Lesha Gorbash, editor of The Flow, living in Minsk, collected the main stereotypes about life in Belarus and checked how true they are
Everything is very cheap
In general, it is more a lie than the truth. A glass of local draft beer will cost about 120 rubles. Travel on any public transport costs 16 rubles. Minibus - 42 rubles. Nike Air Max sneakers are unlikely to cost you less than 6,000 rubles, and it’s cheaper to have lunch at McDonald’s in Moscow.
Country of millionaires
One million Belarusian rubles is 3,500 Russian rubles. As you understand, in Minsk it is more difficult to not be a millionaire.
Belarusians only buy their own milk
The “Belarusian Buyer” campaign has been running in Belarus for a long time. This is when you first see Belarusian goods on store shelves. Dairy products here are really excellent, no one even thinks that you can buy something else.
Minsk is the cleanest city in the world
In any case, this is what local residents think when traveling abroad. Belarusian syndrome - worrying when you don’t see trash cans every 50 meters.
"The last dictatorship in Europe"
On July 20, it will be 21 years since Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko became the President of Belarus. Initially, according to the constitution, the president was elected for 5 years, but no more than 2 terms. In 2004, a referendum was held, as a result of which the corresponding amendments were made to the constitution: the restriction on the number of presidential terms was removed. 88% of voters were in favor of this decision.
“There is no such country - Belarus”
The majority of Belarusians are of the opinion that in Russian the country is called the Republic of Belarus. It turns out that Belarus does not exist either. But, of course, you can say that. Why is it so burning for most Belarusians: “Belarus” is a new and independent state. “Belarus” strongly smacks of the Soviet past - many people don’t like it.
Belarus is a ghost of the Soviet Union
There are still a lot of Soviet symbols in Minsk. You can see the hammer and sickle on the houses, the monument to Lenin still stands in the city center, the USSR flag proudly flutters over the WWII museum, and historical complex not far from Minsk is called “Stalin Line”.
Nobody speaks Belarusian
Everyone speaks Russian. There are speakers of Belarusian, but this is approximately 1 in 10. Public transport operates in the language, so instead of the usual “Doors are closing, next stop” you will hear “Dzvery zachynyayutstsa, nadshny prypynak…”. If you see a “Products” sign in Minsk, this is not the illiteracy of the owners, but the rules of Belarusian spelling.
The country has strict censorship
Present. For example, the group Lyapis Trubetskoy was “banned” back in 2011 and did not perform in Belarus again until its collapse. The “ban” was unofficial, it was just that the group was suddenly unable to find a platform to perform. Assai was also banned, having cheated at one of the concerts. famous line of his song on “Mr. Lukashenko, go to hell”:
“There are some kind of permits there; for all concerts in Belarus you need to get permission. The guys applied for a new concert and were rejected. Moreover, after that concert where Lukashenko went to hell, another one took place, we behaved quietly there, the audience just got agitated. And just after that we were banned. We weren't there for a year. And then they spent good concert. The crowd in Minsk was crazy and was waiting for us."
There are few cars, and if there are, they are German
In fact, there are enough cars. And not only German ones. Even traffic jams happen. The roads in Belarus are good and regularly maintained.
All Hockey Everything
Hockey really looks like “sport number 1”, the Minsk “Dynamo” fills the 15,000-seat hockey “Arena” (Max Korzh sometimes gives concerts there), ice palaces is in almost everyone big city. In the KHL, however, only Dynamo still plays. For comparison, the football team now plays either in Borisov or Gomel. The only decent stadium in Minsk was closed for a long reconstruction.
Nobody knows where Belarus is
It is indeed difficult for foreigners to understand what Belarus is and where it is located. The only saving grace is sports: Europeans will nod when they hear the names “Gleb” or “Azarenka”; Americans may remember that the World Hockey Championship was recently held here.
KGBeasts
The KGB building is located in the very center of Minsk. If, for example, you want to take a photo in front of it, a couple of people in civilian clothes will appear out of nowhere and politely ask you to put your camera away. But, of course, no one will put you in the dungeon: rumors about the evil KGB are slightly exaggerated.
Stars
Home sports star in the last couple of years it is not Alexander Gleb or even Victoria Azarenka. After Sochi 2014 they carried Daria Domracheva in their arms - there hasn’t been a more popular sportswoman in Belarus for a very long time. Everything is clear with the musicians: these are Sergei Mikhalok, Max Korzh and, more recently, IOWA group. Judging by Minsk concert, LSP is moving toward celebrity status.
