.” Additionally it is important to evoke within a protester strong negative emotions. So the principal supporting factor for people’s emotions that make them come out in the streets can be the visuals of dispersing of rallies, when the security forces pound the protestors. After all it is a strong source for outrage. And the more such videos appear, the stronger probability for those people appearing in the square who previously were not sure they needed to act. The advantage that the protest organizers have against their opponents, the authorities, is obvious: in most cases it is impossible to determine whether the attacked were the genuine protesters as opposed to those who attacked the police themselves. Of course you can spend a few hours in order to find out these nuances. But this has no bearing whatsoever on the target audience. So all that is left in the viewer’s mind is the violence of the law enforcement against the civilians.
After the first dispersals and arrests dozens of videos will appear on the Internet, which will trigger the chain reaction. The entire anger stowed withing the society will blaze up from one match strike, whose role will be performed by the right photos and videos. In these conditions the decision to block the Internet does not appear to be so stupid. It becomes rather logical. This way the authorities can kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, the interaction on the Internet has a direct influence on the formulating the rules for behaviour during the protest and at the point of detention. The protests are prepared on the Internet, there the problem is discussed, supporters are recruited. And next, when the protest moves into the street, the crowd’s movements are coordinated through the Internet. This means the demonstrators must be deprived of this possibility to coordinate their actions. But, as I said earlier, it is even more important for the authorities to deprive the protest of the new energy, which can be created by the same videos of protest dispersals and beatings. In this light, the situation in which Belorussia found itself is very interesting, when the country blocked everything it could, even to the detriment of its own economy, but was unable to block the Telegram with Nexta within it. The Belorussian authorities faced a completely new problem here, for whose solution they did not prepare in advance. Possibly they did not even suspect its existence. This problem can be briefly described as a punctured informational shield. In other words, to attempt blocking the social networks and fail at it is more effective than not trying to turn off anything.
According to the preliminary assessments the modest republic’s economy was losing up to $56 million a day. But this is not as bad as the informational vacuum which the authorities created with their own hands and which was filled by the oppositional channel ‘Nexta’, whose creators, the way, live in Poland by the way, and which gained almost 2 million subscribers in a couple of days, having become, in fact, the principle coordinator of the protests and the largest Russian language political Telegram channel. Compare: the popular and quite reputable channel “Nezygar’” has merely 348 thousand subscribers, which used to seem a huge number. Aleksei Navalny has only 176 thousand subscribers to his Telegram channel. I will not analyze the ‘Nexta’ channel in the context of Belorussian protests. I am more interested in something different. Everything points at the fact that a new anti-Russian media giant appeared under our noses, which, in addition to everything else, is practically out of range for the Russian law enforcement system. There should be no doubt in the Russophobic nature of the newly born Russian-language Polish media source. The channel simply gleams with outward Russophobia and a few times it transmitted fakes, one of which was the post about the ‘Russian spetsnaz’ beating up ordinary Belorussians. Have a look.
Besides this channel’s posts are soaked with calls for radicalization of the protest. Interesting are the personalities who created the channel. For instance the chief editor of ‘Nexta’ is Roman Protasevich, who used to work for the American ‘Radio Freedom’ and for the Lithuanian-Polish ‘Euro Radio’. The problem is that if some protests start in the territory of the Russian Federation, that channel will be able to easily tell the protesters what and how they should do all the way from Poland. And if the comrades from ‘Nexta’ calls for throwing Molotov cocktails into the law enforcement forces or shoot at them with fireworks, ‘Nexta’ could not be held into account. They are in Poland. Out of reach. In this hypothetical situation ‘Nexta’, calling for the protest radicalization, will not be acting in the people’s interest. Because this would cause casualties among both the law enforcement forces and among the protesters, and would bring to naught any possible concessions on behalf of the authorities, which would be quite possible in the case of a peaceful protest. As is the case in Khabarovsk, where there have been no dispersals of rallies, nor forceful detentions, nor beatings of citizens. On the contrary, the clerk in the rank of Prime Minister visited the region for the first time in thirteen years. Prior to Mishustin, it was Fratkov who visited the region in the remote year of 2007. All that time the leaders of the country demonstrated their attention to the region’s problems only from a distance. This illustrates perfectly the role of peaceful protests in Khabarovsk in the transformation of the Center’s attitude towards the entire Far East.
