Opinions & Interviews

'I am his mirror image': Nikolai Lukashenko on father's advice, family traditions, social media

The entry where the president's son Nikolai Lukashenko and his teacher Yelena Ostashkina-Myslivchik played the piano became one of the highlights of the “Time Chose Us” concert that usually concludes the Marathon of Unity national social and cultural event that is running in various cities and towns across Belarus. BelTA correspondents got a chance to talk to Nikolai Lukashenko before the concert in Vitebsk. The president's son told BelTA how the idea for this performance came about, what he means by such a comprehensive concept as unity, and whether he has social media accounts.

I appreciate the opportunity to perform at the concert and take part in the Marathon of Unity

- Nikolai, you participate in almost every Marathon of Unity. For you, is this a kind of obligation or a personal interest based on the creative, emotional component of the concert? After all, the audience was captivated and mesmerized by your performance in Minsk Arena on 17 September.

- Considering our stage experience, I believed that we could put on a good show at the concert in Minsk Arena on 17 September. We could convey our vision of national unity by our performance. Then our entry became a major highlight of the concert “Time Chose Us”. Not because we authored it or because I perform there, but precisely because of the message and scale. And we decided, so to speak, to make it permanent at the Marathon of Unity so that more people could see it.

- How do you manage to combine your studies and the Marathon of Unity? Is there a secret to handling everything?

- When a person has a sense of responsibility, he mobilizes himself and makes every effort. That's how it works in my case. I feel a great responsibility.

Well, this is not the first time I have such a workload. I have a lot on my plate. You see many activities on TV, but there is even more that you don't see. I am grateful for the opportunity to perform at the concert and take part in the Marathon of Unity in general. I can put to practice some of my creative ideas here, work together with creative groups. There are many people working here who spend a lot of time and energy on it, probably even more than I do. And I understand that there are many 20-year-olds who can do this no worse than me. Maybe they can play this piece of music better. I mean professional artists. But I am the one doing this. I regard it as a great opportunity and I truly appreciate it. That is why this is happiness for me.

- Why did you choose such a musical instrument as the piano?

- It is one of the most classic ones. This instrument is self-sufficient, in my opinion. I could as well take up singing classes. But I opted for the piano, and have been playing it for 11 years now.

“When adults think that they have outgrown such values ​​as peace and goodness, it brings people on the brink of destruction”

- Do you have a favorite entry in the  “Time Chose Us” concert?

- I love all kinds of entries. I really like children's performances - they embody everything that we highlight in this Marathon. In simple children's language, they convey fundamental, comprehensive concepts that we, adults, have forgotten, have outgrown or think that we have outgrown. They think: what kind of goodness, what peace are you talking about? We are grown-ups. It is at this moment, I believe, that the destruction of nations, the destruction of people and the future begins. When adults think that they know better than goodness and peace. Therefore, we need to listen to children and do our best to make good things attractive.

- And what is unity for you?

- It is difficult to answer this question. Unity is the link between generations, it is how we look at children. Unity is about doing something for our loved ones and our homeland. Unity is aspiration, dedication. There is a line from our anthem that articulates this concept very well: “We are wholly devoted to our land”. Doing something for society, seeing yourself as part of a big cause. Living not for yourself and not for your own pleasure, but doing something every day to make other people's lives better. Building a legacy that we could pass on to the next generation.

“Of course, I try to build the most objective picture of all events”

- The head of state jokingly calls you “the biggest dissenter in the family”. I know that you get your news from a variety of sources, social media.

- Yes, I use different sources of information. And, of course, I try to build the most objective opinion possible about all developments. I have an opportunity to say what I think, bluntly. And I will never be silent if I know for a fact that something is true. I do not tolerate fake admiration and pretence. Of course, I often express my opinion. And that is why I can be called a 'dissenter'.

But I cannot be a dissenter in relation to the state, to the head of our state, because I am his mirror image. Some people say that I am different from my father. But these people either do not know me or do not know my father.

