Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: If Belarus collapses today, Russia will be next

MINSK, 8 September (BelTA) – The further developments in Russia will largely depend on the way the post-election situation in Belarus resolves, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview to representatives of Russia’s leading mass media outlets on 8 September, BelTA has learned.

The president emphasized the role of the internet and Telegram channels for modern society and their often negative influence on the audience. He added that today there are hardly any methods to counteract it.

“Can you block Telegram channels? Nobody can, even those who invented the web - the Americans. You can see what is going on there. Telegram channels are playing a leading role there. It was their idea. They started it long time ago. It was not Russia, it was not Belarus. They have always done such things. We reap the fruits of all this. Even if we remove the internet today, those Telegram channels from Poland will continue working,” the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko believes that Russia may also face the problem of negative impact on society from Telegram channels. “All this has been globalized and internationalized. If you think that rich Russia will cope with it, you are wrong. I have talked to many presidents, to my elder friend (elder brother, as I call him) Putin, I warned him that this cannot be opposed,” said the Belarusian leader.

“You should not feel complacent. You are in for certain political events, too. Or this may happen even on level ground. Do you know what we, together with the Russian establishment and authorities, have come to? If Belarus collapses today, Russia will be next,” he added.

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