Belarus, which has intensified its political and military alliance with Moscow, is accelerating Russification with the abandonment of the Belarusian language in schools.
When Mikalay started classes in Belarus this year, the 15-year-old discovered that teachers and administrators no longer called him by his first name. They named him Nikolai instead. Russian equivalent. Lessons are now being taught at his school, one of the best in the country Russian not Belarusian something this young man has been talking about for most of his life.
Belarusians like Mikalay have an experience new wave of Russification This is an unprecedented development as Moscow expands its economic, political and cultural dominance over Minsk. During the Tsarist and Soviet periods, Russia imposed Belarus its language, symbols and cultural institutions. However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Belarus began to regain its identity. Belarusian soon became the official language, and the red sickle and hammer of the Soviet era was replaced by the white-red-white national flag.
The situation changed in 1994 when former Soviet official Alexander Lukashenko came to power. he transformed Official language: Russian With Belarusian and eliminated nationalist symbols. Now, when Lukashenko has been in power for more than three decades, he has allowed this. Russia was victorious in various aspects of life in Belarus, a country of 9.5 million people.
Belarusian seems almost unheard on the streets of Minsk and other major cities. official business It is handled in Russian, which also dominates the media. Lukashenko speaks only Russianand government officials avoid using this language.
The country depends on: Russia’s economic loans and cheap energy, Political and military alliance Moscow allowed President Vladimir Putin to station troops and missiles in Belarus and use it as a base for the war in Ukraine.
“In my opinion, our Belarus is occupied. So who is its president? Not Lukashenko. Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, who lives in exile in Germany, criticizes “President Putin.” “Nation humiliated “It will be very difficult for Belarusians to recover from this,” he laments.
Belarusian cultural figures faced the following problems: persecution Hundreds of nationalist organizations were closed. Experts believe Moscow intends Implement in Belarus what was planned for Ukraine At the beginning of the war in 2022.
“Frankly, our children deliberately deprived of their native languagehistory and Belarusian identity, but we were highly recommended to parents. Let’s not ask questions about Russification“says Anatoly, the father of a Belarusian student, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“They informed us and showed us a way to synchronize the curriculum with Russia this year. propaganda film “It’s about how Ukrainian special services allegedly recruit our youth and force them to commit sabotage in Belarus,” he adds.
Only a few schools managed to retain some papers and courses in Belarusian. In recent years, one of these schools has seen: dozens of teachers were fired and the Belarusian section of the website disappeared. Lukashenko rejects his native language and claims that “nothing important can be expressed in Belarusian, there are only two great languages in the world: Russian and English.”
rapid loss of language
Belarus was founded part of the Russian empire for centuries After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, it became one of the 15 Soviet republics. Daily use of Belarusian decreased and only continued in the western, northern and rural parts of the country.
In 1994, approximately 40% of students were taking Belarusian courses; currently it does not reach 9%. Speaking Belarusian is accepted Opposition to Lukashenko and a declaration of national identity that played a key role in the mass protests following the disputed 2020 election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term. Half a million people fled the country in the harsh crackdown that followed.
However, Alina Nahornaja, author of the book ‘Language 404’ about Belarusians who are discriminated against for speaking their native language, says: “More and more people want to speak Belarusian, became one symbols of freedombut they are afraid to do it in public.
Like Ukrainians, Belarusians They wanted to strengthen ties with EuropeAccompanying his nationalist sentiments, notes Belarusian analyst Valery Karbalevich. “But the Kremlin soon realized the danger and began the process of progressive Russification of Belarus,” he explains.
So they appeared Pro-Russian organizations, joint educational programs and cultural projects “like mushrooms after the rain, in the background Tough crackdown on everything Belarusian“says Karbalevich.
ADVERTSpeaking Belarusian as a weapon
censorship and bans These influence not only contemporary Belarusian literature but also the classics. In 2023, the prosecutor’s office declared the 19th century poems of Vincent Dunin-Martsinkyevich, who opposed the Russian Empire, as extremist. When Kremlin backs Lukashenko against protests Following the anti-government protests in 2020, his loyalty was assured and he was given full power in Belarus.
“Today Lukashenko We pay Putin with our sovereignty“, says exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. “Belarusian national identity, culture and language are our most powerful weapons against the Russian world and Russification.” In February, she published on X that she was tagged “‘”.extremist‘ means loving your country and speaking your language.
Four cities of Belarus now host a ‘Russia House’, offering seminars, cinemas, exhibitions and competitions in Russian to promote their culture and influence. “Your purpose additional Russian narratives so that as many Belarusians as possible see Russian as: something that belongs to you“says analyst Alexander Friedman. “The Kremlin spares no expense and acts on a large scale; particularly effective and dangerous “What Belarus finds itself in is a situation of information isolation and there is almost no one left within the country to resist the Russian world,” he explains.
“Putin published an article in 2021 denying the existence of an independent Ukraine, and even then we understood very well that: He pursued similar goals in Belarus“, Lamenta Latushka.
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