Programs on Russian TV a warning for Lukashenka - expert

The propaganda programmes may be a warning for Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Belarusian political scientist Yury Tsaryk said in the Euroradio studio on November 28 when asked to comment on the ‘the information attack’ aimed at Belarus by the Klremlin-backed TV channels.

“The threat that may appear in the Belarus-Russia relations should be taken seriously,” Tsaryk reckons. “Russia has aggressive intentions with regard to our region,” he said. “The attack” on Belarus on Russian TV channels is not a coincidence, there must have been ‘an order from above’, the pundit noted.

"The programmes follow the Kremlin’s logic in the information space. However, Moscow’s information resource is not yet being used in ful,” Tsaryk said.

The programmes on Russian television should be perceived in the context of the recent meeting of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin in Moscow. There was very little information about it. “Military and political issues of Belarus’ participation in Russia’s actions due to the tension in the Eastern European region were discussed there”, he believes. The deployment of Russian troops in our country was probably discussed at the meeting. Alyaksandr Lukashenka did not agree to it and received a warning, a signal from Moscow, the political scientist thinks. He does not exclude that the signal may be aimed both at the Belarusian administration and ‘other high-ranking functionaries’.  

Russians are not ready to perceive Belarus as an enemy, Tsaryk said. If Moscow decides to change the attitude, it may luanch an all-out information campaign.