Pavel Latushka: Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Ambassador On the eve of the so-called "single day" of appointing MPs at all levels of the Soviets, excuse me, all levels of government, Lukashenko has once again decided to find enemies. But this paranoia practically always consumes Lukashenko, always before every election campaign. This time, the dictator spoke about the enemies during a meeting with representatives of the so-called law enforcement agencies. However, he did not have a map with positions showing an alleged attack on Belarus being prepared, so he decided to discuss other topics. For example, he talked about scenarios of a change of power in the country. What did Lukashenko say this time? Lukashenko: “What are the completely absurd and illegal sanctions, the large-scale militarization, and the demonstrative flexing of muscles, including military activities near our borders? What are their reasons for doing this? Who threatens them? And when in history have we ever threatened anyone? What reasons are there? Who threatens them? When a person who has been involved in a series of crimes tries to talk about legality, it appears especially ridiculous and blasphemous. We have 136 thousand victims of crimes against humanity, and this is only until May 2023. These crimes include murder, torture, forced disappearances, rape of women, men, and minors, deaths in prisons, and forced deportation. These are the most serious crimes that are prosecuted according to international law. And Lukashenko asks, what are the sanctions for? Perhaps it would be more appropriate to ask why there are so few sanctions? Or why has he not been arrested, detained, and brought to justice?” On February 24, 2022, Lukashenko provided territory of Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine. As a result of this invasion, genocide occurred in Bucha, Gostomel, and Irpen. The Russian army was stationed near Kiev, and about 800 rockets were launched from the territory of Belarus. How many children and women died because Lukashenko became the aggressor in this war? And he speaks about militarization and demonstrations of force? Claiming that he does not threaten anyone? He initiated mass repressions against Belarusians. Dozens of Belarusians lost their lives because of Lukashenko. He has imprisoned thousands of people. He hijacked a civilian plane, orchestrated an artificial migration crisis, provided territory for aggression, and deployed tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. And he claims he does not threaten anyone? Who is this thesis addressed to? Let's also add that in the autumn of last year, the so-called First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council, Pavel Muravejko, commented on the sanctions from the Baltic countries, saying: “From a simple logic standpoint, we have every reason to forcibly sever a vital corridor for us.” To sever the Baltic Sea? To forcefully break through the corridor... In essence, it was a threat of military invasion against a neighboring country. Wasn't this statement by the Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council a direct threat to a NATO country? How should neighboring countries react to such statements? Especially considering that Lukashenko's regime has already assisted in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and military exercises with Russia regularly and permanently take place in Belarus, not to mention Lukashenko's deployment of nuclear weapons in the country? Lukashenko: “The next task is for all law enforcement agencies, primarily the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. People must feel safe at home, at work, and on the streets at all times of the day. I want to emphasize that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB, special services, and the prosecutor's office must take control of this. I am warning you, our personnel must patrol the streets. [...]. They used to patrol without weapons - that's how it was. But now, patrols must be equipped with firearms, at least pistols, and everyone should be aware of this.” I asked one of the officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs if patrols used to carry weapons before, and the answer was affirmative. Lukashenko is simply creating another lie. He is attempting to once again threaten Belarusians, to intimidate them with weapons. Lukashenko continues to reinforce his security forces. He is signaling that they have the authority to use force against civilians. Essentially, it is an indulgence for murder. And why does he do this? Because Belarusians are stronger than him, because he fears us, he fears both us and the Belarusian people. As a result of the actions of the security forces - including murders, illegal arrests and detentions that lead to suicide - dozens of Belarusians have lost their lives since 2020. Once again, people are dying due to the direct actions of those who are supposed to enforce the law, and these deaths continue. So, what kind of security does Lukashenko speak of when he mentions security forces? Who among the Belarusians feels a "strengthening" of their sense of security when security forces are present nearby? Perhaps Lukashenko himself feels this security when he is surrounded by security forces? The answer to this question is obvious and lies on the surface: by bolstering the power apparatus, he seeks to maintain his grip on power. This is his way of protecting himself from the Belarusians who have clearly expressed their discontent to the dictator - enough is enough! However, by inflating the power apparatus, Lukashenko is digging himself into a hole because the weapon with which he actively prods his security forces, making them dependent, the same weapon that he directs against Belarusians, may eventually turn against him. It is important to understand this: no leader in the world increases the size of their power apparatus or oversaturates it with weapons when they have no issues with support, when they haven't committed crimes, and when they have no problems with legitimacy. However, for some reason, this is a frequently occurring symptom among dictators who have held power for more than a decade. For some reason, they want to secure immunity in advance, just in case they are no longer in power. But why, if they haven't committed any crimes? We want to disappoint Lukashenko. Business does not thrive under the barrel of machine guns, IT specialists do not work under the control of security forces, and innovations are not born under the watch of "patrols." The presence of thugs on the streets, whom Lukashenko inexplicably refers to as law enforcement officers, does not motivate highly skilled professionals who make significant contributions to the economy by paying taxes to remain in Belarus. And most importantly, patrols do not solve the problem of garnering support. Lukashenko: “Now you will understand. I mentioned scenarios, and there are three of them - how they interpret it. The first scenario, which is most desirable for them, involves organizing a coup d'état or a violent seizure of power directly during the election campaigns.” And that's quite interesting. Lukashenko himself described what he himself did in 2020. In fact, Lukashenko carried out a violent seizure of power during the election campaign. There is nothing new here: it is one of the regime's favorite propaganda techniques to accuse opponents of the very actions in which you are deeply involved, to initiate a "preemptive strike." The shoe is on the other foot. Lukashenko talks about three scenarios. But perhaps there is a fourth scenario? And I must disappoint Lukashenko: he did not guess the script. Lukashenko: “At the