When my father was young, he also reacted sharply to injustice, controversial issues that exist in any society, in any state. The only question is how you deal with it: keep silent and do nothing or fight for people, for justice.

The head of state is a good manager, he is tough, he is the president of the country. And I consider him an absolutely great person. We see the fruits of his labor every day. And I see these fruits in the making.

- Many people see it this way: the head of state holds meetings, and that's it. We only see what media shows us. But we probably don't see even half of his work.

- A very large part of his work is not covered by media. And people often take this work for granted.

- Do you have social media accounts?

- I don't. You would know it if I did. But of course I read social media. It's part of our lives. It's impossible, for example, not to read Telegram channels.

“I respect and pay great heed to advice of my father”

- Just recently - during a meeting with students of the linguistic university - Aleksandr Grigorievich was asked how he would treat your significant other. The media did not show the president's answer to this question, but everyone was intrigued. Can you reveal the secret, do you already have a partner?

- He has a huge responsibility as the head of state. As a father, he is very delicate, very caring, very receptive. Of course, he pays a lot of attention to me. It has been like this since the moment I was born. And I believe that this is his personal feat. He invested a lot of time and effort in me, in my upbringing, despite having such a busy schedule. He kept me near him, so that I could learn from him. This took a lot of his time and energy.

And I have no doubt that he will be very attentive to my personal life. Of course, I absolutely trust him and his opinion. Many teenagers try to go against the opinion of their parents. Maybe I had this period too, but certainly I don't have it now. I respect and pay great heed to my father's advice. Not just because I should, but because he has good judgment and I have seen this multiple times: from the biggest things to the smallest, personal things.

I will not disclose the details of my personal life, because I want to keep it private. And in my situation, this is probably not something to focus on.

“Making a pause, taking a breath, looking at the result before moving forward is a small, but very important New Year's tradition”

- New Year is coming soon. This is a time of family holidays and traditions. What is important for you at this time? What do you usually do on holidays? And is there something without which you cannot imagine New Year?

- We have a very big family, you know. And we try to somehow get together and spend time with each other. To chat in a relaxed atmosphere over New Year's dinner. Such a simple tradition.

Our family has a lot of long-standing traditions but you need a stable life to follow them. And when you don't know where you'll end up in an hour or two (as a journalist, you understand this very well), it's hard to develop traditions and stick to them.

Our entire family is involved in what the head of our family, the head of our state, does. We all follow his lead. We have the same way of life as he does, some to a lesser extent, others to a bigger extent. I dare say that I am involved in it to a greater extent.

On New Year you can find yourself in any place of the country and do very different things. And sometimes you do not even have time to think about New Year. New Year's period is a very busy time. I'm sure it is the same for you too.

But making a pause, exhaling, looking at the result before moving further - this is a small, but very important New Year's tradition. And we stick to it.

- And how would you like to celebrate the year 2025?

- I want to be around my loved ones, see as many family members as possible. It's very difficult though to get everyone together.

- I understand that you don't have much free time. But when you do, how do you prefer to spend it?

- One of basic questions to ask a person is: “What is your hobby?” But for me, all my hobbies have morphed into some kind of quasi-professional activity. Or amateur activity, but with a professional approach. I would say that hockey is my hobby.

I perform at the Marathon of Unity, but there is not a single person here who performs at this event for a hobby. Therefore, I have to prepare professionally. There are many activities that could be my hobby, but I have to approach them as a professional, which I do with pleasure.

- And what is rest for you?

- I really like reading. The very process of reading, turning pages. As I major in biotechnology, I have to read technical literature, scientific literature. I read a lot of it: scientific articles, monographs, collections, all sorts of scientific regulations.

I like popular science literature because it brings up a number of questions. I don’t like it because it has little to do with real life and does not solve any problems.

I read fiction to improve my speaking and writing skills, among other things. And great works of fiction can be reread several times in a lifetime.

Andrei VOROPAI
BelTA