Belarus and Russia: An Unhappy Marriage (with Franak Viačorka)

In 2020, Belarus experienced the largest anti-government demonstrations in its history following the fraudulent re-election of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. While ultimately stymied by regime authorities, the protests were the closest Belarus has come to a democratic revolution. In 2023, just a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians believe a Ukrainian victory might pave the way for Belarus to finally have its moment. On this week’s episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with Franak Viačorka, chief political advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian political activist and main opposition candidate to Lukashenko during the 2020 elections. Viačorka offers his take on the de facto Russian annexation of Belarus, the “unhappy marriage” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Belarus, and what it will take for the Belarusian regime to ultimately collapse.

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