same time, Warsaw is attempting to recruit high-ranking Belarusian officials who will be able to replace our quiet and lazy people. They understand that they are incapable of overturning Belarus, incapable of implementing any revolution scenario or launching an armed invasion here in Belarus. We are closely monitoring this process and observing their approaches to leaders in both the military and civil spheres in Belarus. They will search for and create new figures who are loyal to the West and more effective. They will employ all methods, from simple bribery and blackmail to threats against the lives and well-being of you, us, and your relatives and friends.” And that's interesting. We didn't even conceal this project; it was completely public. Information about it was available through various channels, including the United Transitional Cabinet and the National Anti-Crisis Management. There is even a special Telegram channel called "Personnel Reserve." The democratic forces of Belarus are genuinely implementing the project called "Personnel Reserve for New Belarus." We need honest officials, and Belarusians need honest officials who will support statehood — officials who currently work within the system, prioritize the preservation of our country, and have not committed any crimes. We have no intention of "hanging anyone on poles," as Lukashenko frequently suggests. It is he who commits crimes and treats Belarusians in that manner. The most important thing, and this is an appeal to officials, is to abstain from committing crimes. The crucial point is to avoid staining your hands with blood, and then you will be in demand in New Belarus. Lukashenko is afraid of our project because representatives of the state government are involved in it. However, I will disappoint his special services: they have failed to obtain data on the project participants, and they will not receive it. The West does not seek loyal officials, but we, the Belarusian people, need officials who will support independence, sovereignty, human rights, freedom, and democracy. We are actively working on this, not Lukashenko's special services. Lukashenko: “You know what is concealed beneath the wording of the upcoming NATO and US armed forces exercises, "Defender-2024." You are aware of what it means for us that these exercises will take place in the Baltic countries, Germany, and Poland. According to the information we have received, approximately 90,000 military personnel from 32 member countries and alliance partners will be present on our doorstep. They will be practicing strategies to counter an attempt of Russian aggression, which essentially means against us, targeting one of the alliance's member countries. Listen, it's complete nonsense that Russia is preparing to attack the Baltic countries.” Let's recall how Russia "wasn't preparing" to attack Ukraine. Everyone has learned from the bitter experience of 2022 and acknowledges that anything can be expected from Russia and Lukashenko's dictatorship. I worked as a diplomat in Europe for 16 years, and I have now been living in Poland for 3.5 years. However, neither in private conversations with ordinary citizens of European countries nor from politicians did I ever hear even a hint that anyone desires to attack Belarusian territory and seize land. Do you know what Europeans dream of? They dream of having children, building homes, traveling, developing, and resting. But capturing someone's territory is not their aspiration. Lukashenko's meeting is another example of how the dictator attempts to shape an agenda and transfer his distorted ideas to others. Why does he do this? He needs to create an image of the enemy in order to consolidate his electorate under this fabricated image. To achieve this, he increases defense spending and strengthens the power apparatus. This is solely aimed at preserving his power. In fact, Lukashenko's actions are preparations for provocations and acts of sabotage against neighboring countries. He is laying the groundwork for subsequent aggressive actions through information and propaganda. We are well aware that this has already occurred in 2022 and continues to happen today. Therefore, whenever we listen to Lukashenko's words, we must always keep in mind that it is propaganda solely intended to maintain his power. Lukashenko is the biggest liar that Belarus has ever known in its history.

Pavel Latushka, deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, ambassador This week the no-choice elections are held in Belarus. Exactly with the prefix “no”, because it is impossible to call what Lukashenko's regime is holding “elections”. Neither from the political, nor from the legal point of view Today in Belarus there are no basic conditions for holding any electoral campaigns that can be recognised as such. There are no legitimate, lawful bodies of power that have the right to conduct such campaigns. In principle, the country is immersed in a total legal default, so deep that it is not even a question of the lack of possibility to realize the electoral rights of citizens - the Lukashenko regime does not guarantee even the most basic human rights and freedoms. On the contrary, they are permanently threatened. Including the right to life. Even this right is no longer guaranteed in the state seized by the Lukashenko regime - and to no one. No one will count your votes. It doesn't make sense. After all, all the “candidates” for “deputies” have undergone the most careful selection and were agreed upon in advance. The competition is 2-2.5 people per seat. The regime did not even try to imitate any competition. Why should it? The threshold turnout has been canceled. That is, it does not matter at all who will come and whether they will come to the polling stations at all - the no-choice elections will still be held. And the pre-appointed “deputies” will sit in their seats. So let's call things by their proper names - it's a “single appointment day”. And the regime doesn't even need to falsify anything this time. But it will do it anyway. Because it needs the ritual. And despite the cancellation of the threshold turnout - it will draw it. Forcing people to participate in early voting. It’s driving people to the polls. For a picture. For its own ego. To imitate its own importance and significance. So what should we, Belarusians, do this week? The main thing is not to let ourselves be poisoned by all these lies. Not to let ourselves and our relatives be convinced that this ritual of the regime and the picture it will show us have anything to do with reality, with elections, with democracy. Talk to your family and close ones. Talk to your friends. Do not live this absurdity alone. The regime will do everything to make supporters of change believe that the majority has become a minority. That everyone around them has "turned the page." It hasn't. And you can easily be convinced of this if you don't clam up. And most importantly, whatever you do - take care of yourself. You should not expose yourself to unnecessary, needless risks. The position of the National Anti-Crisis Management is to avoid participation in the imitation of elections, and not go to the polling stations, especially against the background of the threat of provocations, which is constantly being transmitted by the regime. If you are forced to participate in early voting, make a decision according to the situation. Your safety is the most important thing. These are not elections and they will not be recognised in the civilized world, as well as their results. Neither we, Belarusians, nor our partners will turn the page in our relations with the Lukashenko regime. The page will be turned only together with it. Zhyve Belarus!