Russia should be thinking today how it should behave when the described above situation appears here. Because pinpoint strikes against particular agitators inside the country would be useless. Because the entire coordination of actions and the feeding the ever renewed videos and photos of beaten up teenagers to the undecided will be directed from abroad. Yes, Russia can repeat the mistake of Belorussian authorities and try to cover herself with a punctured informational shield. But here, it seems to me, the real help to Russia could be rendered by the sovereign Runet, of which there was so much talk some time ago. For instance, the Telegram channel ‘On Duty in Iran’ draws the example of the last year’s protests in Iran. This is what it says: “The Belorussian protests reminded me of the demonstrations in Iran back in November which was lucky to witness… the Iranian way of neutralizing the protest threat looks a lot more successful (than the Belorussian one). They didn’t just turn off the Internet within 24 hours, but launched the ‘national internet’, which meant that a widen local service remained: the state media sites continued working, so did banking systems, food deliveries and taxis, ticket sales – practically everything in the .Ir zone, but no social networks, no messengers, youtubes or even email. The ‘national internet’ was prepared for almost two years but the result turned out impressive: it was practically impossible to bypass the blocking, while the basic infrastructure kept working. It is an extremely effective short term measure.”
This way, in case of events developing according to earlier described scenario, the sovereign Runet would help to prevent bloodshed and keep the protest within the peaceful framework, without causing damage to the country’s economy. Yes, technical questions arise as well as the danger of misuse of the instrument by the authorities. However the Kremlin and Russian society still have enough time to reach a compromise, having created a powerful shield against the external resources like ‘Nexta’, which, besides its role described above, could be used first and foremost for protection of important infrastructure of the country from cyber attacks during the cyber war, which I covered in my previous video. This is all for today. Write your comments, rate this video, subscribe to the channel and to my group in VKontakte (the link is in the description to this video), and see you soon.
“The advantage that the protest organizers have against their opponents, the authorities, is obvious”
Perceptions of some of obviousness affords opportunities for others.
““The advantage that the protest organizers have against their opponents, the authorities, is obvious”
Perceptions of some of obviousness affords opportunities for others.
What are the united states of america and how are they facilitated?
“Stop the Empire’s war on Russia.”
Why?
As to be expected from “The hyenas of Europe” (Churchill 1938) hiding behind the facade of sodomizing pedophiles Papistes!!! Wonder how much Whoresore will pay US grunts… at least plenty of impoverished trafficked Ukrainian beauties to stock the brothels..
Perhaps Polish veterans should remember Arnhem debacle WW2..
and sending the Jews to
Uganda 1938 !! How quaint!!
Maybe we should remind the people here that 5000 Polish parashooters were shot and killed as they were “floating down”. Nobody made it alive, as far as I know. We should also remind the readers that there is a convention prohibiting shooting at the parashooters while they are in the air.
Automatic translation? I didn’t find this readable.
“The shutting down of the Internet over there and the phenomenon of the Telegram channel ‘Nexta’ (Belorussian word for ‘Someone’) make worth a contamination on the informational aspect of such a thing as a street protest…”
Saker,
just got the Information, there is a massiv movment of the lithuanian Army from Kaunas Direction via Alytus towards Druskininkai at the Belorussian border. Just thought you need to know
Soldat 64
Probably just a provocation.I doubt the Lithuanians whose whole population isn’t even nearly half of Belarus. Are looking to rumble with the highly trained Belarusian military.
I do not think it is a young vs old protest, more like Uniates vs Russian Orthodox is my guess.
I wondered about that as well.There are plenty of Uniates and actual Roman Catholics in Western Belarus. Someone should be checking about that. One of the main forces,and the majority of the violent lumpen at the Maidan were Western Ukrainian Uniates.
https://www.stalkerzone.org/the-catholic-church-as-the-engine-of-protests-in-belarus/
Stalkerzone covered this in detail.
Excellent article. The primary enemy of Orthodoxy since 1054 AD.
There are a number of players, cogs in the machine, no doubt. It is the Polish government backed by the empire of kindness and the State Department who told that woman who fancies herself the opposition and true winner of the election told by the U.S. they would back her up. It is their minions running the social networks and media propaganda machine and the uniates/Roman Catholic Assembly (deliberately not calling this a Church) to name the most obvious. Since Rome appears to really have a hate on for the Orthodox east and since Poland has been bewitched by the grandeur and arrogant claims of the Vatican it is only natural that Polish people would hate Russia.