It is worth remembering the hero of national folklore - Alexander Solodukha. This is such a Belarusian Stas Mikhailov: everyone knows only one of his songs, but this does not prevent Solodukha from being, probably, the most touring artist in the country. He is literally the most People's Artist Belarus: from year to year he travels all over the country, collecting full houses even in the smallest provincial cities. In the summer he lights up the Slavic Bazaar (be careful, acid chanson). With the same success, it collects views on YouTube with such a virus, and in new year holidays It wouldn't hurt to give a joint concert with a local thrash band in a small (50 people) rock bar." Broken Heart boy."
The Iron Curtain and the Internet using a passport
Nobody bans the Internet, so it’s difficult to say that Belarusians are fenced off from the rest of the world. This is not North Korea. If you suddenly need to use the Internet at a post office or Internet cafe (there are not many of them, but they still exist), you will actually be asked for a passport. The establishments will not ask for any documents, but the situation with Wi-Fi is still deplorable: it is not available everywhere. McDonald's without the Internet, can you imagine?
Everyone eats potatoes
There are actually a lot of potatoes here, Belarusians actually love them. When you come, be sure to try pancakes and babka, it’s delicious.
Enough long time analyzing the “wants and desires” of the Belarusian government and Belarusian society, you come to some interesting conclusions. That is, you begin to gradually understand that some things are done not out of malice or malice, but out of a categorically incorrect understanding of the current realities of the world around us. People have their own picture of the reality around them, based on which they try to “come to success.” It doesn’t work out; negativity and anger are growing in society. New efforts are made, but again it doesn’t work. Negative emotions are growing.
Today Russia and Belarus differ, first of all, in internal, emotional mood society. That is, this does not mean that “everything worked out” in Russia, far from it. But those very “explosive, roof-blowing moods” that our “Western partners” were counting on so much do not exist in Russia. But in Belarus they seem to exist. Moreover, it is they who determine the general political background. For Westerners, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are practically the same thing. For many Ukrainians and Belarusians, the difference in the socio-economic situation between the Russian Federation and their countries is also not significant. However. However, it is there.
That is, Russians do not run to the Maidan not because they are afraid, but because they do not need it. Not relevant. This is something neither Minsk, nor Kyiv, nor Brussels, nor Washington can understand. That is, there is no flammable/explosive material in Russia for the Maidan. For Ukrainians/Belarusians this is categorically offensive. So it turns out that they have problems, but the Russians don’t? Well, something like that. That is, in fact, the Russians have problems, but these are completely different problems. The Russians have already gone a couple of levels higher. There are bolder monsters and more interesting Easter eggs...
The main mistake of Belarusians is that for some strange reason they believe that in Russia everything is the same, it’s just that there is a lot of “free” petrodollars as a plus. Hence the difference in living standards. By the way, yes, few people know, but the USA is an old and powerful oil producer... Standard Oil is from there, and not from KSA. Americans mine uranium, coal, and much more. But for some reason everyone remembers about iPhones, which are exactly what they make Not in America. Strange, right?
The higher standard of living in Russia compared to many post-Soviet countries is explained precisely by this. The reforms of the economy and finances carried out plus the preservation of sovereignty. So yes: “they won’t catch up with us.” By the way, it was precisely these same “reforms” that Russia persistently imposed on Belarus. About “oligarchs and social justice": when an American gangster was asked by a judge why he didn't do something else, he replied: "There may be other ways to make a living, Your Honor, but I don't know them."
As the saying goes: “The rich you are, the happier you are...” That is, if reforms were carried out according to the “improved Russian model” in the well-fed 0s, the Republic of Belarus would today have a higher standard of living than the Russian Federation.” Rationale: in 2000, the Republic of Belarus was a small, homogeneous country that had preserved its economy from wild privatization with a relatively popular leadership and the absence of internal confrontation between someone and someone else. The economy is of the same type as the Russian one (that is, Russian experience can and should be used), the economy is interesting to Russians and, in fact, is part of the Russian economy.
The Republic of Belarus has neither space, nor the Caucasus, nor a fleet. Russia is ready to help and has helped! Who else had such conditions for reform? Russia carried out the reforms “stupidly and brutally,” but it did. Lukashenko was horrified by the progress of the reforms, but did not notice that as a result, Russia was already on the “other” shore. That is, the smart option is to study and use the experience of Russia, avoiding its mistakes (they are obvious to us today). Lukashenko (and the entire leadership of the Republic of Belarus) decided differently: no reforms! No “gangster privatization”. The decision, of course, is a very wise one... but from a certain point the negative consequences began to increase sharply such solutions.
The economy of the Republic of Belarus is becoming more and more unprofitable. The attempt to “stop the hands of the clock” did not lead to any good. By the way, the Republic of Belarus is, to some extent, a model of what would have happened to the USSR if it had not been reformed, but simply tried to be preserved “in a crystal casket.” Bad option.
