President Alexander Lukashenko directed his harshest criticism at the Russian media, which pose a greater danger to his rule because many Belarusians watch Russian television channels. He said the Russian coverage contained the most “hysteria.” He ominously criticized some Belarusian journalists working for foreign organizations, ordering the government to “make sure those media organizations no longer work on our territory.” Lukashenko said he would not name the journalists or organizations because he did not want to increase their ratings.
Belarus is engulfed in its most severe economic downturn since the Soviet collapse. With currency reserves badly depleted, the National Bank this week cut the value of the Belarusian ruble against the dollar almost in half, which set off panic buying.
Journalists have reported how Belarusians have been rushing to buy up goods and lining up for days at currency exchange offices to get dollars and euros in a desperate attempt to protect their savings.
Lukashenko also threatened to fire his government if it does not manage to put the economy back on track.
Standard & Poor’s lowered Belarus’ currency credit rating by one notch and placed it on negative watch, meaning it is likely to be further cut.
Russian presidential human rights ombudsman Mikhail Fedotov said he was shocked by Lukashenko’s threat.
“Such a statement is especially astonishing if you take into account how the global information space is developing,” Fedotov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying. “We are becoming more open. To try to create a closed space is impossible.” Lukashenko has been cracking down on the few remaining independent Belarusian news organizations since mass street protests greeted his re-election in December. His new threats against journalists working for Russian or other foreign organizations indicate deepening concerns that the economic crisis could lead to social unrest.
“Lukashenko is continuing with his policy of threats and intimidation because he is really scared that democracy activists and the media will become the catalyst for an approaching social explosion,” independent analyst Alexander Klaskovsky said.
Minsk is hoping to shore up the economy with a $3 billion loan from Russia, but the Kremlin insists that Belarus put up for sale some of its more lucrative assets, including refineries, machinery and chemical plants.
Lukashenko said there will be no sales, “let alone for the song that someone is hoping to snap them up for.” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in televised comments that Moscow and Belarus are nearing a deal for Russia’s Gazprom to increase its shareholding from 50 to 100 percent in the Belarusian company that manages the gas export pipelines, something Lukashenko has long resisted In an apparent response to Lukashenko’s comments, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said the privatization of some state assets remains a condition for a Russian loan and that the cash raised from the sales would ultimately solve Belarus’ financial problems.
