{"id":202877,"date":"2026-09-08T19:14:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T16:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202877\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T19:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T16:15:11","slug":"analysis-propaganda-shifts-focus-from-domestic-to-foreign-affairs","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202877\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: propaganda shifts focus from domestic to foreign affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 8, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Belarusian pro-government Telegram channels shifted their focus from domestic issues to foreign affairs, such as Russia’s\u00a0war on Ukraine and the\u00a0\u201cdecline of the\u00a0West,\u201d says<\/a> a recent analysis by the Center for New Ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study by Alaksandar Stukana\u016d covers more than 170,000 posts from 33 pro-government sources and examines major trends between January 2025 and May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe opposition is gradually losing this role[in the coverage of pro-government Telegram channels], whilst Ukraine and the West are increasingly portrayed as enemies,\u201d he noted. \u201cThe domestic threat, which was particularly significant after 2020, is giving way to a narrative of external pressure on Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The propaganda network remains highly centralized and hierarchical, according to the study. Two-thirds of the content that channels repost from one another originates from Pul Pervogo<\/em>, linked to Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office, and the state-run BELTA<\/em> news agency that together account for 62 percent of the network\u2019s influence, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the reporting period, reposts from Pul Pervogo<\/em> fell from 77 percent to 59 percent, yet no other major source emerged to replace it. The network remained highly hierarchical even if less centralized, Stukana\u016d concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propaganda\u2019s rhetoric became less aggressive, but hostile messaging remained effective in driving audience engagement, the researcher noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since January 2025, hate speech and toxicity have declined, while the most extreme content is increasingly concentrated amongst a small group of private channels. This trend suggests a shift from constant mobilization toward more routine broadcasting, as the propaganda no longer needs to sustain a high level of intensity, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than half of all posts are copied or aggregated from other sources, while original reporting remains limited. Some channels once seen as relatively independent are now among the biggest republishers of third-party content, according to the analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Belarusian propaganda narratives focus on external threats \u2013 expert<\/h3>\n
December 10, Pozirk. More than 60 percent of content on Belarusian pro-government Telegram channels centers on the war in Ukraine and the alleged Western threats, Alesia Rudnik of the Center for New Ideas said during an online presentation of a …<\/div>\n \n