Very nice summary Conor, I'd been waiting for your thoughts! Please keep making updates every few weeks. P.S. Those memes of Lukashenko with the rifle were hilarious 😂
Thank you for such a great explanation! Ive been here in Minsk since Aug 4. Crazy times. Did you danish friend find out if he will ever be able to return?
Great video Conor. Some comments below seem to think you have kicked over a hornet’s nest ! My wife and I have friends from Minsk and other towns. We are praying for their families’ safety. The family members here are keeping tabs on the situation as best they can. I hope the public pressure finally causes a peaceful transition of power and Lukashenko can depart to retirement without violence. A new election needs to be called with FULL international monitoring and confirmation.I think that would be the best outcome.
Thank you Conor - I appreciate your input, it is now 2 years later and I can say shortly once I find an airline I am flying to Belarus to pick up my wife that I found through your recommended match maker Lady from Belirus. Keep up the great work hope to see you out and about in the world. Mike
I hate Lukashenko but I'm not sure that turning to the transnational financial elites for help will help the common Belarussian... in fact, I'm convinced of the opposite. The country would become freer, but it would tank economically. Ukraine is good exemple of what happens to your industrial base when turning away from Russia... no one needs Belarussian tractors in the EU.
TYSM Connor, for the much valued update, of course it is very helpful, you have said so many positive comments about Belarusian people and their natural honesty (politicians excluded), let's hope that cheat gets his just deserts, sooner rather than later
We live in a 'magical age'. In 3 seconds, I can travel from London to Odessa, by a few clicks on my computer, and be 'sitting' in a park, enjoying some tea :)))
How those 2 boys didn't bother you that much?! 😂Great explanation about what is happening right now in Belarus. However, I think the situation is a LOT tricker than it seems. There is an opinion that Lukashenko is being betrayed and manipulated by his own close people in government. USSR collapse happened from the inside and now something similar is happening in Belarus. The insane police brutality is not an accident, it was intended and planned to get these results and people's reactions in Belarus. Lukashenko doesn't use the internet and get all information from KGB generals and he lost the connection with reality. When I think about it kinda makes sense. I have no doubt the "orange revolution" technics are being implemented right now in Belarus by the west. Have you seen videos by Пламен Пасков, a politician from Bulgaria? A very smart guy and what he says made me think a lot about current events. I'm in no way Lukashenko proponent, but I want him to stay right now, otherwise, Belarus will lose its sovereignty and Belarusian people will lose A LOT in the long run.
That's the same excuse used by Yanukovich for when his Berkut beat peaceful protesters early on in the EuroMaidan revolution. I simply don't buy it. Lukashenka congratulated his OMON and even rewarded them after the initial vicious cycle of beatings, abductions and torture during the first few days. He didn't call for an investigation into their brutal behavior. Moreover, he refers to the protesters as 'rats' when he flies over them with his assault rifle in hand then lands and goes out to congratulation the OMON surrounding his official residence. It's clear he is endorsing what they did. He's the president. If he can't control his police then he should resign immediately in any case. The amount of evidence of police brutality and torture is overwhelming. He simply has lost legitimacy to continue as president. Both pro-Russian and pro-EU Belarusians are currently against him and if Russia intervenes militarily to prop him up then Belarus will lose its sovereignty for sure.
@@CrazyRussianAdventurescom I think Belarus will loose the sovereignty it currently has when Lukashenko leaves office, either via the EU route or by being closer to Russia. This is because somehow Luka had carved out an unusually high level of sovereignty for Belarus. He is so widely unpopular now though that he will have to leave office at some time in the next few years even if these protests don't succeed. In 26 years of government he has used up his political capital, add to that his weird policy on Covid and now the election and all the beatings and imprisonments. It does look like he has lost touch with political reality. On the other hand, I'd agree that some 'colour revolution' techniques are also being deployed, one particularly bizarre opposition argument is that Lukashenko's actions will cause mass emigration from Belarus, whereas opening the border with EU countries somehow won't.
Agree 100 % This has CIA regime Change all over it. Not saying Lukashenko is a great guy but Rothchild, Rockefellers and CIA Deep State masters are FAR worse Masters.
