Andrei Yahorau: Belarusan authorities should get concerned with the activity of pro-Russian groups

Belarusan state sees threats that come from the “Russian World”, but doesn’t react to them yet.

What threats does the “Russian World” pose to Belarus’ sovereignty? Why activity of pro-Russian groups at the Belarusan territory should concern the authorities more than opposition and public organizations? What can Belarusan state oppose to the aggressive Russian propaganda?

Andrei Yahorau, the Director of the Center for European Transformation, answered the questions of the “EuroBelarus” Information Service.

- Many experts mark that during the last year Russian propaganda has activated in the Belarusan direction. Can we talk about the enhancement of Russian propaganda or it is that information wars between Belarus and Russia are of permanent character, flaming up and dying out at times?

- In general, Belarus has been living in the Russian information context for over a year now. But if we consider the latest tendencies we can’t say that Russian propaganda against Belarus has increased. It is rather that certain marginal resources in Russia develop the logics of the “Russian World” towards Belarus, stepping on any revelations of the country’s independence. However, central TV-channels and information resources don’t seem to support the attacks of the Russian marginals now.

- Last week ONT (Belarusan TV-channel) broadcasted Russian programme “Time is going”. The programme was about “nationalism that is straightening its shoulders” in Belarus, and shots from the Freedom Day where participants of the demonstration were chanting “everyone who isn’t dancing is a muscovite” were taken as supporting arguments. How justified are accusations in the growth of nationalism?

- For Belarusan citizens, who are not stupefied with the pro-Russian ideology there is no growth of nationalism in Belarus. And the shots that Russian TV-channels can show from today’s Freedom Days and other opposition demonstrations have nothing to do with the views of the masses. While pro-democratic community is marginal and half-underground it cannot influence the moods of the whole society.

Steps that Belarusan authorities make towards Belarusization are inconsistent and feeble. That is why there are no grounds to talk about the growth of nationalistic views in Belarus.

But we can talk about the threats that come from Russia and Russian propaganda felt by those Belarusans that value Belarus’ sovereignty. They clearly perceive the danger no matter what camp they belong to – Lukashenka’s or democratic. And it is from them that the movement aimed at protecting Belarusan sovereignty comes.

- Belarusan state TV-channel ONT retranslates Russian propaganda without noting any sedition in that. Does the state ignore the threats of the “Russian World”?

- The state, of course, sees the threats that come from the “Russian World” but doesn’t react to them yet since it believes that demonstration of Russian propaganda isn’t infringing considerable damage to Belarusan statehood. With the growth of anti-Belarusan component in this propaganda the authorities can partially or completely block Russian TV-channels as is happened before. For example, if anti-Belarusan propaganda at Russian channels reaches the same scale as anti-Ukrainian.

- On June 3-5 the 5^th International bike-festival “Motor hit 2015” is to take place near Vitebsk. The festival is organized with the support of the Russian Embassy, Vitebsk public union “Russian House”, and participation of Russian bike-club “Night wolves”. And the arrival of the later is very disturbing since this club took very active part in Crimean campaign…

- Belarusan authorities should thoroughly look after the activity of pro-Russian groups that are unfolding their activity at the Belarusan territory with the support of the Russian embassy. Today thee groups pose much bigger threat that the nationally oriented opposition and pro-Western civil society organizations, which support Belarusan identity and Belarus’ sovereignty. Belarusan authorities should get concerned with the action of the pro-Russian groups at the territory of the country; so there is a reason for serious concerns regarding such visitors.

- What threats does “Russian World” pose to Belarus’ sovereignty?

- The main are those threats that are related to our cultural and national identity. First, more and more people associate themselves with Russia, get nostalgic about the Soviet empire, which finally leads to rejection of their own country and rejection to defend Belarus’ independence and sovereignty.

Second threat is aimed directly at disruption of state sovereignty. Expansion of the “Russian World” leads to blur of sovereignty either through estrangement of some of its functions at supranational level of the Eurasian Economic Union, which can lead to the loss of our economic sovereignty, or through Belarus’ annexation in the form of six provinces by Russia. Perhaps, these are the main threats.

- The head of the Belarusan Television Gennadz Davydzka answered that National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus is trying to “maximally mitigate propagandist rhetoric” of Russian broadcasting, but in Belarus no one will be blocking Russian TV-channels. What can the state answer to the Russian propaganda?

- I think that Belarus’ answer to Russian propaganda shouldn’t be symmetrical, i.e. it shouldn’t look like counterpropaganda and disconnection of Russian TV-channels. First, the state should enable the development of the independent part of Belarusan society aimed at strengthening of national identity and development of Belarusan culture. We need to provide our best examples of national culture with the possibility of free broadcasting and spreading; we need to stop driving Belarusan-speaking culture into underground, and so on. Only through development of national consciousness we can oppose the obtrusive propaganda of the “Russian World”. Secondly, we need to develop media literacy or even media hygiene among Belarusans. Russian propaganda likewise any other propaganda should be identified by the audience and evoke persistent rejection and desire to switch the channel. Thirdly, we need our own pop culture of high quality and popular media products with their own cultural content. Many things from the entertainment content are already contaminated with the spores of the “Russian World”.