The most appropriate name for the RC and Uniate ‘assemblies’ is “Para-Synagogue”, term coined by St. Basil the Great to describe “gatherings set up by insubordinate priests or bishops and by uninstructed people”. From para- (beside, near, alongside, abnormal, incorrect, resembling)+synagogue (assembly).
“If someone (deacon, priest or bishop) has been found in error (πταίσματι: ‘fault,’ ‘sin’) and has been asked to cease from liturgical functions but has not submitted to the canons of the Church but instead has granted to himself priestly functions and some persons abandon the Church and join him, this is parasynagogue”.
A Parasynagogue, many times anathemized, upon whom who follow it may God have mercy upon them, through the prayers of His most pure Mother.
Since the 90s NATO is trying to install a colonial dictatorship in Belarus. In 2005 the former head of the BND estimated the cost for that at 14,2 million Euros per year:
“14 Million Euro for a Coup”
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/1961/
“A spokesman for the US Embassy in Minsk told The Times that the embassy helped to fund 300 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including non-state media, but did not fund political parties, since that is banned by law. He admitted that some of the NGOs were linked to those who were “seeking political change”.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20020803121836/http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/FightSmart31-10-2001.htm
“Chaos Theory and Strategic Thought
…
With this ideological virus as our weapon, the United States should move to the ultimate biological warfare and decide, as its basic national security strategy, to infect target populations with the ideologies of democratic pluralism and respect for individual human rights. With a strong American commitment, enhanced by advances in communications and increasing ease of global travel, the virus will be self-replicating and will spread in nicely chaotic ways. Our national security, therefore, will be best assured if we devote our efforts to winning the minds of countries and cultures that are at variance with ours. This is the sole way to build a world order that is of long duration (though, as we have seen, it can never achieve absolute permanence) and globally beneficial. If we do not achieve this ideological change throughout the world, we will be left with only sporadic periods of calm between catastrophic reorderings.
A tangible implication of this analysis is a sharp increase in support for the United States Information Agency, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the numerous private-sector exchange and educational programs. This programs lie at heart of an aggressive national security strategy.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20170117010919/http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/1992/1992%20mann.pdf
“United States Policy Toward Eastern Europe
…
I have determined that the primary long-term U.S. goal in Eastern Europe is to facilitate its eventual reintegration into the European community of nations.
…
Reinforcing the pro-Western orientation of thier peoples.
…
Encouraging more private market-oriented development of thier economies, free trade union activity, etc.
…
Cultural and Educational Exchange and Informational Programs. Such programs will be employed to reinforce the pro-Western orientation of the populace in Eastern Europe, and communicate U.S. views to audiences there.”
https://web.archive.org/web/20120412183950/http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nsdd/nsdd-54.pdf
“Reinforcing the pro-Western orientation of thier peoples.”
Coercive social relations, including possession (theirness), always require re-enforcement (spelling by design not default), which facilitate opportunities of the transcendence coercive social relations, and hence re-enforcement becomes an attempt to sustain phenomena which are being transcended in varying assay, an increasing half-life of ceaseing to existness..
“will”
Another component in this lateral process is immersion in the attempt/achievement conflation facilitating renditions of “Round and round the garden, danced the teddy bearsness.
“Everything points at the fact that a new anti-Russian media giant appeared under our noses, which, in addition to everything else, is practically out of range for the Russian law enforcement system.”
Good article which confirms what most of us suspected already. Quite simply that Russia still has a long way to go regarding media communications.
Media nowadays is on the internet/ Twitter etc. Noone has time to watch TV. I once switched on my TV to see a show on RT. It was brilliant. But it seems they have focused all their efforts on TV and totally neglected their website which is a joke..(sorry but it had to be said).
The Russian political leadership is far more articulate and photogenic than any other country’s leadership at the moment. Why do we not see more of them and their messages on the internet/ social media? They don’t have to do the tweeting themselves. Get someone else to retweet.
Btw I just read the EU wants to play hrdball and voted for sanctions against Belarus. Lukashenko already threatened to cut off supply lines to the West.
