Talk with representatives of Belarusian media

After the awards ceremony on 7 May, journalists took the opportunity and asked the head of state a number of pressing questions. The president commented in great detail on all topics.

The day before some media outlets began to spread information alleging that the state refused to make payments to veterans ahead of Victory Day. Journalists asked Aleksandr Lukashenko to comment on this information. The president stressed that the state has supported veterans and will continue doing so. “A few of them are alive. They are our moral compass, our rock. As long as they are alive, they will be our bedrock to preserve our state," Alexander Lukashenko said.

“We pay them monthly benefits. It is not true that we do not pay lump-sum payments: we pay three payments monthly and we also pay lump-sum payments. We have allocated considerable funds to support the participants of the war, Leningrad siege survivors, the workers of the rear and others: all in all about Br65 million. We will definitely pay these one-time payments to the participants of the war," the head of state assured.

In his opinion, the opposition is beginning to spread such news because it cannot formulate its agenda and tries to use any opportunity to discredit the government, sometimes using the smallest thing. They even started campaigning to raise money for veterans. "Is this a new promise after all those they gave at the end of last year? They promised a lot: to protesters, strikers, protest participants. They have not delivered on any of their promises. They will not deliver now either," the president said. He also noted that the opposition representatives went abroad with only one goal in mind: to intercept there financial flows directed to Belarus to support the protests. The Belarusian opposition abroad is supported with the money of Western taxpayers and funds set up to destroy competitors.

"There is no need to raise money for our veterans. They will not take money from them: it's bloody money. These people, who walk with flags of traitors and collaborators, are not friends to our veterans.,” the president noted. 

Aleksandr Lukashenko was also asked to comment on the results of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in London the day before, who called on the Belarusian authorities to hold "new free and fair elections under international supervision”. “I am all for it. I am saying it publicly. I am for the election they demand. I will get over, though we are independent and sovereign. I am ready to do this simultaneously with the United States. As soon as the United States calls early presidential election, we will call the election in Belarus the same day,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state recalled how the election campaign was held in the United States: people voted by mail, ballots cast for Donald Trump were discarded. These facts were made public. “They wiped their feet on the then incumbent president. They still do not allow him on Twitter. They blocked his account there long time ago. What kind of freedom of speech is that?” the president asked a rhetorical question.

The EU countries criticize the Belarusian authorities for excessive use of force during the protests. Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled the live footage of the murder of one of the protesters in the United States. “Why did they shoot the woman? How many were killed?” asked the head of state. He also recalled last year's detention of George Floyd in Minneapolis: a police officer stepped on his throat, crushing his vertebrae and strangling him. “We all saw it,” the president added.

“I do not mean to say that the police officers in the United States have acted wrong in protecting Parliament, the stronghold of American democracy. So why then do they say that we acted wrong in defending our country? And after that they dare tell us to hold the early election. I will repeat: I am for it. Together with the United States: they did more wrong. We are still waiting for the European Union to give us its opinion on what happened in the United States. Why do the Europeans, such Democrats, keep quiet? Because they have skeletons in their closet, too,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “It is an absolutely different story, we have democracy here” as he compared the actions of law enforcement officers in his country during the crackdown on protests with the events in Belarus. “Imagine these statements at such a level,” added the Belarusian leader.

“We can hold this election. The United States will never agree on re-election. We are ready to do this any day, as soon as they call an early election in the United States. Everything should be fair. I cannot easily imagine us voting by mail. No way we would have been allowed to do this, we would not even have had time to conduct the vote. They would not have just wiped their feet on us, they would have destroyed us. And yet, they can act like this. These are not double standards, it is a war to strangle, kill, destroy us. Because we did not obey them, did not submit to them. This is not because we are such heroes. This is because it is against our interests: we do not want to walk under someone else's whip anymore. That is the policy I am pursuing. I have promised to do this and I will do it.

Aleksandr Lukashenko promised to reveal new, even bigger facts in the case of the coup d'etat plot in Belarus soon. "What the journalists and the special services have showed people is just the tip of the iceberg. We will show bigger things, and you will be dismayed at what you will see," Alexander Lukashenko said.

