{"id":132546,"date":"2025-04-02T11:20:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T08:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/132546\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T11:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T08:20:36","slug":"belarus-russia-unity-day-a-celebration-of-dependence-not-national-pride","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/132546\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus-Russia Unity Day: a celebration of dependence, not national pride"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On April 2, Belarus and Russia celebrate Unity Day, marking the 29th anniversary of an agreement that initiated integration between the two countries.<\/strong>

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\n\n Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka hugging Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Independence Palace in Minsk on December 6\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Belarusian leader's unofficial Telegram channel)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Official holiday does not resonate with the people<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka marks yet another anniversary of “stability” under Moscow’s control. His strong ties to the eastern neighbor do not bring him much joy, but he has little choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over his 30-year rule, Russia has reasserted its dominant influence in Belarus, leaving \u0141uka\u0161enka with little room for maneuver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrates the “unity” with his loyal satellite, hoping Belarus serves as an example for other potential participants in post-Soviet integration. He pays a high price for this, but justifies the cost, especially when compared to the expenses of war\u2014making the budget seem almost negligible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the people of Belarus, however, April 2 is not a day of celebration. It is just another inconsequential date, like so many other government-imposed holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holidays that are truly popular among Belarusians include New Year\u2019s Day, Easter, Victory Day (May 9), and International Women’s Day (March 8). All government attempts to fill the calendar with ideologically correct joy fail to strike a chord with the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official holidays linked to Soviet legacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka has established new holidays to legitimize his authoritarian rule, suppress nationalism and create a national identity rooted in the Soviet legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1996, he held a referendum to shift Independence Day from July 27, the anniversary of the 1990 Declaration of State Sovereignty, to July 3, marking the day Minsk was liberated from the Nazis in 1944.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus remains the only country in the former Soviet Union that celebrates the anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia as an official holiday on November 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, \u0141uka\u0161enka introduced People\u2019s Unity Day on September 17, commemorating the unification of eastern and western Belarus following the partition of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second Sunday of May is State Flag, Symbol and Anthem Day, established in 1998, two years after \u0141uka\u0161enka replaced the white-red-white national flag and the Pahonia coat of arms with Soviet-like symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia as a cash cow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The integration process celebrated on April 2, Unity Day, is often linked to \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s apparent hope of succeeding Boris Yeltsin as the leader of Russia through unification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when the ailing Russian president handed power over to KGB officer Putin, \u0141uka\u0161enka shifted to Plan B: exploiting Russia as his cash cow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout his rule, \u0141uka\u0161enka has never had the courage to implement market-oriented reforms, fearing public discontent. Instead, he has worked to preserve what he sees as the “best” aspects of the Soviet Union, primarily by persuading Moscow to subsidize Belarus’ struggling economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow, however, saw through this simple calculus. It never bought into \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s rhetoric of eternal friendship and selfless service to common ideals. At times, Russian officials expressed frustration with Minsk\u2019s constant demands, openly reproaching \u0141uka\u0161enka for freeloading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Model for new order<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Opposition politicians have repeatedly warned that \u0141uka\u0161enka is sacrificing Belarus\u2019 national sovereignty in exchange for Moscow’s loans, cheap energy and other forms of assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow stood by him during the mass protests against electoral fraud in 2020. Since then, Belarus’ dependence on Russia has grown to the point of vassalage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, alarmist predictions that Putin will eventually absorb Belarus into Russia seem to be an exaggeration. If the Kremlin truly had such intentions, it would have acted long ago. The example of Ukraine demonstrates that Russia does not need legitimate reasons\u2014just a pretext and the will\u2014to attack its neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the territories Russia has seized since 2008, only Crimea was annexed immediately. Ukraine’s breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk remained formally independent for eight years after occupation. Abkhazia and South Ossetia continue to claim independence to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only after setbacks in the full-scale war against Ukraine that Russia staged sham referendums in the fall of 2022 to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Since Moscow does not fully control any of these areas, the move likely serves as a bargaining chip for future peace talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin does not push for the physical acquisition of territories already under Russian control via local elites. This is why Georgia, an EU candidate, is moving closer to becoming a Russian satellite. Moscow uses hybrid operations and finances pro-Russian groups to achieve its aims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Belarus, the Kremlin has little to worry about for the time being. This project can be considered a success. Formally, Belarus remains a sovereign state with its own symbols, currency, ministries and agencies. In practice, however, it is governed by a Russian puppet, ever-ready to follow orders, support Moscow’s ambitions and rush to Moscow for instructions and loans at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is a model for the new world order that Putin seeks to establish. It is securely embedded in Russia\u2019s sphere of influence, firmly locked in this orbit and does not present any challenges. The local leader may occasionally resist the system, but in general, he is well-fed and unlikely to break free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kremlin views former Soviet countries in much the same way. Belarus is presented as a demo version with a straightforward message: accept our control, follow our orders, and in return, you retain the trappings of independence, vote at the UN and receive cheap oil, gas, loans, a vast market for your goods, and other benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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