Paul Goble
Staunton, Aug. 10 – Since 2020 when Belarusians protested Lukashenka’s stealing of the election, the Minsk leader has dramatically increased repression not only by arresting more people but also by taking actions of other kinds against any who oppose him, according to a new poll conducted by the Warsaw Center of New Ideas and the There is a Question center.
But the survey, admittedly not representative of all Belarusians because it was dominated by those who have fled abroad, also found that those who oppose him remain opposed and if anything are now more committed to fighting Lukashenka than they were earlier (newideas.center/artykuly/5-gado-belaruskai-rjevaljucyi-stvarjenne-kanona-i-dynamika-jemocyi/ and rfi.fr/ru/европа/20250812-социология-восприятие-событий-2020-го-в-беларуси-больше-гордости-и-злости-больше-затронутых-репрессиями).
Among the survey’s key findings are the following:
· The share of Belarusians who have encountered repressive actions by the regime has increased over the last three years, from 49 percent in 2023 to 64 percent now.
· Belarusians now recognize that the repressive nature of the Lukashenka regime is measured not just by how many people he puts behind bars but by the entire range of actions his regime deploys against the population.
· Approximately 70 percent of those questioned say the 2020 protests exercised greater influence on the Belarusians as a nation than other events of the 20th century, with many saying they are more committed to fighting his regime than they were.
· Some 80 percent say that Lukashenka was able to suppress them because of his own security operations and that the role of Russian assistance is generally overrated.
· More than two-thirds say they are proud that they or other Belarusians took part in the protests, up by nine percent since a similar survey in 2023.
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