Your educational background was brought to the fore. Excellent video! You tied together the last 30 years of Belarusian politics/govt quite succinctly. I learned a lot. Keep it up, give us more! Thanks Conor.
Tomas Jankus The Joke is on Bald not the Belarusian nation he’s spent a lot of time there and given the country lots of exposure and it’s the reason I’m interested in what’s going on there today because of Mr Bald. Yes I’m in fully agreement with you that elections should be free and fair. Also I believe though if voting ever changed anything they would abolish it. I live in the UK and it’s run by unelected bureaucrats and civil servants of a psychopathic tendency but unlike Belarus, 80% of the UK is brainwashed and there is no hope for the British. Belarus got it right on the COVID and didn’t have a lockdown which I fully agreed with. Here in the UK we deal with things with Humour and satire so please don’t think I’m mocking the situation no offence was meant what so ever.
Saw romance being kept alive amidst the protests as couples there have been proposing marriage. Protests can bring forth lots of passion. Saw that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya spent lots of time in rural Ireland 🇮🇪 as a child taking part in Children of Chernobyl project. Mikashevichi, her home village, had been severely affected by the Chernobyl disaster and the one month break in the countryside gave some health benefits and improved life expectancy. Hopefully this program will be able to resume next year.
I spoke with a Polish leader who said he hoped that one day Poland would have a relationship to the US similar to Israel. My thought was that Poland would face the same obstacle, which is the US State Dept. Conservatives live to say there is no America desk at the State Dept., also known as The Enemy Within.
Thank you for posting Conner! It was great to hear the regional unbiased review. Looking forward to visiting when things are resolved. I hope you and everyone stays safe. Scott B (from Michigan)
Being an international relations need, I really appreciate your insight. I am a bit new to the Eastern European scene other than Hungary. Trying to get caught up
He said it before...it is actually humbling that he would help single men and single women maybe find love in a globalized anti family world.... a kind of smart angel. Buddha bless you Conor...
Really good video Conor. I arrived in Belarus on 31 August, I’m still here. I attended the protest on Sunday to support the people. I respect the Belarusian people for protesting peacefully, but unfortunately it’s not going to be enough to make a change. They need help from outside. I wish the best for them. I’ve seen some shocking things - I can’t believe this is happening in 2020. Lukoshenko and his government and police are a disgrace
Maybe start the vid with a snapshot of what’s now then dive into background as many won’t know. Situation now “beatings kgb OMON etc... protests suppression, hijack ...then why {background} etc..)
Please guys , remind me : who was praising so much Belarus a few months ago for their strong law and order ? ah yes, conor and all the comments guys.... good job dude, as usual ....
Thank you for this post Conor, very informative and interesting as to what is happening in Belarus. I hope you do other posts like this as I think they are very relevant and give people a real and genuine insight .
First off...I wanna say thank you and I am glad you don't normally get political. I get enough of that on Twitter. lol I don't know Belarusian politics as well as I do US politics. But I feel for the West, particularly for the US, it's Barack Obama's Iran moment from 2009 when he didn't show any support for the Iranian protesters. The US should of and needs to come out for supporting the Belarusian people. But as we've learned in America, protests nowadays aren't organic but organized. My question is, who is sponsoring and financing the protests? Are they organized by the same shadowy forces that are supporting BLM, Antifa etc? We know the Arab Spring was. I grew up in the 1980's when President Reagan had covert and overt operations against the Soviet Union, Grenada, Nicaragua, Libya etc. I feel the same needs to be done in Belarus. The only issue is Putin and what he would do. If the US got involved with Belarus covertly, (not militarily), it might trigger Russia to get involved. I can't imagine Russia doing anything militarily. Putin just poisoned his opposition, so he's still interested in keeping power. But I agree...Putin wouldn't look well to Belarusian people if he got involved. But the US and American people are not interested in getting involved in another country after pulling out of Iraq, Afghanistan etc. So besides mere words from Trump, I don't see us doing anything. There should at minimum be sanctions. Unfortunately I think the protests will die out and the things will continue as before in Belarus.