Exactly. I’ve also been having the feeling that Russia doesn’t focus enough on social media. Right now, there’s a massive anti-Russian and pro-protests campaign going on on Facebook. I didn’t check Twitter but definitely, they’re active on it too.
Russia needs to do something about this because the Russian youth are also addicted to western propaganda on social media.
” a new anti-Russian media giant appeared under our noses, which, in addition to everything else, is practically out of range for the Russian law enforcement system.”
Good article which confirms what most of us suspected already. Quite simply that Russia still has a long way to go regarding media communications.”
Media by definition requires interactivity, whilst to exist phenomena do not require to be perceived.
Consequently “anti-Russian media” simultaneously affords opportunities of “anti-initiator media” through attempts/complicity of would be initiators – another illustration of colleagues/co-operators/interlocutors/partnersness – sometimes known as blowback, further encouraged when some increase the noise to signal ratio through belief.
A technical question.
The article states:
« In this light, the situation in which Belorussia found itself is very interesting, when the country blocked everything it could, even to the detriment of its own economy, but was unable to block the Telegram with Nexta within it. »
How can this be? I have never used the “Telegram” chatting app before, does it support “off-the-grid” communications?
To my knowledge, there only six applications that support “off-the-grid” chatting (via bluetooth or WiFi-direct) and Telegram is not one of them. And out of the six, only “Briar” has been audited for security.
Can anyone enlighten me?
Of course they could block Telegram by suspending internet services. The Modi regime in India routinely blocks WhatsApp in Kashmir and elsewhere whenever protests erupt, by shutting down mobile internet.
“”To my knowledge”
“Can anyone enlighten me?”
Why?
Why? Because—unless Telegram has a technical ability to send messages while off-grid—the article makes little sense. In more than one instances the article claims that shutting off the internet was unable to stop the Telegram. For example:
→ We read in the article that the Lukashenko government “blocked everything it could, even to the detriment of its own economy, but was unable to block the Telegram with Nexta within it.”
→ Then, a little later: “This problem can be briefly described as a punctured informational shield. In other words, to attempt blocking the social networks and fail at it is more effective than not trying to turn off anything.”
→ Finally, the article writer suggests that the only solution to such problems would be rolling an indigenous networking, namely the Runet.
As I stated, from a technical point of view, this article makes little technical sense. Why? Because:
• Either the Telegram has an ability to send messages off-grid — in which case, shutting off the internet does little to stop it as people can use peer-to-peer (via bluetooth or WiFi-direct) transmissions like Briar does, or
• The Telegram does not have such an off-grid messaging ability, in which case simply shutting the connections to its servers is all it takes to disable it.
In the meanwhile, I did some reading on the Telegram chatting platform and, from a security point of view, it looks like a nightmare:
• By default, the Telegram does *not* support end-to-end encryption, only encryption-in-transit — which means that the server-owners can read people’s messages.
• End-to-end encryption can be enabled, but only in a per message setting and it does not follow industry practices but rolls out its own solution which is a red flag for any privacy-inclined person.
• Finally, from what I have come to understand, the Telegram does *not* in fact support off-grid messaging.
To stop Telegram you would have to shut down the mobile phone network, clearly either undesirable or not possible in terms of a functioning society. Messages travel via mobile network infrastructure or internet, if one is unavailable you use the other. If you’re in reach of a mobile network tower you can use the app. It’s similar to whatsapp but encrypted so can’t be hacked by security services (NSA, GCHQ) Nothing to stop the KGB joining the group and monitoring it from there, which they obviously have been doing.
RE
Belisarius on August 29, 2020 · at 2:13 am EST/EDT
RE
Anony_mouse on August 29, 2020 · at 5:32 am EST/EDT
Some, not all, are enmazed in linear frames and sequentiality; some with an admixture of “obviousness” further facilitating dances/trances around “fixed points” facilitating/precluding transcendence.
Some,not all, when expectations vary from outcomes, resort to belief to bridge doubt to achieve confirmation bias.
Transcendendant processes are predicated on questions, not “answers”, but such seems counter-intuitive to some reliant on “intuition”, sometimes known as “obviousness” even when unconcious, occassionaly with a sprinkling of can do/must do conflation as dressing.
Such pre-dispositions can be encouraged through “questions”.