Hence the following misconception: for some reason Belarusians are sure that Now they have a whole range of possibilities and something needs to be decided... This is not true. The worst thing that Lukashenko (and his entourage) did was that he wasted ten years. The time for reform has been lost, and absolutely irrevocably. Economy of the Republic of Belarus for recent years only deteriorated and accumulated debts. If you “open the black box,” you will suddenly discover that everything is not just bad, but very bad.
It will not be possible to deal with these debts “quickly” - the small and poor Belarusian economy will have to pay them off for decades. No, you won’t be able to “write them off” - you are an independent state, you are obliged to pay your debts. That's why everyone thinks that an independent state means, like, we have our own company. And it’s good when the “company” makes a profit, but in this case, the company is overloaded with debt. The company is bankrupt. A kind of “Polesie Greece”.
No, “changing the vector” will not help here: Ukraine changed the vector radically, but this did not save it from debt. This, by the way, is the most common “Belarusian illusion”: that by “changing your shoes in the air” you can easily part with old debts and problems. Those debts that the Republic of Belarus managed to accumulate by at this moment, Belarusians will be forced to pay in any case. In any case. Anyone who claims anything to the contrary is blatantly lying. Belarusians will have to pay “Lukashenko’s debts” endlessly. In any case.
No, this has nothing to do with Russia at all. It will not be possible to leave the “union state” by saddled with debts. The Union State is not the USSR even once, and it was Belarus, not Russia, that took on the debts. In general, attempts to somehow make Russia “to blame” for internal problems Belarus is a common point in Belarusian political discourse. However, the Republic of Belarus is an independent state. It has not submitted to Russia in any way since 1991, and Russia cannot bear any responsibility for the current difficult situation in Belarus.
This “paradoxical” thinking of Belarusians is absolutely incomprehensible in Russia: people are at the same time proud of their sovereignty and even in small things do not want to listen to the opinion of Russia, but when problems arise, they look to the east with hope... The “nipple” system Not is a normal form of interstate relations and cannot exist for a long time. It will never be “as before”, primarily because Russia is categorically not interested in this.
The conflict between Lukashenko and Putin is interpersonal. This is also one of the characteristic misconceptions in Belarus. Rather, it is inter-elite or interstate: this conflict is a direct consequence of Minsk’s attempts to simultaneously maximize the assistance received from Moscow and the degree of independence from Moscow; it would inevitably arise under any other adequate ruler of Russia. There is very little personal here, rather pure “business” - not a single normal head of the Russian state would endlessly tolerate the “art” of his “best ally”.
The problems in relations between Russia and Belarus are interethnic (allegedly Russians do not respect Belarus/Belarusians). Again, a myth, a myth of pure water: there are a whole bunch of problems, but they are interstate. Belarusians are now not one of the peoples of Russia, but inhabitants of their own state. That is, relations are built not within one country, but between two states. The Russians have nothing, for example, against the Japanese, but there are problems that aggravate the relations between official Moscow and official Tokyo. The same thing with Belarus, to avoid this, you need to live in the same state (not with the Japanese, of course). That is, if the Belarusians had “pulled the common burden”, all these questions would not have arisen. But they are only interested in the “common pot”, hence the scandals.
This is another problem in the worldview of Belarusians - they sometimes feel inside Russia, sometimes outside. The most unpleasant thing is that this “location” is determined by the criteria of benefit/disadvantage. That is, if the prices are for hydrocarbons, then they are on the inside; if they “go to war,” then they are strictly on the outside. At the same time, maintaining full confidence that this “childish trick” should work with a bang every time.
Hence the next myth - about Russia’s allegedly insidious plans for the forcible annexation of Belarus (Crimea is cited as an example). Those who argue this way demonstrate complete anti-democracy. From their point of view, there are rulers (who received power from above) and crowds of slaves/herds of sheep that can simply be stolen. How, with such views, the Belarusian elite talks about a certain “European vector” is absolutely incomprehensible; its views are purely Central Asian. By the way, Lukashenko’s fundamental reluctance to work “for the public” in Russia (and his terrible negative rating in the ally country) is explained precisely by this. There are leaders, there is a crowd. And he didn't care Russian people, all his gestures and " bright sayings» facing the Kremlin. And now this country is going to Europe...