This tallies with my understanding of how things unfolded and like most fast moving situations there's been miscalculations on both sides. Last time there was a major crisis in a neighboring country Putin appeared to capitalise on the chaos and take Crimea. I wonder whether there is any chance that he could do something similar in this case with part or all of Belarus? It might be safer for him to do so rather than having an unreliable partner develop from democratic election? That would certainly get the UN excited.
When I was in Belarus in the mid-1990's, I learned that the majority of police officers or "militia" are former soldiers. They are guaranteed a job once their service is done. So, these unprofessional officers don't have any issues beating people just to keep their jobs.
Of course, I booked a trip to Minsk at the end of November right before all of this happened. Hopefully this is all resolved before my trip. I would hate to cancel that given I’ve been largely quarantined since the pandemic blew up here in the States.
Yes Conor definitely keep us posted on the ongoing unrest due to greedy, power hungry politician's like lukashenko who will never allow a fair election
Thank you Conor, no more Belarus for me. That terrorist bomb attack kept me away a few years ago (went to Ukraine instead) and now this.......................... Maybe in a year it will be back to normal again
Hi Conor. Thanks for that informative video. Can you confirm that Ukraine has now closed its borders again for tourists for the next weeks through to at least September 28? Pity, because it seems like otherwise great weather for hanging out in Odessa.
taking my videos off to edit for my channel kevinstandup while I watch. My last Odessa video. Nowhere near as good as you but every time I watch you I learn.
In Ukraine, taking government buildings and even opposing special forces soldiers as hostages was an effective measure against tortures. Those worked as "exchange prisoners". In Belarus, the peaceful nature of the protest just lets the regime to torture thousands of people without any repercussions.
Fair point that the Hong Kong protests well exceeded 3.5% (even if nowhere near 50%) and while some of the protesters' demands were met, the Hong Kong government is still in place ... the 3.5% rule was observed before the protests there started, it would be a major exception
Hope your fellow blogger Irish Partizan stays safe in unsettling Minsk. Russia definitely benefits from having Belarus as a buffer state so maybe they will convince him to resign in favor of another family member? Ps I notice you pronounce Lukashenko's name at the end as an A. Is that common when a Belarusian name ends in O?
PS now 6 months later the same thing happened in U.S.....it is estimated Biden got 31% of the vote (if you doubt this, google a man by the name of Pulitzer at Georgia senate hearing, and then watch the chief attorney in the Nevada election lawsuit, very damning testimony about a fair election in U.S.)
It's good to see you alive and safe . The Spetsnaz, has foreign journalist muzzled and in fear . AL Jazeera news also reported that Ukraine has closed it's borders and asked all foreigners to leave their country in an effort to control the spread of Covid 19 . Take care man , cause the situation doesn't look good .
Well, I did warn you in your previous video when you stated that Belarus would be perfectly safe for a foreign visitor to visit this summer. Usually, I would agree 100% on how safe Belarus is for any foreign visitors. However, during an election where the outcome could have profound consequences, especially in a country which is effectively ruled by a dictatorship and where, even with the media controlled by the state, it was obvious that Lukashenko really did face major unrest. Unofficial online polls put his approval rating at around 5%, which admittedly seems too low. But the fact that large protests and rallies were taking place prior to the election, should have been enough warning for anyone, that events could turn nasty. Like everyone else, I have no idea on what will transpire in the coming days/weeks/months. It could turn very nasty and there could be considerable loss of life though I really hope not. Were I to take a guess, I would guess at Lukashenko surviving, at least in the short term. I think a deal will be made for him to continue and to then 'gracefully' relinquish power and he will join Yanakovich in Russia. I think the protests will eventually lose the support, especially if people start to suffer even more financial hardship. Plus, how long will people accept putting their own safety at risk when the person calling for them to do so is safely ensconced in Lithuania? - Of course she would be quickly arrested were she to return to Belarus, but to expect others to risk beatings, torture and imprisonment when you are not prepared to do so yourself, to me at least, does nothing for her credibility. To the poster who claimed that Belarus is the only country in Europe not to have taken an IMF loan, I think he ought to check his facts before posting nonsense. Belarus has had several IMF loans. As to the one who claimed that Russia did not take Crimea, well, I guess that if even the Russian president finally admitting that he sent his 'little green men' to Crimea is not enough for him to accept that they did, I guess nothing would. And, even if we were to accept that Yatsenuk was a puppet of the US administration, how would that make the Ukrainian elections unfree and unfair? Surely the people were still able to vote for who they wished or does he also think they were forced at gunpoint to vote a certain way. Good video and very good background on recent Belarus history. Just one small point to add. Lukashenko actually first stood as an independent candidate and was seen as a sort of populist candidate against the existing Soviet anointed president who he had earlier accused of state corruption. He won in the second round of the election with 80% of the vote.
