Belarusian Society Feels Shame for the War

Collateral Damage to Russia's Invasion

8 March 2022

Aliaksei Kazharski

Visegrad Insight Fellow

As Belarus is being dragged by its regime into Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, many Belarusians experience shock, guilt, and shame.

They fear that the stigma of war crimes will stay with them for decades, even though they did not choose to participate in the invasion. Belarus is a de facto Russian-occupied country whose ruling regime is increasingly dependent on Moscow. Aliaksandr Lukashenka has so far managed to avoid active military involvement in Ukraine but providing territory and infrastructure to Vladimir Putin makes him complicit in the aggression. The Russo-Ukrainian war is likely to reshape the foreign policy thinking in Europe in the way that the Yugoslav wars did in the 1990s. It is unclear where Belarus with its contradictory record will be placed on these new geopolitical mental maps. 

De facto Occupation 

The territory of Belarus has been used by Russia to launch an invasion of Ukraine, and for many Belarusians, this became a real tragedy. There are no reliable opinion polls left in Belarus but the discussions on social networks give one a sense of it. Fear of war is coupled with a sense of shame and guilt of being complicit in war crimes.  That is, despite the fact, that following the mass protests of 2020, Belarusian society faced an unprecedented wave of state terror, and the citizens of Belarus have had no practical ability to influence the authorities’ decision-making. In the past months, Belarus also became a de facto Russian-occupied country with large numbers of Russian troops being brought in under the pretext of ‘joint exercises.’

Editor’s Pick: Prisoners of Their Own Propaganda

Subscribe

Democratic security comes at a price. What is yours? By subscribing or donating now gain access to analysis, forecasts and scenarios by leading analysts and reporters who monitor democratic risks and develop policy debate from Central Europe on Central Europe.

MonthlyVAT included

€4/month

See all details

  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly outlook on democratic security in CEE delivered by e-mail
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Invitations to all Visegrad Insight events online and offline

AnnualVAT included

€40/year

See all details

  • Individual subscribers only. Check our CORPORATE OFFER below
  • 15% Discount (8 EUR off monthly cost if paid annually)
  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly outlook on democratic security in CEE delivered by e-mail
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Invitations to all Visegrad Insight events online and offline

Student OR Donation

Choose your contribution

See all details

  • Full access to articles and all reports in PDF
  • Weekly newsletter with essential highlights
  • Some Visegrad Insight events invitations

I am a representative of an institution/business. Is there a corporate offer?

The annual subscription for up to ten institutional users: EUR 999
GO TO CHECKOUT

For a tailor-made offer email us: contact@visegradinsight.eu 

  • Access to all articles for your team
  • Access to all Reports for your team
  • Every Monday a Weekly Outlook with an update on key developments in Central Europe delivered by e-mail
  • Every Thursday a newsletter with the most important highlights and invitations
  • Personal invitations to Visegrad Insight Events
  • Foresight, policy, and risk analysis reports (on-demand)

Intelligence prepared by a group of Visegrad Insight Fellows from all across

Can I receive an invoice?

Yes. You will receive a receipt immediately after purchase and a VAT invoice upon request. The subscription amount includes tax. In case of a donation, there is no tax.

Are my credit card details safe?

Yes. The payment is processed by STRIPE www.stripe.com entrusted also by Amazon, Zoom, Booking.com and used by other global NGOs and businesses in the world. We do not store your credit card details.

How modify or cancel my subscription?

At any moment you can manage your subscription and account details. Sign in to modify or cancel.

Aliaksei Kazharski

Visegrad Insight Fellow

Visegrad Insight Fellow. Researcher at the Institute of European Studies and International Relations of the Comenius University in Bratislava and a lecturer at the Department of Security Studies of Charles University in Prague

Newsletter

Weekly updates with our latest articles and the editorial commentary.