On 19 February, the European Council adopted its conclusions on Belarus. These conclusions identify specific issues of concern to the EU and define actions or targets to be taken. In fact, this document defines the strategy of the European Union towards our country. High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, commenting on the adoption of these conclusions, said that "Belarus remains high on the EU agenda". He condemned the unprecedented repression and emphasized that those responsible would be brought to justice. It is important to note that the repressive policy of the Lukashenko regime is primarily characterized by the widespread commission of crimes that qualify as crimes against humanity. According to the commentary of the UN International Law Commission, such crimes are a threat to international peace and security, which obliges the entire international community to take adequate measures to prevent these crimes. In the adopted document, the European Council expressed concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. Moreover, the European Council reaffirmed its commitment to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations. Now, more than ever, it is critical to effectively apply existing international legal mechanisms to stop the killings of political prisoners in Lukashenko's prisons. Today, the death of Ihar Lednik became known - and this is the fifth known death of a political prisoner. Vitold Ashurak, Ales Pushkin, Mikalai Klimovich, Vadim Khrasko, Ihar Lednik - all these people lost their lives and were actually killed by the Lukashenko regime. We have repeatedly conveyed to our partners our readiness to start interaction within the Consultative Group between the EU and Belarusian democratic forces and civil society to develop clear steps to bring to justice those responsible, to restore justice for the victims of crimes against humanity in Belarus, and to stop further victims among Belarusians.

Pavel Latushka, deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, ambassador An urgent matter requiring immediate attention is the problem of political prisoners in Belarus and the use of their slave labor in numerous enterprises based on colonies and prisons. Currently, there are 1,422 officially recognised political prisoners in Belarus, who are illegally kept in open and closed detention facilities. According to the representative on social policy of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Olga Gorbunova, about 1400 political prisoners have already served their illegally imposed terms and survived penitentiary repression and prison slave labor in the production facilities of the colonies. The most tragic are the deaths of political prisoners: Vitold Ashurak, Mikalai Klimovich, Ales Pushkin, Vadzim Hrasko and Ihar Lednik. Political prisoners are illegally held in various institutions of the Department of Corrections of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Lukashenko regime. In Belarus there are 16 correctional colonies, 4 correctional colonies-settlements, 28 open-type institutions, or "chemistry" in popular language, where they are not only tortured, but also subjected to forced labor. Political prisoners in penitentiaries are engaged in the production of specific goods, which are then sold both openly, including through online shops, and through numerous dealers and intermediaries, who when selling the goods change the manufacturer of the goods, i.e. do not indicate that the goods are produced by prisoners in the colonies. Also these goods can be exported, including to the markets of the EU member states. Revenues from the Belarusian prison-industrial conveyor belt are considerable. And these revenues are used to finance both the retention of Lukashenko's power and the repression itself. We ask and urge all non-different and fighting against the regime citizens, mass media, democratic leaders, members of associations, parties, organizations, diasporas, all Belarusians and people sympathetic to Belarusians to speak as much as possible about the problem of political prisoners, forced labor and inevitability of punishment of Lukashenko's regime for the repression of the Belarusian people. Leaving the problem of political prisoners without the attention of the world community will continue to lead to tragic deaths behind Lukashenko's bars. We are obliged to do everything possible and impossible to stop repression, slavery and deaths of the Belarusian people. And to stop the existence of Lukashenko's criminal regime.

The Free Belarus Museum, the National Anti-Crisis Management and the Office of the United Transitional Cabinet for National Revival invite Belarusians from all corners of the world to take part in a nationwide online dictation on 21 February, Mother Language Day. This year the dictation is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the People's Writer of Belarus Vasil Bykov, who believed that the fate of the Belarusian language is inextricably linked to the independence of our country: "if Belarus is independent, there will be everything. Including the language and culture". And today, when Belarusians face especially acute questions of defense of independence and, therefore, preservation of the language, we should by no means forget about these wise words of our famous writer. The dictation will be read by Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management. Alina Koushyk, Representative for national revival of the Cabinet, will give an introductory speech to the dictation. Join the broadcast on the YouTube channels of BELSAT LIFE and Pavel Latushka on 21 February at 19:00 Minsk time (Vilnius - 18:00; Warsaw - 17:00). Long live our beautiful language and independent Belarus! Take care of your security and use VPN.

The Free Kupalaucy theater continues its touring activities, this time representatives of the troupe performed in Germany. The monodrama "Moj Hleb" by Zoya Belakhvostsik, a member of the Free Kupalaucy troupe, was shown in Düsseldorf. Zoya Belakhvostsik, who gave her 38 years to the Janka Kupala Theatre and played more than 100 performances on its stage, told the audience of the Dumont Lindemann Theatre-Museum about the fate of five generations of the theatrical dynasty, the Kupala Theatre, about her work in the reality of exile and about her sources of inspiration, which give her the strength to believe that everything will end well. The event was organized with the financial support of Pavel Latushka's team - the National Anti-Crisis Management, and the Free Belarus Museum. The Kupalaucy met with the Belarusian community "North Rhine Westphalia" (NRW), at whose invitation they visited the federal states of Düsseldorf. Dear Belarusians abroad, if you also want to see this touching performance in your city, please contact the social networks of the Kupalaucy group (Instagram, Facebook) to organize the event. We remind you that the YouTube channel, social networks and the logo of our beloved Kupalaucy have been recently declared extremist by the Belarusian regime. Please take care of your safety and use VPN.