By the way, this destroys another myth about “EuroBelarus” and “Asian Russia” - somehow it is no longer customary for us to make cardinal decisions without consulting the people. Well, this myth also applies to “Euro-Ukraine” (so as not to get up twice). Ask a Minsk or Kyiv “intellectual” about “where is Europe and where are the Asian steppes,” and the answer will be unequivocal. However, both there and there “European integration” is seen according to the script: but we should not ask the “cotton rednecks” about anything. That is, “Comrade Mauser” is assumed by default to be the main “European argument”.
And as for “forced annexation” - who needs frankly problematic territories on their balance sheet? And the fact that the Republic of Belarus is just such a territory is self-evident. Such “automatic” accession made sense back in the 19th century... Today, in the era of a highly developed economy and mass social insurance, the inclusion of Ukraine, Belarus or Estonia in Russia is bullshit... It’s not profitable, it’s stupidly not profitable.
A striking example is the accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. The Germans are still quietly swearing. The “compilation” went very wrong and crazy expensive. As a result, both are dissatisfied. Terribly dissatisfied. Do East Germany a continuation of Western did not work out. Berlin has become a financial shithole...
From here, we can safely destroy two whole Russian-Belarusian myths: unification with the Republic of Belarus will take place quickly, easily and with a bang, it’s worth “talking” Lukashenko. It won't work. It was easy in 1996. A lot has changed over the next 20 years. Both in the Russian Federation and in the Republic of Belarus. Today, complete unification is hardly realistic (even without any “jumping Litvins in “white” armor”). Two medieval agricultural domains can easily be merged into one. To unite Russia and Belarus today... I don’t know, I don’t know... I don’t believe, to be honest, that this is technically/economically feasible at all. The second myth: supposedly Belarusians want this. No, they receive money under this myth. But they don’t want to, not even once (otherwise we would have united long ago). In fact, they would like to live in the European Union, but with Russian money. The truth is unpleasant, scandalous, therefore frank conversation It doesn’t work and it won’t work. Just “heroic chants” that, they say, we love Russia very much, but we value our independence...
Regarding the “Western vector”. Firstly, the Germans do not propose that Belarus join the Federal Republic of Germany, either as regions or districts... Secondly, the exotic Belarusian economy is in no way compatible with European standards. Theoretically, it is possible to turn Belarus into something between Latvia and Bulgaria, but why? And what kind of population can feed itself there? And most importantly, the EU has already “eaten up” with new “European members”. Moreover, there is no need for a country whose economy is based on Russian subsidies. The absurdity of such an idea: to integrate the subsidized Russian region into Europe (and from an economic point of view this is exactly so) is beyond the understanding of only Belarusian economists and politicians.
This, by the way, is another Belarusian myth: it is enough to “accept” European values, and the economy will follow itself. It won't work. Truly I tell you. I checked (like all the “Young Europeans”), and no one was “attached”. Investments, technologies and sales markets are needed.
Well, for starters, the myth about a certain “special” moral spirit of the country of Belarus, about its social justice, peacefulness and non-conflict. Sounds nice. However, there was some hint of “social justice” at the moment when the Soviet legacy/Russian subsidies were being eaten away. Ended external Soviet-Russian (imperial!) resource - the vaunted Belarusian “social justice” has ended. Belarus itself was unable to earn any money for “justice,” and therefore the bestial contours of the “Third World” are becoming more and more visible in the country. Socialism is, you know, not only a “moral choice”, but also a lot, a lot of money for the “social sector”.
So Belarus outside the empire is rather not Austria, but closer to Morocco. What we observed before was “an independent Republic of Belarus on imperial grub.” After 2008, this booth curtailed its activities. We saw the face of “true Belarus” quite recently.
Regarding “non-conflict”: A. Lukashenko most actively tried to participate in that same intra-Kyrgyz conflict. For what? Where is the Republic of Belarus and where is Kyrgyzstan? Ambitions, however... The same applies to active voyages to Baku and tough statements on the “internationally recognized” borders of Azerbaijan. For what? Justice, you say? Well, in an ideal world, yes, justice, in the current one, this provokes a massacre on the demarcation line in Karabakh. At the suggestion of “peace-loving, non-conflict” Belarus.
Why is he doing this? But out of spite! In spite of damned Moscow! Russia is making monstrous efforts to “plug” this very “Karabakh hole into another dimension.” It is clear why - in case great war there, it will also affect Russia, as well as the entire region. But Alexander Grigorievich is actively shaking the situation. It is clear that in the event of war, no one in Minsk is going to send Belarusian soldiers to the Caucasus. And the corresponding laws have been adopted. Then why rock the boat? And in order to take revenge on Moscow for the undistributed “pocket money”... Here we have “peacefulness”, “alliance”, and “independence” in one bottle...