The head of state noted that people who are not intimately familiar with the situation and who do not understand these processes, do not take the detainees seriously. They see them as some philosophers, old people, and do not believe they could be plotting anything.

“They would be happy not to do that. We will tell you who was the mastermind (we already know who they are) and who was the executioner. I want to reiterate that you will be dismayed,” the president added.

According to him, foreign special services were taken aback by the ability of the Belarusian colleagues to carry out such a serious operation. “Russians said that special services are rarely able to uncover such a conspiracy in advance,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “We have not spread any fake news – we have shown only plain facts. Most importantly, the accused admitted their guilt,” he added.

When asked about a lawsuit against him in Germany on charges of crimes against humanity, Aleksandr Lukashenko dismissed it a stupid move and part of the instant gratification policy. The Belarusian leader stated: “The UK, America, France could have done it because they were part of the coalition after all. But fascism successors shouldn’t have. Who are they to judge me? For protecting you and my country?!”

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that it is not about someone following the Nazi ideology. “I don’t reproach them. But they are descendants of the generations that started that war,” he pointed out.

“Every third Belarusian died. And so many more died in the first years after the war due to consequences of that war… The Nazi are to blame for the genocide of the Belarusian people, the Soviet people here,” the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that work is now in progress to unearth this layer of war crimes, which were committed in Belarus back then: “Once our prosecutor general started looking into it, there was an avalanche of letters, testimonies, and requests: help, protect the truth about that war, about the grandfather and grandmother. And we will show it to the entire world.”

The president reminded that entire villages had been razed because people had hidden Jews, including kids, from the Nazi. “Our people didn’t turn them in. Once they were found out, an entire village would be buried alive in a trench. A writer wrote that the soil was still breathing the next morning. People were buried alive. They did it. And now they want to judge me in this court…” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.

The president added that if he is to be judged, then some other European leaders should be put on trial as well. In particular, he reminded about police crackdown on yellow vest protesters in France, about events around the United States Capitol, and about similar events in other countries that resulted in human deaths, grave injuries inflicted by rubber bullets and water cannons. “Did they hug and kiss those people, those rioters? They didn’t,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “So, let’s submit everyone to judgment of this democratic court one by one. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. It won’t happen. It is a stupid policy that pursues near-term goals. Someone else but Germans should not judge us. They have yet to atone before Belarusians, before us, the inheritors of this Victory, for what they did in the middle of the past century.”

The head of state noted that that ideas and proposals, including sanctions and the rest against Belarus, are suggested by Belarusian oppositionists, who have fled the country. “They sit over there and incessantly call for sanctions!” the president said.

“Listen, Europeans who oppose us are now horrified by what those people demand from them,” he pointed out.

In his words, foreign governments do not understand how one can suggest introducing severe industry-wide sanctions against one’s own country. “Why do you need them? After all you want to lead the country and thank our nation, bless and revive the country,” the head of state noted. “They are driven crazy by these demands. [The opposition fugitives] have already surprised the entire world.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also responded to calls for the opposition’s followers to take to the streets on 9 May, Victory Day: “I thought right away: what flags will they use? Today they’ve stated that red-and-green ones should be used. Where are the ideas then? Where is the essence of this fight I wonder?”

“Would they unfurl white-red-white flags and go to veterans, monuments, and so on? Not a good idea. They understand that we cannot allow them to besmirch this victory with flags of the traitors. A total zugzwang. Where does the opposition lead people?” the Belarusian leader continued.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that attempts have been made recently to reinvigorate the protest movement and once again shake the situation due to one simple reason – financing: “Instead of dropping hints their masters have recently cut down on their funding saying: if things happen (like the president’s assassination and the rest), then you will get your money. And they named the price.”