Pavel Latushka, deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, ambassador Is this a dream? No, it really is. It was difficult, impossible for me to imagine it. But almost all heads of the national institutions of Belarus, which are connected with culture, were fired. Destruction and devastation are the main approaches of Lukashenko's regime. Lukashenko is destroying the national institutions of the country. Starting from 2020, the regime is massively cleansing civil society organizations, charities, and political parties. National institutions have also become the object of the policy of devastation. The process of destruction starts from the top: in recent years, the leadership of most of the country's institutions with "national" status has been changed on various grounds. The management of such important organizations for Belarusian culture as the National Historical Museum, the National Art Museum, National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Niasvizh", National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Yakub Kolas National Academic Drama Theatre, National Historical Archive of Belarus in Minsk, Zhinovich National Academic People's Orchestra, Titovich National Academic People's Choir, Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre and others changed. Various reasons, various grounds, differently we can treat the already former leaders. But the fact remains. The only one left is the general director of the Maxim Gorky National Academic Drama Theatre, known as the "Russian Theatre", who agreed to cooperate with the regime. But for me, as a former Minister of Culture, this is not surprising. The National Library of Belarus also went through a change of leadership last year. And in this context the importance of this national institution should be understood. The National Library is not only a platform for literature lovers, but also a place of special importance for researchers and scientists, for the preservation of the country's literary heritage. This is proved by the volume of the library's collection, which contains over 14 million units of materials, including rare works of Belarusian culture and literary art, manuscripts, works of Belarusian authors. This cradle of national hagiography, a place of special importance for the development of Belarusian literature, among others, is headed by a representative of the "Russian world", a supporter of Western-Russian views, propagandist Vadzim Ghigin. The appointment of Ghigin to the position of the general director of the library even caused a diplomatic scandal. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its displeasure at the appointment of a person who "voiced anti-Semitic statements" and "contributed to the destruction of Jewish memory". The general director of the library is an anti-Belarusian person. Ghigin named as his favorite historical character the person who had a direct relation to the destruction of the Belarusian liberation movement. V. Ghigin’s quotation: I have always been impressed by the Vilno governor-general Mikhail Nikolayevich Muraviov, who suppressed the uprising of 1863. But I have studied his biography well. He was an amazing man, administrator, leader, who can be a role model for any statesman. The policy of suppression of Muraviov, who in Belarusian historiography received the telling nickname Muraviov the Hangman, ruined the lives of many Belarusians - and this character is admired by the director of the Belarusian national institution. More than 120 participants of the uprising of 1863 were shot, more than 900 were exiled to penal servitude, 12.5 thousand were exiled under the supervision of the police. And what were the first steps of a person with such "historical idols" in the post of the director of the main library of the country? Corresponding. Having taken office, Ghigin continued to actively promote anti-Belarusian views. One of the propagandist's first wars was launched against Uladzimir Karatkevich - the famous star classic of Belarusian literature. Along with his literary contribution, Karatkevich drew the attention of Belarusians to the richness of the history of Belarus, he taught us back in the 70s and early 80s. And why "taught"? He continues to do it, in spite of all kinds of Ghigins. But this year will be the 40th anniversary of Uladzimir Karatkevich's death, however, the classicist, who wrote about Belarus long before Lukashenko came to power, still became today's enemy of the regime. And in this matter, the so-called director of the National Library has just manifested himself. In autumn 2023, the work "Spikes under your sickle", which Karatkevich wrote in 1965, was excluded from the school curriculum. As Ghigin himself later stated, the work was excluded from the school programme on his own initiative. Once again. The work of the Belarusian classic was excluded from the school programme on the initiative of the director of the main national Belarusian library. What decisions in the position of the director of the National Library of Belarus will be made by a person who opposes Belarusian literature? Who fights against the Belarusan classics, while he himself adheres to pro-Russian positions? This question is rhetorical and does not require an answer. Since 2020, the leadership of the National Historical Archive of Belarus in Minsk has changed twice. Last August, the archive was headed by Mikhail Glushakov, who had previously worked in the KGB for a long time. What were the first decisions of the director? A day later, mass detentions took place in the archive, which affected at least seven employees. And this is a testament to the attitude of the so-called KGB director towards the archive staff, historians, researchers and archivists. Instead of motivation to continue work - repressions, instead of implementation of research projects - imprisonments. In this line one can draw attention to the anti-Belarusian reorientation of many national institutions. The newly appointed management of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre also became active: now the Belarusian theater, which for more than 100 years staged plays in the national language, which even in Soviet times was named after the Belarusian classic Yanka Kupala, is being russified. In September, on the stage of the Kupala Theatre only one performance was staged in Belarusian and as many as 15 - in Russian. And the troupe of Free Kupalaucy, who left in disagreement with the violence in the streets in 2020, are now recognised as "extremists". And that's like recognising Yanka Kupala himself as an extremist. This is how Belarusian national institutions are changing under Lukashenko. This person is afraid of everything Belarusian, it is he who is a traitor and occupant. And every day new facts of his treason against the country appear. And the main figure that testifies to it: today more than 140 people connected with culture are political prisoners in prisons of the regime. It is worth remembering that in early 2022 there was a leaked document, which claimed about Russia's plans to acquire Belarus by 2030. Among the medium-term plans, the leaked document noted the increase of political influence on the Belarusian elites and the creation of pro-Russian actors. We cannot say whether it was a fake or not, but everything Lukashenko is doing today corresponds to the logic of this document. The Lukashenko regime's policy of russification, de-Belarusisation and destruction of national institutions also corresponds to this. Civil society in Belarus is being destroyed, the Belarusian national community is being annihilated, and pro-Russian characters are taking its place. Today, pro-Russian non-state organizations are created in Belarus, pro-Russian activists are mobilized, and through the unification of the pseudo-party system they are integrated