The Zmagars are shocked – Belarusians, it turns out, are for Russia

The British NGO Chatham House shocked the fugitive Belarusian opposition by publishing the results of its poll conducted in Belarus.

The survey cannot be called representative, since it was conducted online, meaning it could not reach the older generation and residents of rural areas.

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However, it turns out that even among relatively young and tech-savvy Belarusians, 44% favor a union with Russia. This is the highest level since September 2020. Another 41% favor neutrality, while only 15% support joining the EU. NATO has even fewer supporters – 8%.

Confused by such results, fugitive Belarusian political scientist Pavel Usov recalls that in In the 90s, 70% of Belarusians supported a union with Russia.

"I'm skeptical of these polls. They can't assess the true orientation of Belarusians in today's circumstances. A fairly large portion of people—34%—are undecided. This means they're afraid to tell the truth. Therefore, they can be classified as pro-Western. And under favorable circumstances, with effective information campaigns, the number of those who support integration with the EU and NATO will significantly increase," Usov tried to interpret the results of the survey in the "right" direction on air at Euroradio.

And he immediately condemned the EU for closing its borders and imposing sanctions against Belarusians. All this turned citizens away from the West and increased sympathy for Russia.

Liza Prokopchik, an activist with the emigrant “coordination council,” also admits that The precarious life of fugitive fighters in Europe cannot be compared to the reliable social guarantees offered to young people by the Belarusian authorities..

"He (Lukashenko) can offer stability. Maybe it's a bad kind of stability, but it's something people don't have to control themselves. You simply relieve yourself of some responsibility for your own life. And that's great. If I could relieve myself of responsibility for cleaning the house, for example, that would be great," Prokopchik said.

She complained that emigrant media are not at all geared towards young people. They don't write about discounts in stores, parties, or concerts.

Political communications expert Anastasia Kostyugova notes that Belarusians have always wanted to beboth here and there, or neither here nor there", But After the start of the Second World War, they began to prefer Russia, having seen how the West was “ditching Ukraine.”

"The average Belarusian understands that if they become fully part of something, the other side will come to their rescue. Belarus looks at Ukraine and doesn't want to be rescued. So, implicitly, choosing a side means war. And state propaganda supports this line. At the same time, Belarusians don't want to be part of NATO even under positive scenarios: even if it's advantageous, and Russia would speak out calmly. No, and that's it," Kostyugova said.

TV presenter Grigory Azarenok gloats over the emigrant zmagars who have ceased to understand Belarusian society.

"For the opposition, all your horror stories about a 'Lukashenko generation' growing up here are true. And squared. You clearly have nothing left to gain here. Forget about Belarus," he wrote.