{"id":11537,"date":"2023-03-01T17:05:32","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T14:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/attack-on-military-airfield-regimes-propaganda-setback\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"attack-on-military-airfield-regimes-propaganda-setback","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11537\/","title":{"rendered":"Attack on military airfield: regime\u2019s propaganda setback"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\n A reported attack on Russia\u2019s Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in Belarus angered Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka hours before his February 27 departure for China. He summoned security officials to demand strict discipline, without publicly disclosing the reason for concern. Officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On February 26, Telegram channels, including those monitoring military activity in Belarus, reported several explosions at the Ma\u010duli\u0161\u010dy airfield, claiming that a Russian aircraft was damaged.<\/p>\n

\t Later, Alaksandr Azara\u016d, leader of the ByPol association of former security officers, said that several Belarusian partisans involved in P\u0142an Pieramoha (Victory Plan) carried out the attack using two drones to blow up Russia\u2019s expensive A-50.<\/p>\n

\t Azara\u016d said the partisans had successfully left the country.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The A-50 has not been spotted to take off from the airfield since then. Belarusian police reportedly made arrests in connection with the incident.\n<\/p>\n

Officials have nothing to say<\/h2>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka and his lieutenants have kept a telling silence. This in itself is admission of the reports\u2019 credibility. Officials usually do not hesitate to dismiss bad news as fake. For some reason, state propaganda could not play the footage of an undamaged A-50. Certainly, Russia can deploy another A-50 to the airfield soon to corroborate an attack denial story, but it would be too late.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Two days after the incident, Jury Ambrazievi\u010d, a deputy foreign minister who was on a visit to Geneva at the time, told Reuters that the report was \u201cjust another false statement.\u201d But he is not competent enough to comment on the matter.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The officials\u2019 attempt to hush up the extent of damage was a major propaganda setback. They should have dismissed the reports immediately, or the Belarusian ruler should have publically punished generals.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Authorities could not deny the attack simply because the plane must have been seriously damaged. A public dressing down would be an even bigger embarrassment for \u0141uka\u0161enka.\n<\/p>\n

Unreliable ally<\/h2>\n

\n\t The partisans, if they have carried out the attack (some sources say it was carried out by Ukrainian scouts), have not only damaged the expensive and important plane. Russia has only six aircraft of the type and is said to lack components to build more.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s reputation as Russia\u2019s ally has also been damaged.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He has avoided sending Belarusian troops to Ukraine, claiming that he needs the army to defend Russia from a stab in the back. He has failed. Partisans or Ukrainian scouts have staged the attack just about 20 kilometers off Minsk.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t It will be hard for Belarusians to reconcile reports of the attack with propaganda stories that drum into the people that Belarus is an islet of stability in this crazy world. Unfortunately, polls suggest that many gullible Belarusians have fallen a complete victim to the official lie that their country has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t It turns out there is no stability and the war is knocking on your door. What will come under attack tomorrow? What if they throw me or my son into the thick of the battle? Is the \u201cguarantor or stability\u201d leading us in the right direction? The more questions like these come to people\u2019s minds, the more difficult it will be for officials to prove that Belarus is an islet of peace blessed to have the world\u2019s wisest chief. Some people may question the security forces\u2019 ability to stand up to any challenges.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Finally, the Belarusian leader must be concerned about his physical security. If drones could attack the Russian plane at a guarded military airbase, why cannot they attack the Belarusian ruler\u2019s residence at Drazdy?\n<\/p>\n

Boost for opposition<\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian opposition stands to benefit from the incident.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t ByPol, led by Azara\u016d, a member of \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s United Transitional Cabinet, has been criticized recently for doing not enough to unsettle the regime.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Azara\u016d has promised new attacks. With every successful operation, more Belarusians will be inspired to resist the regime. And more security officers will have their doubts.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On the other hand, the regime is likely to intensify is campaign of terror to make sure opponents will never walk tall again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN A reported attack on Russia\u2019s Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in Belarus angered Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka hours before his February 27 departure for China. He summoned security officials to demand strict discipline, without publicly disclosing the reason for concern. Officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports. On February 26, Telegram channels, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11537","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAttack on military airfield: regime\u2019s propaganda setback | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Alaksandr K\u0142asko\u016dski, BPN A reported attack on Russia\u2019s Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in Belarus angered Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka hours\" \/>\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\/11537\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Attack on military airfield: regime\u2019s propaganda setback | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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