into the political field of Belarus from Russia. The political council of Lukashenko's "Belaya Rus" today includes... the same Ghigin, a fan of Muraviov the Hangman. Searching for threats to national security is a favorite hobby of the dictator and his special services. But if the regime is so fond of looking for threats to national security everywhere, maybe it should look for them inside the system? After all, it is precisely such people who throw a serious challenge to Belarusian culture, Belarusian history and statehood, Belarus as an independent country. It is such appointments of the leadership of national institutions that create preconditions for anti-Belarusian reorientation. And it is in this that lies the threat to Belarusian statehood, which Lukashenko himself artificially creates. It is clear that the leadership of national institutions is not the elite of culture, maybe not the whole culture and not the whole elite of culture, but nevertheless they set the policy of activity of the organizations, they are engaged in the strategy of work of national institutions. And the question arises: what to do? And I am sure, I am convinced that the Belarusian culture cannot be defeated. The eastern neighbors tried for centuries to destroy the Belarusian language and culture, to subordinate Belarusians to themselves, but Belarusians still publish Belarusian books, study the Belarusian language, perform Belarusian-language plays. In preserving our national self-identity in the conditions of the destructive activity of the regime, self-education, preservation of traditions of one's family and national, all-Belarusian traditions are of special importance. That is why this year has been declared the Year of Traditions by the Office of National Revival of the United Transitional Cabinet. It is especially important to instill the ideals of Belarusianism in the next generation, our children and grandchildren. After all, it is our culture that makes us Belarusians, it is our language that is the foundation of our national identity and statehood. And I also believe in the workers of Belarusian culture, who work in the centers of culture, in districts, in villages, in libraries. I believe in Belarusian artists and actors, who, despite all the terrible things that happen to our national Belarusian culture, will be able to preserve it on our native Belarusian land in order to pass it on to new generations of Belarusians. And Lukashenko and his accomplices are the main threat for all Belarusians. And it is important to understand that without liquidation of this regime we will not be able to save the most valuable thing that is important for an honest person and citizen - our culture. It is also critically necessary for us to create national centers abroad, which will allow us to preserve Belarusian culture, to continue its development, to create conditions for the future return to Belarus - history, culture, art, literature, music and other branches of the national heritage. I believe that Belarus will live, and with it Belarusian culture and our language will live. Zhyvie Belarus!

Artem Brukhan, Deputy Head of the NAU, on the position of the European Union regarding Belarus Belarus is certainly of interest to Europe. The European Union has always regarded Belarus as a European state, which is home to a society with European views and aspirations for democracy. However, there are certain forces that oppose this. The development of the Eastern Partnership project also testifies to the fact that Belarus is potentially seen as a state that in the long run can become a part of the European family. And now, after the statements of democratic forces of Belarus, after the intention of the Belarusian people to democracy, it is confirmed. Therefore, there are no strategic fears that Europe considers Belarus to be a part of Russia or has already built an iron curtain. But what is the tactical situation? We see what is happening in the region now: there is a war. And the European Union is a powerful, strong union. But it is not omnipotent. And we must understand that the situation in the region is critical. Ukraine is in a challenging situation, in a difficult position. And if now the whole vector of attention is shifted from the Ukrainian problem to Belarus, it is quite possible that the state, which has already made a choice in favor of the European Union at the level of power and announced it, will simply disappear. And it will be a collapse of the European Union, a blow to it as a whole. Therefore, the issues are being resolved according to their importance for the EU. We cannot say that Belarus has completely disappeared from the agenda. It certainly sounds to a lesser degree, but there is a war in Ukraine now. And if Ukraine does not hold out, if military aid does not flow, it may lead to tragic consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for Belarus.

Pavel Latushka, deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, ambassador Russia earns more than 1.4 billion euros by circumventing sanctions through Belarus We have long been persuading our partners about the need to harmonize trade sanctions between the Lukashenko regime and Russia, as its absence creates loopholes for circumventing the already imposed restrictions. A number of commentators, in turn, argue that harmonization pushes the Lukashenko regime towards Russia and it is necessary to impose restrictions primarily against the latter. However, it is the harmonization of sanctions that will be the most important sanction against Russia in Belarus, and we will tell you why. A number of experts try to convince us that harmonization will have no effect or will even be harmful at all. In their opinion, outside the Belarusian sphere of services, represented by accounting, consulting, IT, law, engineering, which are not related to trade in goods and can potentially suffer, there will be no macroeconomic effect from the harmonization of sanctions, "because the sanctions lists with respect to Belarus and Russia are already very close". However, the facts say the opposite Yes, we do not have access to full customs data on cargoes that move across the EU-Belarus border, and even more so across the Belarus-Russia border, which remains generally open and, accordingly, uncontrolled for any supervision of compliance with the existing restrictions.  Therefore, taking into account the fact that the Lukashenko regime and Russia have closed most of their foreign trade statistics, we will turn to the data of Eurostat. How much can one learn from the EU's open statistics? As it turns out, there are a lot of interesting things. Let's take two simple examples. In April 2022, the European Union adopted the fifth package of sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. And a significant part of the restrictions concerned Russia itself, but in no way affected the criminal regime in Minsk, which, let us remind you, acted as a co-aggressor and thanks to it this aggression was largely, if not in principle, able to take place. So here is the first example. The fifth package of EU sanctions against Russia, adopted on 9 April 2022, in particular, prohibited the supply of 23 commodity items from the thirty-second group of the commodity nomenclature of foreign economic activity (CN FEA) to Russia. Group 32 of CN FEA includes paints and varnishes; tannin or dye extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other coloring substances; putties and other mastics; printing paint, ink, embroidery or, in general, various technical varnishes and paints, including those used in the automotive industry, light industry, printing, etc. Even in the pre-sanctions period, according to Eurostat data, Belarus received almost no lacquers and paints from the EU by rail, which were included in commodity group 32. In the period 