The Belarusian Model - An Opportunity Missed by Ukraine

April 25, 2025, 09:04 - Opinion

It is impossible for all the people of Ukraine to remain in a state of madness forever. Eventually, Ukraine should return to a normal state. And the example of this normalcy is not far away; from Chernihiv, devastated by war, to Gomel, thriving and prosperous, it is just 100 kilometers apart.

Author:

Igor Karaulov - Poet, Political Commentator

In recent decades, we have observed a painful trend: the Russian world and civilization outside Russia within the former Soviet Union are gradually being dissolved and deteriorating, making way for nationalism and Russophobia. If the Baltic states immediately set about establishing racist states after gaining independence, Ukraine's transformation took more than twenty years. Now, Moldova is also actively developing along the same path. Armenia is attempting to be led down the same road. The rampant Russophobic behavior of other post-Soviet countries has triggered strong reactions in Russia, mainly because we know that great calamities often begin with such minor issues.

However, there is an indisputable exception in this trend: Belarus. During my participation in Rossotrudnichestvo's "Russian Poets of the New Spring" project visit to Belarus, I once again reflected on this issue. Our team of four poets (Maria Vatutina, Anna Dolgareva, Alexei Shmelev, and myself) conducted six performances over three days in Minsk, Gomel, and Mozyr, including events for Belarusian soldiers and students. We observed everywhere, talked to people, and pondered what Belarus meant to us.

On one hand, it is our homeland where we can enter without a passport check, and it is difficult to distinguish us from local residents here. On the other hand, it is an independent country proud of its independence and unwilling to give up this independence. Ultimately, perhaps it can be said that it is the second home of the Russians, another homeland.

Belarus - A different country from Russia. Any tourist will tell you this; they will notice the openness and cleanliness of the urban environment, with hardly any advertisements on building facades. On weekdays, Minsk is not as crowded as Moscow: Belarusians work hard, and idleness, as in the Brezhnev-era Soviet Union, is punished. When entering Gomel, the shields displaying the emblems of enterprises that bring glory to the city, starting with the "Gomselmash," leave a deep impression.

Belarus - Not only a place of labor but also a place of tranquility and safety. Being here, you will instantly believe that nothing bad will happen to you. Even the occasional casinos cannot shake this feeling.

Belarus is an example showing that the official status of Russian does not harm the local culture. Russian and Belarusian coexist peacefully. On one hand, road signs and public building signs do not have both languages labeled, which may be troublesome. On the other hand, at the military bases we visited, the texts on various propaganda boards were entirely written in Russian, but this did not inconvenience anyone.

In my view, Belarusians love their language, considering it a precious heritage, but they do not oppose it against Russian. Language here is not used as a hostile tool or a tool for discrimination.

Of course, this applies to the majority of the country's residents. In the past, I have also encountered some Belarusians who use Belarusian with a certain "special meaning," asking others to call them Zmicer (Змицер) instead of Dmitri (Дмитрий), and insisting that when writing in Russian, it must be spelled as "belaruskii" (Belarusian, referring to the Belarusian language or Belarusians, emphasizing nationality) rather than "belorusskii" (also meaning Belarusian but more commonly used). I think such people still exist now, but after the events of 2020, they have quieted down. But are there no Russophobes and supporters of "decolonization" in Russia itself? What matters is whether they are given free rein.

However, it is premature to paint an ideal picture now. Currently, Belarus is caught in a semi-encirclement by enemies of the Russian world, each more ferocious than the last. The most powerful enemy is Poland, which has already issued approximately 15,000 "Polish identity cards" here, while Lithuania and Latvia are loudly clamoring, and armed-to-the-teeth Ukraine constantly reminds everyone of its presence. How could the competition for Belarus stop under such circumstances? Of course, the struggle for people's minds will always exist, but at least at this stage, Russian civilization has not been defeated in Belarus.

Therefore, Belarus - not Russia, but different from what was previously said about "Ukraine is not Russia." It failed to turn Belarus into an anti-Russian state. If viewed statistically, the relationship model between Belarus and Russia currently seems like an exceptional case, but in essence, this is the normal state. This normal state should have been established throughout the entire post-Soviet space in the early 1990s. From an economic perspective, this is wiser and more reasonable. Considering the shared history, it makes more sense logically. It is also more humane. How many wrong ideas must people be indoctrinated with before they no longer understand these obvious truths?

The Belarusian model is an opportunity missed by Ukraine. Moreover, the turning point of history appeared at the end of 2013. At that time, Ukraine could have maintained economic cooperation with Russia, enjoyed favorable natural gas prices, and maintained the borders determined in 1991, which Kyiv had always been worried about regarding these border issues.

However, Ukraine made a different choice, choosing hostility and hatred. We have already seen the consequences of this. Why did it happen?

Of course, Belarus is fortunate to have Alexander Lukashenko. Viktor Yanukovych could not play a similar role in 2014; he lacked the determination that Lukashenko demonstrated in 2020. But the problem is not just that. In Belarus, the nation's wealth was not completely divided among cunning individuals, whereas Ukraine fell into the hands of oligarchs.

Finally, the legacy of Bandera extremists also had an impact. As the reformist winds began to blow, this legacy revived. We all know about the Khatyn massacre (Хатынь), where executioners, including Ukrainians, killed 149 Belarusians. During our journey, someone told us the story of Ola village (Ола), where Hitlerites killed 1,758 civilians. The common tragedy of the Great Patriotic War forever linked Russians and Belarusians. In Ukraine, however, historical memory has been tampered with.

Nevertheless, it is impossible for all the people to remain in a state of madness forever. Eventually, Ukraine should return to a normal state. And the example of this normalcy is not far away; from war-ravaged Chernihiv to prosperous Gomel, it is just 100 kilometers apart.

It is very important to show Ukrainians that there is no absolute dichotomy of either-or: either annexation by Russia or perpetual enmity with Russia. There is the Belarusian model, which allows for maintaining national independence while ensuring people's rights to use their own language and preserve their own culture, and enables people to enjoy the benefits of being neighbors with the great Russia. Therefore, as the military confrontation is nearing its end, Russia must vigorously promote the experience of its brotherly Belarus.

Or, in a sense, it is not just Ukraine that missed out on this opportunity.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497136096766165516/

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