“The dough. And they want Belarusians involved in it,” he stressed. “Belarusians are different now. They’ve seen what it is being done for. Yes, Lukashenko may be bad, the government is wrong, there may be some other reasons but they already know what will happen without Lukashenko. They already know and can compare things. Practicality is a trait of Belarusians. Belarusians always weigh pros and cons,” the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that last year’s events were not something new. Attempts to shake the situation were made from time to time throughout his presidential career. “And by the same people. Do you remember that I said once that there is no new opposition in Belarus? They are just paid and employed. There were 5,000 in [the former presidential candidate Viktor] Babariko’s initiative group, who had to collect signatures. They were paid. Add 2-3 relatives to each of them and you will get 15,000. That’s it,” the Belarusian leader noted. “But today they’ve understood that they can lose the country and sorrows will follow in exchange for this trifle amount of money. They will no longer try. They understand that we will retaliate strongly. I said in the past: here is the red line, if you cross it, we will be forced to respond.”

Speaking about recent revelations, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that all the plans of the conspirators had come to light not only thanks to efforts of security services but thanks to help from ordinary citizens: “I am not talking about simple TNT. I am talking about plastic explosives and rubberized explosives. It is a terrible weapon. We’ve started investigating it little by little thanks to ordinary people.”

According to the head of state, the same thing happened when conspirators were looking for a cellar to put his sons in in Gomel Oblast. “Total scumbags. But people would come and warn us, directly or via relatives. And we started investigating it. In other words, our people did well. And they say there are no [supporters of the government]. There are many of them! But our people are not accustomed to shouting. Maybe they have calmed down too much. An overwhelming majority simply kept silent. They just get on with their jobs. Well, they should. If we have to, we will call for them the way it’s always been done,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He explained that all the recent and previous revelation films had been demonstrated as kind of a warning from the government: “Guys, we see everything, we don’t want a war, stop! Not only we see everything, people do as well. They already feel what may happen and they give us signals.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko made connections between assaults of the opposition and foreign pressure against him, including accusations of committing crimes against humanity, with attempts to shake the situation and do the groundwork for something more serious. He reminded about the events that happened in a number of countries in the past, including in Serbia, Libya, and Iraq, and about the fate of their leaders: “They were murdered. But it was necessary to prepare the public opinion first. So, they started preparing it in Belarus. There was one attempt, a second one, a third one…”

“They will not succeed! They even try to scare me first. I am not the kind to run scared. It is futile,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.

The head of state also answered questions regarding the pandemic and the vaccination drive in Belarus. He urged elders to take the COVID-19 vaccine. “We have to keep our elderly safe. I want them to understand this. They have always listened to me and heard me. I am just asking to do this. It is much less dangerous [vaccination], a hundred times less dangerous than contracting the virus,” the president said. 

He said that the Russian vaccine had already proved effective in Russia. “The elderly need to visit a clinic or call a doctor. We will give you the first shot, you stay at home. We will give you the second shot, and you will be safe. At least you will calm your thoughts, you will not worry and will not be afraid of other people,” said the head of state.

Aleksandr Lukashenko reiterated the need to lead a healthy lifestyle and look after yourself in order to reduce the possible severe consequences of infection, as well as not to panic. “It all depends on our mode of life,” he said.

According to him, vaccination is underway in the country: “If you want, you are welcome to get the vaccine. Those who come into contact with a large number of people as part of their profession were vaccinated first in Belarus.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that there had been no lockdowns in Belarus and people were not taking to streets protesting against strict anti-COVID measures. “We keep treating our people in a calm mode,” he said.

In conclusion, the head of state said that Belarus obtained its own vaccine against COVID-19. The head of state reminded that his declaration of Belarus’ intention to make a vaccine of its own had been met with criticism. The critics claimed it would be very complicated or even impossible to accomplish. “We received our own vaccine in a test tube yesterday. A Belarusian vaccine. It is different from what we buy today. Medics describe it as a live vaccine,” he stated.

“We are in no rush. We will see what will happen tomorrow when the disease changes. Because the strain will be totally different,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.

The president pointed out that there are no guarantees that today’s vaccines will be effective against new mutations of the virus. “Today we have vaccines that work. In line with Russian technologies. Chinese ones have been bought. But tomorrow we will adjust our own vaccine in the test tube to fight the strain that we will face. Who knows how life will turn out,” the head of state said.