2015-2020, a total of €67.2 thousand worth of varnishes and paints were supplied to Belarus by rail from the EU (i.e. an average of €11.2 thousand per year, taking into account that in some years there were no such purchases at all). In 2021, another EUR 59 thousand worth of varnishes and paints belonging to CN FEA group 32 were delivered to Belarus by rail. But 2022 was an anomalous year in trade in this type of products — 10 thousand tonnes of paint and varnish products of CN FEA group 32 were unexpectedly delivered by rail from the EU to Belarus for €15.1 million or 260 times MORE! Moreover, significant deliveries (for 704 thousand euros) began in April, i.e. the month when sanctions against Russia were introduced (in May it was already 1.7 million euros, and in June — 2.5 million euros). In the first 11 months of 2023, European deliveries were made for another €11.36 million. Recall that Belarus has traditionally always been sufficiently supplied with domestic paint and varnish products. More than a dozen enterprises are engaged in its production in our country, many of them are widely known outside Belarus. Therefore, there was absolutely no need to purchase this group of goods in such impressive volumes for significant growth at that time. Only after the imposing of sectoral sanctions on Russia, in the absence of such sanctions on Lukashenko's regime, varnishes and paints from Europe of the 32nd commodity group of the CN FEA flooded by rail to the Belarusian market, which obviously did not need so much of them. From what follows the logical conclusion is that these lacquers and paints, which are excessive for our market, are transported from Belarus to the territory of Russia in circumvention of the imposed sanctions. And for this one product group alone, we are talking about tens of millions of euros! The second example is not related to the supply of goods from the EU to the East, but in the opposite direction. In 2022, a ban on glass imports from Russia to the EU came into force within the framework of the fifth package of sanctions against Russia, while no such bans were imposed on the Lukashenko regime. And if in 2016-2021 exports of glass (CN FEA group 70 — Glass and glass products) from Belarus to the EU by railway averaged €5 million per year, then in 2022, these supplies of glass from Belarus amounted to a record €21.94 million, that is, more than four times the volume of the previous pre-war years. Moreover, this growth again began in April - the month of the adoption of sanctions against Russia. Over the next 11 months of 2023, Belarus exported another €18.18 million worth of glass and glass products by railway to the European market. Just on these two examples alone, it is clear that the lack of harmonization of sanctions allows, first of all, the same Russia to both sell to the West and receive tens of millions of euros worth of sub-sanctioned goods through the territory of Belarus to its own market. Thus, the closure of this loophole will be a powerful sanction against both Russia itself and Lukashenko's regime, which profits from the intermediation of trade in sub-sanctioned products. The volume of sanctions evasion in only two, not the most important and largest sectors of the economy speaks volumes about the scale of the entire evasion, which is taking place due to the difference between trade sanctions against Russia and Lukashenko's regime. Only for these two commodity items we are talking about millions of euros, and if we take all the goods flows (and this is hundreds of commodity items for which the restrictive measures between the Putin and Lukashenko regimes differ) we can talk about billions of euros. Thus, according to the report "Sanctions against Russia as a tool for the protection of human rights: violations of the control regime over exports to Russia of goods critical to the war", prepared by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in October 2023, the total size of Russia's benefit in circumventing sanctions through Belarus only through excessive exports to the EU and indirect violations can reach, according to the most humble estimates, 1.4 billion euros. But this figure is in fact much higher. Moreover, in addition to the industries involved in financing the Lukashenko and Putin regimes, the circumvention concerns goods critical to the military-industrial complex of both countries, working for the needs of the aggression against Ukraine. However, even the two industries mentioned earlier, seemingly not directly related to the military-industrial complex, also work for it. Varnishes and paints are used, for example, to paint military equipment and armaments. Recently Minsk Automobile Plant placed an order to buy materials for painting khaki-coloured cabins, which would be enough to paint more than 400 MAZ trucks. I think there is no need to explain who needs so many trucks of protective khaki color and for what purposes. The foreign currency gained from the sale of glass to the West, in turn, can be used to purchase critical components for the production of weapons in the West through front companies. It is even more difficult to trace the flow of components and equipment for armaments than paint or glass, as this sphere is the most important for aggressors and therefore the most closed. Some would say that Russia will still find, and is finding other ways to circumvent sanctions. And that not only Belarus is used in these schemes. This is true. However, it is impossible to underestimate and even more to deny the role of Lukashenko's regime both in circumventing sanctions and in co-aggression against Ukraine in principle. And this is clearly seen in this material as well. It is even more impossible — and we will not do it — to turn a blind eye to this role and allow the Lukashenko regime to continue to help Russia unhindered. Therefore, we will continue our work to identify ways to circumvent sanctions through Belarus and pass the relevant materials to our partners in order to further harmonize trade sanctions. As well as work on the introduction of sanctions directly related to the situation in Belarus itself — the situation with ongoing repression and the growing number of political prisoners. In this regard, we have prepared a proposal to impose sanctions on goods produced with the use of forced labor of political prisoners. We have sent this proposal to all our international partners and it has already been reflected in the European Parliament Resolution of 8 February 2024.

Deputy Head the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Pavel Latushka commented on the news about the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny “Navalny's death. Not the first and not the last murder of a political prisoner, a human tragedy. Why is this happening? The root cause is the regime that rules in Russia. Which has started a war. Which destroys political opponents. This tragedy is another signal that the task of the entire civilized world is to eliminate regimes. If the democratic world does not give a tough and principled response to Navalny's death, dictators will feel impunity. Belarus is under the rule of a maniac, whose name is Lukashenko. Who has already led to the death of four political prisoners - Vitold Ashurak, Nikalai Klimovich, Ales Pushkin, Vadim Khrasko. Six people have been in the status of incommunicado for about a year - Mikalai Statkevich, Maria Kalesnikava, Maksim Znak, Viktar Babarika, Ihar Losik, Siarhei Tikhanouski. There are thousands of political prisoners in Belarus! If the world does not give a tough and principled response to the death of Alexei Navalny, it will unleash both Putin and Lukashenko to slowly kill political opponents in prisons. What can the democratic world do? Prosecute the dictators and impose crushing sanctions on the regimes of Belarus and Russia”.

