{"id":107414,"date":"2024-10-01T20:25:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T17:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/107414\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"top-5-ideological-projects-shaping-belarusian-reality","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/107414\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 ideological projects shaping Belarusian reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kaciaryna Truchan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian government disseminates its propaganda through architecture, textbooks and national holidays, while also exposing Belarusians to Russian influence. The Viewer<\/em> has identified the top five ideological projects that illustrate how the regime is attempting to change the course of history in Belarus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Architecture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two weeks ago, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka attended the presentation of a design plan for a new building of the National History Museum, intended to symbolize the post-2020 era of patriotism. This Belarus-shaped complex, along with the adjacent People\u2019s Unity Park, will contribute to the glass-and-concrete architectural legacy that the regime will leave behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2020, the government has lavishly adorned cities with red-and-green banners while prohibiting any public display of the white-red-white flags associated with the opposition. The regime uses architecture, flags and patriotic events to assert its presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Design of a new building of the National History Museum\n <\/div>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Genocide<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, after suppressing the 2020 protests, the government revised school textbooks to promote a narrative of genocide against the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War. The Prosecutor General\u2019s Office plays the first fiddle. In 2021, it staged a show trial of a deceased Nazi war criminal, and in 2022, \u0141uka\u0161enka criminalized genocide denial to solidify the official interpretation of Nazi crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme of genocide is prominent in textbooks, propaganda and legal proceedings, including the trials of deceased perpetrators. In an interview with The Viewer<\/em>, a parent revealed that her child was subjected to indoctrination from day one at a Minsk school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than fostering genuine research, officials use the genocide narrative to discredit political opponents, European Union countries, and Ukrainians, often distorting facts. For instance, state prosecutors claimed in 2022 that remains found in the \u0160\u010dakato\u016dski Forest near Homiel belonged to victims of Nazi genocide during WWII, despite historians asserting that the site was used for executions of Soviet citizens by Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD, in the 1930s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government plans to install memorial signs reading \u201cTo Victims of Genocide\u201d in all regional capitals between 2024 and 2025. Simultaneously, the memory of Stalin’s terror victims is being erased, with the mass execution site at Kurapaty near Minsk repeatedly vandalized without consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n The wooded area of Kurapaty on the outskirts of Minsk, a burial ground for the victims of a Stalin-era massacre\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New textbooks portray the peaceful protests of 2020 against election fraud as an \u201cattempted coup d\u2019\u00e9tat,\u201d while officials often label opposition supporters as \u201cfascists.\u201d Monthly genocide lessons are now mandatory for all grades, with textbooks for all age groups already printed for this purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Unity Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The concept of National Unity Day was introduced at the All-Belarusian Assembly in 2021, when \u0141uka\u0161enka issued an edict to establish the holiday, which has since been co-opted by government propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with BelTA<\/em>, Alaksiej Bialaje\u016d, dean of the Belarusian State University Journalism Department, explained that the date, September 17, marks the reunification of Western Belarus with the Belarusian SSR in 1939.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This date was largely forgotten after the war due to the Soviet Union’s cordial relations with Poland, a socialist country. However, as Minsk’s relations with Poland soured post-2020, the significance of the holiday grew for the Belarusian government. Unsurprisingly, Bialaje\u016d accused Poland of training Western \u201cagents of influence\u201d in Belarus, emphasizing that September 17 was chosen to amplify the government\u2019s ideological message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the government held large-scale celebrations, though it remains uncertain whether this tradition will endure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n National Unity Day decorations in Minsk \n <\/div>\n \n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Extremism and terrorism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s 30-year rule has been characterized by a blatant disregard for the law. Following the 2020 protests and the crackdown on independent media and civil society, his government has labeled critics as extremists or terrorists. It employs a special \u201cextremist content\u201d designation to punish those who follow independent and opposition media, complicating access to unbiased information. Many citizens resort to pro-government media to avoid repercussions, allowing officials to exploit this ignorance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have also removed works by free-thinking authors from libraries, which simultaneously host events promoting government ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n BelaPAN information agency\u2019s office sealed by the Investigative Committee, September 2021\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Assimilation by Russia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is increasingly aligning itself with Russia, both economically and through \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s involvement in the Russian war against Ukraine. Since 2020, Belarus and Russia have intensified their integration efforts, seeking to develop \u201cimmunity\u201d to sanctions. This strategy encompasses not only import substitution but also cultural assimilation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusians are subjected to Russian television, and their entertainment options are limited to performances by Russian stars who have been vetted for loyalty and pro-war stances. Russian bloggers and opinion leaders wield significant influence over young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-term implications of this cultural assimilation remain to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historian: no need to panic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Germany-based historian Alexander Friedman is skeptical about the effectiveness of such indoctrination. He argues that while authorities push Soviet narratives appealing to older generations, they may not resonate with the younger populace. Despite the government\u2019s attempts to impose its version of history, Belarusians have access to the Internet and can find alternative sources of information, even without foreign language skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n The National Unity Day edition of the propaganda newspaper Minskaja Pra\u016dda\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Friedman notes that this access undermines government propaganda. He suggests that restricting internet access or blocking social media would make it easier for the government to disseminate its narratives. However, he believes that the regime will not succeed in fully indoctrinating the populace, emphasizing that even the Soviet Union failed to brainwash everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the USSR, history was presented in a manner that required little reflection, functioning more as a belief system, unlike Germany, where the population has acknowledged and atoned for Nazi crimes for decades. Propaganda often focuses on topics that are less relevant to young people, such as World War II, which may seem abstract and distant to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friedman remains unconvinced that the ideas the authorities are trying to implant will take root, asserting that people are likely to tune them out. Despite the crude nature of the propaganda, he insists that there is no need for panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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