Belarus is not a real country. Lukashenko deserves credit for defeating the Oligarchs and preventing the disaster that befell Russia in the 1990's, but Russia has gotten its house in order under Putin and it is time for the two Russias to fully integrate again. Lukashenko is putting that off for selfish reasons in order to cling to power and his country is suffering as a result. He should negotiate a final union agreement between Belarus and Russia and then quietly exit the stage.
And of course Putin didn't change the constitution to allow him to cling to power? Belarus not a real country? What makes you say that? And, surely if Belarus was to integrate with anyone, it should integrate with Lithuania as it was part of the Kingdom of Lithuania long before being absorbed into the USSR
@@Harry-fb8nl Russian people voted on the Constitutional changes in Russia in fair election. Belarus is a Russian speaking state filled with Russians. If Lithuania absorbs Belarus, Russians go from being 6% of Lithuania's population to over 80%. Lithuanians would become minority in their own country. Their President would be Russian, their PM, would be Russian, and their Speaker would be Russian. Do you really think Lithuanians want that? No, merger of Lithuania and Belarus is totally impractical unless Lithuania were to go back to being authoritarian monarchy and I don't see that happening anytime soon.
@@scottwillie6389 - Well, I assume by that, that you also think the recent presidential election in Belarus was fair. Really do think you ought to carry out a little research before making statements which can easily be refuted. You say Belarus is a Russian speaking state filled with Russians. - Well, it is true that Russian is the predominant language, mainly due to suppression of its own Belarusian language. However, the population is made up of the following ethnic groups: Belarusian 83%, Russian 8%, Polish 3%, Ukrainian 2% and around 3% of other unspecified groups. So, Belarus is actually filled with only around 8% of Russians.
@@Harry-fb8nl First, the Belarusian Language is nothing but a country bumpkin version Russian. Secondly, and more importantly, Belarusians and Russians are the same ethnicity- Russian. There is no genetic distinction. Like are same as North Koreans and South Koreans. And you are the one who is in desperate need of research if you think there is a chance in hell Lithuania would ever tolerate a union that would give Russians ( no matter where those Russians hail from) control over their country.
Excellent video, thanks! Marta, @drone_lady on Instagram, has been doing a very good job of posting on the protests in her stories, some horrific images there.
Good report Conor !! .. Lukashenka has to go .. hopefully soon & peacefull !! what an idiot disrespecting his people calling them rats, prostitutes , junkies & drunks ! ... he looks ridiculous running around playing Rambo .. most of his troops must have bad conciences being forced against their own people ! how do they face their families at home ?
I am Canadian and all the countries from the Eastern Bloc that are absorbing themselves into NATO should learn to pay more money for everything. I encourage the Russian people and the Russian government to cut off all gas supplies and trade agreements with former Soviet States. I encouraged Russia to kick out all foreigners out of their country either on work visas or protesting. And I actually say the same for the people of Belarus get rid of foreign interference coming from your neighbours regardless if it is Russia or Baltic States or America. If anyone disagrees with me I don't care. Different ethnic populations in my country are drying my country into war and I don't like it. At the end of the day send your children to die first not mine I also don't support with the Ukrainian government is doing to its own people in the east. They had a right to protest the new government but you sent the Army in to quell the general population of that area that was wrong and when situations turn around and you're getting slaughtered I will not shed a tear
Ah, the people in eastern Ukraine had the right to protest against the new government, but when the population of Belarus vote against the current dictator and protest against him rigging the election (and failing), it is because of foreign interference? - In any civilised country, I have no problem with people protesting against an unpopular government and, in those countries, they have a genuine opportunity to change things come election time. Unfortunately, the same can not be said of Russia and unfortunately Belarus. What is not acceptable is for those who are unhappy to resort to violence, Russian backed in the case of Donbas.