1.5% of Belarusians' taxes in Poland can go to support the Free Belarus Museum, a project of the National Anti-Crisis Management, which is a place of unity and creative cooperation of Belarusians. Belarusians in Poland who are required to file a tax declaration (PIT) can allocate 1.5% of the total amount of taxes to support a specific NGO. You can send the amount in favour of the Free Belarus Museum through our partners - the "Młodzi - Młodym" Foundation. How to do it? When completing the tax forms, you need to enter the following: in item 147 - KRS number 0000270261; in item 148 - 1.5%; in item 149 - MUZEUM WOLNEJ BIAŁORUSI 18974 (it is necessary for our partners to know that the support is directed to us). With your support, the Museum will be able to continue to reveal the names of Belarusian authors to the world, to arrange theater premieres and literary events, to surprise you with art exhibitions and outstanding concerts, to introduce you to new museum acquisitions, to inspire you with pages of Belarusian history and to tell you about contemporary Belarusian heroes. Last year the Museum was visited by over 9000 people, dozens of Belarusian initiatives were supported, more than 150 events for children and adults were held. The Museum became a space where Belarusians generate new ideas, create and implement numerous projects.

The Lukashenko regime, fearing new sanctions, does not always want to advertise its cooperation with the administration of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the development of all kinds of ties and contacts with them: economic, informational and ideological, political and others. But these ties and contacts are, in fact, quite extensive. Such ties and contacts began even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022. In particular, the Lukashenko regime actively traded with the Russian-occupied Donbass. According to some estimates, even before 2020, exports from the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) to Belarus could account for about 5% of the total exports of the self-proclaimed pseudo-state (these were primarily consumer goods), while imports from Belarus to the "DPR" - about 25% (these were mainly consumer goods: meat and dairy products, alcohol, etc.). Trade between Belarus and the occupied territories of Ukraine took place in an illegal format at the level of individual legal entities with the mediation of Russian companies. In essence, it was a shadow business. For instance, Lilia Sivakova, deputy general director of the confectionery factory "Kommunarka'' on commercial issues openly admitted that "Yes, we work with Donetsk - these are direct deliveries. We supply chocolate, chocolate sweets ... We have no problems there, we work on prepayment. They pay in Russian roubles ...Donetsk accounts for a few percent of our exports". Nikolai Tokar, the first deputy director of the Kobrin Butter and Cheese Factory, also said that his company supplied cheese and cottage cheese through a Russian firm, which was an official distributor. "The destination is specifically marked in the documents as Donetsk, Luhansk. In the documents it is designated NOT as Ukrainian territory," the deputy director noted, "We supply about 20 tonnes a month there." Vladimir Popenya, director of the Berezovsky cheese factory, even described the scheme of trade with Donetsk and Luhansk occupied by Russian militants, admitting that his company did it without advertising its contacts: "We work successfully, with two companies, there are no claims ... Everything is going well, according to plan". In occupied Donetsk and Luhansk, there are even separate retail outlets that position themselves as official sellers of Belarusian products. For example, it is the salon "Doors of Belorussia" in Luhansk or the shop "Furniture of Belorussia" in Donetsk, selling products of the enterprise "Bobruiskmebel". For example, Master-Torg LLC is a major distributor of food products from Belarus to the so-called "DPR" and "LPR". In particular, Master-Torg is actively engaged in importing Belarusian beer to the occupied territories. Thus, the Belarusian state brewing company "Krinitsa" supplied products to Master-Torg LLC, and even made a special brand of beer "Yuzbir" for this purpose. However, Krinitsa did not supply beer directly, but through a shell company. In addition, the private factory Slavprodukt bottled vodka by order of the Donetsk company Belsvit, a major importer of Belarusian alcoholic beverages to the DPR. The scheme of work was as follows: “Belsvit” hired a Belarusian carrier, who transported the products through Russia to the occupied Donetsk. Another scheme of deliveries to the occupied territories was through Huge Sky LTD registered in Hong Kong. Mozyr Distillery operated in this way, which even came under Ukrainian sanctions in 2019 for this. But, after February 2022, the Lukashenko regime's contacts with the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine became even more intensive and, most importantly, in addition to the economic one, reached the official political level. For example, in May 2022, the Belarusian plant MTZ signed contracts with the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR" for the supply of tractors, and on 27 July 2022, a delegation of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) visited Brest. The head of the delegation, Denis Pushilin, said that together with the deputy chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee Dzmitry Horodetski, the chairman of the City Council of Deputies Nikolai Krasovsky, and the head of the regional organization "Belaya Rus" Alexander Bakhanovich, they discussed the prospects of interaction between the Brest region of Belarus and the "Donetsk People's Republic" (DNR). Belarus also paid visits to the occupied territories, but they were much less representative. In June 2022, Oleg Gaidukevich, a member of Lukashenko's parliament and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, visited the self-proclaimed "DPR". And a delegation from Belarus, which arrived in Lugansk in December 2022, consisting mainly of representatives of so-called veterans' organisations and propagandists (the chairman of the organising committee of the Belarusian party "Union" Sergey Lushch and propagandist of the STV TV channel Grigory Azarenok), said that they would help establish a Belarusian national-cultural society in the "LNR". Already in March 2023, representatives of the Russian occupation administrations stated that they wanted to attract investments from Belarus to the Russian-occupied territories. Lukashenko, in turn, also began to declare his readiness to help with the reconstruction of Donbass. During Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Lukashenko's regime started a number of what he himself called "humanitarian" actions in the occupied territories of Ukraine, primarily organizing the illegal export of Ukrainian children to Belarus. Finally, on 18 April 2023, self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting with Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the so-called "DNR" as the person in the status of the head of the subject of the Russian Federation, during which he offered assistance in the restoration and