My friend, I admit that most of what you wrote flew over my head, yet I am afraid your response was quite unrelated to my question at hand, which is very succinct:
« How can Telegram be used to organize rallies with the internet switched off? »
My question is quite relevant to the article, because the author uses the effect of the social media on organizing rallies as the premise for promoting an indigenous networking. My fear is that the author has little understanding of how information flows through the networks. [An indigenous network (Runet) would not be a cure-all since one could simply set up chatting platform servers [e.g. Telegram] inside the targeted country.
Are you sure you posted your response to the correct question?
“I admit that most of what you wrote flew over my head, yet I am afraid your response was quite unrelated to my question at hand, which is very succinct:”
If you admit that most of what you wrote flew over your head, how do you “know” that my “response was quite unrelated to your question at hand, which is very succinct:” ?
A fuller response was directed through this portal earlier today, but to date not “published” by/to those apparently unaware that broadcasts are affected on transmission.
The content included but was not limited to a derivative of:
Once upon a time a person had a skin rash.
A person consulted a doctor whose practice was partly funded by a “pharmaceutical company”.
A doctor prescribed skin creme.
A person had smallpox.
A person died.
Enjoy your journey.
I’m afraid this is not the case. Let me explain, and correct me if I am wrong.
Unless the Telegram chatting app has an off-grid capability, the software *must* use the Telegram’s servers which are distributed in undisclosed locations. Yet, whether they are located in Belarus or outside of Belarus, it is relatively easy to kill the service. Why?
Because mobile providers cannot magically access someone’s servers—by necessity, the IP packets must be relayed over the internet, so blocking the Telegram’s IP addresses should suffice in most cases. [Any servers located within Belarus are even easier to take down.]
Some savvy users might use VPN client in their phones to bypass such restrictions, which is why the Lukashenko government turned off the internet. If the Telegram’s servers were outside of Belarus, with outside internet switched-off, no IP packets could reach the Telegram’s servers, which would have effectively killed the service.
[Granted, some even savvier users might have used shortwave radio to bypass such draconian restrictions, but people who have knowledge, license, and equipment to use HAM radio equipment are way too few to organize such rallies.]
Again, the only effective way for the Telegram chatting app to bypass a switch-off internet is a to have an off-grid capability, which would use a peer-to-peer protocol over Bluetooth or WiFi-direct radio. And, as far as I understand, Telegram lacks this feature.
How about Putin introduces a new law classifying any instigation of colored revolutions as a terrorist act. And then he has the authority to go after ‘Nexta’ where ever they are?
Quite a few problems with this position:
• Russia is not an autocratic state but a democratic one; so, shouldn’t all legislation proposals must be approved by the Duma?
• Protesting is not a crime; in a democracy arrests can only occur when criminals acts occur (and then on a per case base).
• The article states that the “Nexta” channel is located in Poland, which is an sovereign state. Thus, Putin has not legal authority.
You misunderstood the post, maybe intentionally. Anon didn’t mention “protesting” but “instigation” of violent rallies. Secondly, about your “democratic state” fears: do you think the Duma would reject such a defensive act?
I think you should search “technical solutions” somewhere else. You became quite suspicious, see?
“I think you should search “technical solutions” somewhere else. You became quite suspicious, see?”
Some tend to search for things they can “perceive” through methods and in places they believe appropriate/plausible, thereby conditioning outcomes of “their searches”, whilst “exposing” their perceptions, including methods they believe appropriate/plausible, as apparently you are aware to some degree.
The some are not restricted to Belisarius on August 29, 2020 · at 1:56 pm EST/EDT, but include the “author/(s) of the article, its title, and framing of /poland-coordinates-protests-in-minsk-why-russia-needs-runet-as-an-information-shield/.
“….do you think the Duma would reject such a defensive act?”
I note that unlike many others, you avoid hagiography in not assigning sole agency to Mr. Putin.
Enjoy your journey.