@@Harry-fb8nl the people in the dumb bass had an uprising just like they did in kieve. Different parts of the Ukraine was protesting the key of government at the same time as the uprising but because they didn't have permits they were called terrorists. The maidan square uprising and the other uprisings throughout the Ukraine look no different to me. But the western-backed keep government sent the military after their people. Along with people from volunteer battalions which fascist ideologies that is truly upsetting to me. And my country Canada most of the so called Ukrainian population flies right sector flags that makes me extremely sick knowing that my country supports people with Neo-Nazi ideologies
@@carllito5872 Thats what happens in democratic countries when you have fair elections. The person/party with the most votes get an opportunity to form a government and govern the country. - One side wins as it got a majority of the votes and one or more side loses as they did not get the required votes. - Suck it up and better luck next time! What that does not allow is for those who are unhappy with the results to resort to violence in order to to try to achieve their aims and a democratically elected government has the right to stop armed insurgence in its own country. - In the case of Ukraine, armed insurgence heavily backed by both regular and irregular forces and equipment from Russia. However, with you neo-nazi comments, I think it is plain to see your true agenda.
@@Harry-fb8nl when an election is close in a democratic country socalled people generally eat the results. But look at what's happening in America for the past 4 years there's been ongoing protests and violence in the streets mainly from a political point of view. These aren't riots and protests based on what day plane to be it's because they just don't like their president. If the next election doesn't clear things up there most likely will be a civil war and it will spread throughout Western countries in the same manner. It's already spreading to my country. And this is wrong. When it comes to the Ukraine problem that's a mess America created which Victoria nuland John McCain Lindsey Graham and Joe Biden. I feel sorry for all of the people of the Ukraine except for the ones with Neo-Nazi ideologies. And they do exist BBC made a documentary about this and so many other online media sites have confirm this.
@@carllito5872 - This channel and in particular this video is is concerned with the ongoing situation in Belarus following the recent presidential election where the incumbent dictator claimed victory with 80% of the vote. - A victory which even with results which were rigged, it is clear he did not have. It is not really the place to be discussing protests or riots in the US or anywhere else, though I seriously doubt there will be a civil war or anything close to resembling one there. So the mess in Ukraine is due to Victoria Nuland, John McCain and others and not Russian 'little green men' in the case of Crimea and both regular and irregular Russian forces and equipment in the case of Donbas? The only foreign interference in Belarus appears to be Russian journalists and presenters now taking control of the state media and some Russian anti riot forces from the friendly neighbours in the east.
Conor after this video I highly suggest you do not attempt to visit Belarus 🇧🇾. I can’t believe you being an attorney and you did this video. I am sure Conor your name is on the list now. Do not go to Belarus they have a hummer waiting for you. Dr. Gonter I can’t believe you did this video when your business is the dating business. I won’t be booking any Belarus tour with you. My brother had two Hummers very uncomfortable cars. I don’t want to be in a hummer with you in Minsk headed to the кгб head quarters. I suggest you delete this video Now!!! And never go to Belarus again. Be afraid be very afraid. You have now hurt your dating business. I enjoy your videos, but this was not an intelligent video for you to create. If you are planing to do business Sasha is not going anyway soon. Especially with Putin wanting to keep Belarus in his sphere of influence. I teach both Russian and American history at a local university in my city. Let the record reflect I told you delete this video and be carful. It would not surprise me if Sasha (Lukashenko) will send кгб agents into ukraine or Russia to knock you off. I cant believe you are bad mouthing him so much and will attempt to go back to Belarus. Calling him a fool and more disrespectful comments. Dam boy