development of this Russian-occupied territory. "There is a lot of work ahead. We have to rebuild. We have to revive industrial enterprises, agriculture. Eventually people will live there. This is 100 per cent. And people need to be supplied with food. That is why we are ready to provide appropriate assistance and support so that people who are not strangers to us finally stop suffering there. That is why I am waiting for such a frank conversation from you. Let's share our opinions," Lukashenko said at the time. As a result of this meeting, a sharp intensification of contacts between the occupation administration and the illegitimate authorities of Belarus began. Already on 8 June 2023, the so-called Minister of Agro-Industrial Policy and Food of the "DPR" Artem Kramarenko held a working meeting with the former Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus Igor Brylo. A few days later, on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which was held from 14 to 17 June 2023, the head of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR), Denis Pushilin, and Ambassador of Belarus to Russia, Dmitri Krutoy, signed an agreement on cooperation. The parties agreed to develop cooperation in agriculture, machine-building, coal industry and food supplies. In June 2023, the so-called chairman of the government of the " DPR" Yevgeni Solntsev said that the first company from Belarus had started exporting grain through the port of Mariupol. According to a representative of the occupation administration, the unnamed firm had rented warehouses by that time and had been working in the port for about two months. In August 2023, Yevgeny Solntsev and the heads of the relevant ministries of the "DPR" familiarized themselves with the work of two Belarusian companies - MAZ and the management company of the holding company Amkodor. The delegates outlined plans for further cooperation with Belarusian enterprises. In particular, Solntsev signed a cooperation agreement with Amkodor, a major machinery manufacturer. "There is a very solid design group here, which will be able to design machinery 'to order'. Of any complexity. In a short period of time. We count on long-term cooperation," an official of the Russian occupation administration wrote at the time. The parties also agreed on the supply of MAZ vehicles, and the management of the Minsk car plant was interested in the proposal to localize part of the assembly production on the territory of the " DPR". Also in August 2023, the self-proclaimed DPR, already acting as a federal subject of Russia, signed a cooperation agreement with Mogilevliftmash. The delegation of the "DPR" also visited the production facilities of "Mogotex" and "First Industrial Company", promising to buy Belarusian products there as well. In total, as Yevgeny Solntsev noted, the preliminary package of agreements with Belarusian enterprises is estimated at 3 billion Russian rubles a year. Cooperation of Belarusian enterprises with the occupied territories of Ukraine also took place within the framework of various humanitarian actions. For example, the so-called "DPR" received 12 tonnes of wallpaper (about 14,000 rolls, which were to be used in Novoazovsk district) from a Belarusian enterprise. For this, the occupation administration of the Novoazovsk district of the DPR even awarded a commendation to the OJSC UKH "Belarusian Wallpaper" represented by its general director Aleksandr Vladimirovich Kolyada. In September 2023, the State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, Dzmitry Mezentsev, gave 100 Belarusian-made laptops and four MTZ tractors to educational institutions of the self-proclaimed "LPR" as part of the "humanitarian aid" decided by Lukashenko and Putin. In addition to economic cooperation, contacts intensified at the level of public organizations created by the Lukashenko regime. In particular, the so-called Youth Parliament at the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus is actively working in this direction. Back on 12 August 2022, Vladimir Moskalenko, coordinator of the Association of Youth Parliaments of the Volga Federal District of Russia, held a video conference with the chairmen of the youth parliaments of the "LPR", "DPR" and the Republic of Belarus. And already on 4 November 2023 (on the Russian holiday "the day of national unity") in Donetsk there was a meeting of representatives of the youth parliament at the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the chamber of young legislators at the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation with the so-called "chairman of the people's council of the Donetsk People's Republic" Artem Vladimirovich Zhoga. At the end of this meeting the Chairman of the Youth Parliament of Belarus Nikita Rachilovsky handed a certificate of honor of the Youth Parliament to Artem Zhoga and thanked him for his support and active cooperation. At the same time an agreement was signed between the Youth Parliament of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Youth Parliament of the "DPR", which received a letter of thanks from Nikita Rachilovsky for cooperation for the benefit of the youth of the Union State. The Belarusian Republican Youth Union, the largest youth organization of the Lukashenko regime, is also actively developing cooperation with Russian youth organizations in the occupied territories. In addition to cooperation with the "LPR" and "DPR", the illegitimate authorities of Belarus are developing official relations with the occupied Crimea. In early March 2023, the leadership of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and the authorities of Crimea, annexed by Russia, signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation. The head of the occupation administration of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, and the chairman of the Vitebsk regional executive committee, Alexander Subbotin, agreed to strengthen relations between the regions and outlined the prospects for joint work. Aksyonov then stressed that "Belarusian enterprises are always welcome on the Crimean land. According to the official website of the Lukashenko Administration, the state medical institution "Sanatorium "Belarus" - an organization located in Yalta, Crimea, and owned by the Lukashenko administration, is located on the territory of Russia, i.e. the administration admitted that Crimea belongs to the Russian Federation. In turn, the head of the parliamentary commission on international affairs, MP Andrei Savinykh, said on the air of the Russian program "Solovyov live" that de facto and de jure Crimea had been recognized by the Belarusian side as Russian. By such actions, the Lukashenko regime officially denies the territorial integrity of Ukraine and directly recognises the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia. In addition, the illegitimate authorities of Belarus decided to open a consulate general of the Republic of Belarus in Rostov-on-Don no later than 1 July 2024 instead of the embassy branch. This consular district will include the regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia. And this is only a small part of the facts of cooperation of the Lukashenko regime with the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.