I have been reading some of the usual westernaganda and on Belarus I find a distinct trend. Some outlets, like the New York Crimes, er, Times, lie openly: “the protestors have gone out of their way to make clear that they do not want to antagonise Russia or join NATO”. No, they did not, their manifesto clearly states that they would exit all agreements with Russia, conduct mass privatisation, join the EU and NATO, and like the Ukranazis ban Russian in all official use. “The protests were peaceful.” No they weren’t, they were planning to storm the presidential palace. And now I just read this:
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/28/906992368/tightening-the-screws-belarus-lukashenko-shows-no-sign-of-bending-to-protests
While reluctantly admitting that the colour revolution was burning out, it claimed that Lukashenko introduced the current Belarus flag in 1994 “reminiscent of the Soviet era flag”. This is a lie by omission, since they left out the crucial bit: he introduced it after a referendum on changing the flag from the Nazi collaborationist white Red white flag. They’re lying by omission now, just as that do when they talk about the implosion of Libya but always, always, forget to mention that Libya was destroyed by American and EUNATO bombing after deliberately misusing a UN Security Council resolution authorising action to protect civilians.
At the same time they did not sanction Lukashenko, despite sanctioning other Belarusian officials. While the sanctions are essentially meaningless, it does indicate that they still hope to woo Lukashenko in future. And that in turn means that they’ve given up on their Guaido-equivalent, Tikhanovskaya.
In Belarus the protestors are in thrall to those who wish to privatize state assets, and reduce the population to poverty and debt servitude to the IMF, just as was done to Ukraine and Libya
” in thrall”
Generally the greatest weakness is certainty, closely followed by belief : in interaction they each and in aggregate increase potency and spread.
Alexander Lukashenko and his “regime” is definitely finished now that quisling government in Serbia joined the EUrabians in denouncing the vote in Belarus readjusting it’s foreign policy with the political homosexuals of the EU, Nazis of Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic dwarfs, Croatia and mutti Merkel. Rulers of the Exemplary Protectorate of Serbia (term once used by Hitlerites to describe Denmark) are not really known for fair elections ever since the colour revolution in 2000 that brought Sorosoids and their offspring to power but that minor fact did hinder them in calling Lukashenko’s vote farcical.
Paradoxically Serbia is to receive free MIG fighters from Belarus in order to prop up what was left of Serbia’s Air Force following decades of Sorosoid rule. What these days is called President of Serbia just the other day rubbed shoulders with poor Luka at the Military Parade in Moscow but that fact also did not matter when it comes to pledging allegiance to the Fourth Reich. Lukashenko with all his faults (of which there are many), mistakes, naivety and shallow cunning of a kolkhoz руководитель is light years from the human garbage in power in Serbia and the rest of former socialist countries of Europe.
Moreover, Lukashenko is the only head of state that dared to visit Belgrade smack right in the middle of NATO/US/EU genocidal bombardment of 1999 during which NATO/US “gifted” the Serbs with tons of depleted uranium with half life of 100 million years. The Nazi planes did not fly that day as Luka was being protected by a fleet of Belarus Sukhois. Shame on you quisling government of Serbia.
Something wrong with the picture, Saker. Why would poles use Lithuanian “Pahonia” on the banner?
I think the Saker in a previous column mentioned the historical legacy of the Polish Commonwealth which included Lithuania and other parts of E. Europe. So the Flag is supposed to symbolize their LOYALTY to that entity not yet in existence. And the West, or passes off as the West, would use this newly and recreated entity as their proxy vs a “with their backs on the wall” Russia. Empire must have Belrus.
In longer term, censorship does not work. It will only delegitimize people in charge. Soviet Union had massive information control and the result was, people believed every Western rumors and lies.
Very weird that Putin repeating the mistakes what doomed Soviet Union. Nobody will never accept State enforced monopoly of truth.
The Stalker Zone has an interesting article on the ex Wagner Group men arrested in Minsk and then let go:
https://www.stalkerzone.org/the-wagner-spectacle-in-minsk-had-been-in-the-works-since-last-year/
It says what I did, too, that it was far too sophisticated an operation for the Ukranazi SBU; it was the CIA behind it. And why? According to the Stalker Zone the idea was that the arrested Wagner men were somehow or other to be coerced into revealing details of the Russian air defences in Syria. That is the point that I don’t accept; the mercenaries had not been deployed in Syria, so how would they gave any idea of the air defences there? And not being missile operators, but guards, what would the value of any information that might have be?
MAJOR: Tikhanovskaya Officially Admits US Promised to Prop up Belarus Opposition
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2049612420012/major-tikhanovskaya-officially-admits-us-promised-to-prop-up-belarus-opposition