DISINFO: Thousands of foreign militants assist pro-Poland opposition in Belarus
SUMMARY
It is clear that Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s warnings about foreign militants were not empty words. A few thousand militants from Poland, Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, many times more than Lukashenka thought, apparently came to Belarus. Many Russian media along with Ukrainian and opposition Belarusian media support militants just as tasked by the Western curators. Some people saw that unknown people were paying citizens for participation in unrest. The heads of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia as puppet states advocate for the plan on how to resolve Belarus’s crisis, which does not correspond to the national interests of the Belarusian people. Petro Poroshenko, who seized power in Ukraine after a coup and organised a civil war, calls upon Lukashenka to negotiate with the organisers of unrest. The situation is developing in lines with the Ukrainian scenario, including the destruction of the Union State and the creation of an anti-Russian alliance. Simultaneously the West organises protest actions in Russia. Anglo-Saxons have 300-years-long colonial experience. They know how to bribe local authorities, to manipulate public opinion, to organise unrest, etc. Belarusian opposition can lead the people to colonial dependence, a collapse of the national economy, and impoverishment of the population. The pro-Poland political grouping wants to establish an EU- and US-supported anti-Russian dictatorship and terror just as in Ukraine.
RESPONSE
This is a mixture of recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Western attempts to stage a colour revolution in Belarus, West's and Anglo-Saxons' aggressive actions towards Belarus and Russia, Poland and the Baltic countries as puppet states, and a coup d'etat in Ukraine in 2014. It also seriously misinterprets intentions of the Belarusian opposition and puts forward fake allegations about thousands of foreign militants in Belarus. There is absolutely no proof of any Western or Ukrainian involvement and presence of 'militants' either among Belarusian or foreign citizens in the widespread protests in Belarus. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting against a massive vote-rigging and police violence since 9 August 2020. On 16 August 2020 Belarus witnessed the largest rallies in the city of Minsk and dozens smaller towns and localities in its history. Neither Belarusian, Ukrainian or Russian media are subservient to 'Western curators' as alleged. The claim about payments to protesters is also groundless and not supported by any evidence. Poland, the Baltic states, and Ukraine have not supported any 'plan' for Belarus as alleged. On 11 August foreign ministers of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine issued a joint statement urging Belarus's authorities not to use force and release detained protesters, and to engage in dialogue with alternative civil and political actors. On 12 August the parliaments of the three Baltic states and Poland called on the Belarusian authorities to end the use of force and persecution and to initiate a genuine social dialogue. On 19 August 2020 the European Council called Belarus's elections neither free nor fair, condemned the violence against peaceful protesters, called for a complete and transparent investigation into all alleged abuses, and announced its decision to impose sanctions on a substantial number of individuals responsible for violence, repression, and election fraud. The opposition forces, including the Coordinating Council initiated by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, are not pro-Polish and did not call for any anti-Russian actions as alleged. The geopolitical issues are not on the protests' agenda at all. Poland and the Baltic states are sovereign countries, which shape their own foreign and domestic policies. See earlier disinformation cases alleging that Russia has neutralised many Western attempts to topple the Belarusian government. the West pursues Maidan policy towards Belarus to encircle Russia, the US wishes to destabilise Belarus and provoke a war, Polish ruling elites dream of military intervention, and that NATO pays the Belarusian opposition $1 per one person infected with the coronavirus.