{"id":11433,"date":"2022-06-15T12:25:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T09:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/lukasenka-urges-officials-to-step-up-brainwashing\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"lukasenka-urges-officials-to-step-up-brainwashing","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11433\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka urges officials to step up brainwashing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t * Reproduction is allowed\n<\/p>\n

\n The Belarusian regime continues to imprison opponents, steps up propaganda and seeks to silence any criticism that it sees as an element of hybrid warfare against Belarus.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cIf we lose the battle for people, we are worthless as the authority, our state is worthless too. It will be Ukraine,\u201d Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka told officials earlier this week.\n<\/p>\n

Brainwashing<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t At a meeting with pioneers, members of a mass organization for primary school children, on May 20, the Belarusian ruler stressed that youth organizations should permeate young people across all walks of life.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On May 5, he told state media workers that they were fighting \u201con the frontline of the uncompromising battle for minds and souls.\u201d \u201cWe cannot lose to those who intend to cancel out our history and culture, and our state and the Belarusian people too.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In the last few months, the regime stepped up brainwashing, attacks on critical Belarusian publishers and writers and rewrote Belarusian history books to suit the politics of the moment.\n<\/p>\n

Special information forces<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The government has forced nearly all major independent media outlets to shut down or flee abroad. It has imprisoned 29 journalists and declared dozens of critical media organizations and social media accounts extremist.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In a recent development, a court in Minsk on June 14 declared Tut By Media an extremist group.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Obviously, the state media took advantage of the crackdown to gain some ground on the independent media.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka accuses the West and the independent media of conducting hybrid warfare operations against Belarus. He has urged officials to fight ruthlessly.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On June 3, he announced the formation of special information forces. Three days earlier, he met with generals to discuss couterpropaganda. He repeatedly said that authorities were not doing enough in these areas.\n<\/p>\n

Many voters still undecided<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t A March poll by Chatham House showed that voters are split, with 25 percent against and 21 percent for \u0141uka\u0161enka, while about 55 percent are undecided. Propaganda is looking to win over as many undecided voters as possible.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Polls and empiric data suggest that some opponents are frustrated with the lack of success and have distanced themselves from politics. Critical Telegram channels recorded a decrease in the number of subscribers.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Some people find it easier to turn on a state television channel instead of bypassing restrictions and braving arrest to access a media channel branded extremist. Others simply avoid political news.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On the other hand, confidence in the government remains low. \u0141uka\u0161enka acknowledged it at a recent conference on local community engagement. He urged officials to be more responsive to people\u2019s grievances.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t International sanctions have undercut the Belarusian leader\u2019s ability to buy voters by raising pay and living standards. Post-election protests proved that many Belarusians want more freedom. It would be difficult for \u0141uka\u0161enka and his propaganda to change their mentality. They are likely to raise their voice again as soon as the opportunity arises.\n<\/p>\n

Superficial loyalty is unreliable<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The regime has resorted to Soviet-style brainwashing, which was absolutely ineffective at the dawn of the Soviet Union.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t It is difficult to say when the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime may collapse. Its survival depends on the resilience of the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Authorities may be able to enforce superficial loyalty of the masses for a while though brainwashing and reprisals. But the brutal methods cannot force Belarusians to love and respect the government. \u0141uka\u0161enka does have a reason to worry about his opponents waiting for an opportunity to strike back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed The Belarusian regime continues to imprison opponents, steps up propaganda and seeks to silence any criticism that it sees as an element of hybrid warfare against Belarus. \u201cIf we lose the battle for people, we are worthless as the authority, our state is worthless too. It will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11433","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u0141uka\u0161enka urges officials to step up brainwashing | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN * Reproduction is allowed The Belarusian regime continues to imprison opponents, steps up propaganda and seeks to silence any\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11433\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u0141uka\u0161enka urges officials to step up brainwashing | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Alaksandr 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