Belarus, together with Armenia, is a member of the CSTO, but is actively working in the interests of Azerbaijan, which is not a member of this organization... By the way, one of the main Belarusian myths- that quickly changing shoes in the air and receiving money from both sides is extremely profitable: in critical situation for the country (as it is today), Belarusians turned out to be strangers to both Russia and Europe. That is, the country urgently needs help, but no one is in a hurry to help... Even with Ukraine, oddly enough, relations are also very difficult (despite the active “help” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the fight against “Russian separatists”). That is, Belarusians turned a blind eye to the rise of fascism in Eastern Europe(sponsored by someone!) and thereby spoiled relations with Russia (for Russia, the attitude towards fascism is a marker of one’s own - someone else’s), but for some reason they did not become one’s own in the West either...
Thus, the Belarusian elites played, played “big” - putting everything on the line (of course, the bet was not on Russia - our Minsk friends also understand little or little about geopolitics!). And they lost. Now this is already obvious. “Trump” and the collapse of the Kyiv junta are also their losses (they bet on the globalists!). Notice how different there was a reaction to Trump’s victory in Moscow and Minsk (Lukashenko reacted very nervously), allies, you say? Well, well. But what does Moscow have to do with it? Why should Russia pay for their “bad luck”?
From the point of view of the Belarusian elites, the Moscow-Minsk relationship is of the most mythical nature: firstly, Belarus is country No. 1 for Russia and all attention and all resources should be focused only on it, since Russia cannot live without Minsk (the meaning of life of the Russian Federation - the well-being of the “main ally”, Russia is as successful as Lukashenko can sponsor); secondly, the Belarusian leadership can endlessly deceive and expose Moscow - “firstly”, this does not affect in any way. IN lately these comrades, with horror in their voices, started talking about how the Kremlin was preparing Russians for a conflict with Belarus... (All Russian foreign policy under construction strictly around Belarus). That is, the desire to decisively get the hell out of this endless whirlwind of continuous lies and triple standards is presented as a “provoked conflict” with “the most faithful ally.”
The main problem of Belarus, in the author’s opinion, is, first of all, not too high level elite In Ukraine, these elites had a higher level, but turned out to be corrupt and comprador (the dream of serving the white sahib as the goal of life). But in Belarus there is another problem: people who define the “charged information field” simply do not understand what is happening in Eastern Europe, what the risks are and what policies make sense to pursue (but at the same time they pointedly ignore Russian estimates). Belorussian information space are filled with endless myths, legends and tales (this is typical for the authorities, “neutrals”, and the opposition). Unfortunately, RB and Belarusian people They don't live in a fairy tale.
How is the country living under Father Lukashenko?
Life in Belarus is not clear to Russians. There, the president does not play with his iPhone and does not start a war of incriminating evidence with the mayor of Minsk. The Prime Minister does not drive a yellow MTZ tractor accompanied by a hundred foreign cars. There is no United Belarus party in the country. The manifesto “Belarus Forward” is not written there. Komsomol members do not put out fires with Twitter. And the president does not call for modernization of production and nanotechnology. How do the neighbors manage to live without all this? A TS correspondent visited Belarus shortly before the presidential elections.
When you get off the train in Minsk, you are surprised by the perfect cleanliness of the streets, the absence of homeless people, beggars begging for alms, and the fact that there are only Slavic faces around.
The roads are normal. They say that recently the number of cars has sharply increased, so traffic jams have begun to appear on the roads of Minsk, but they are far from those in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Any small city is also clean and tidy. However, locals say that although the utility workers are working, they are not very efficient. This summer there were storms, trees fell and then lay there for almost a week before they were cut up and removed (we would care about them).
Belarusians
Belarusians are simple and funny people who live by work, live for each other and consciously love their country. This is very impressive. Valery (Gomel) says: “I am Russian myself, but I have been living in Belarus since 1953. Minsk grew before my eyes. I walked the length and breadth of the republic with a backpack, met with different people in different settings. Belarusian is a special nationality. I have never met a more simple, sincere, respectable and intelligent people.”
Agriculture
Agriculture in Belarus not only has not died, but is also actively developing. We managed to visit the village of Pechischi, Svetlogorsk district (now called an agricultural town). I tried to find at least some negative, but I couldn’t find it. All the land has been plowed and harvested. I was very impressed with the farm, with a computerized cow milking system. The milk yield per cow there is up to 7000 liters per year (for the uninitiated, this is more than two buckets of milk daily). The complex cost approximately 70 million Russian rubles. Half was provided by the state, half was invested by the farm itself.
Average technical personnel there receive about 15,000 rubles in Russian money. A person who arrives in a village immediately receives housing (usually a house with a plot of land). For this purpose, a program for the construction of agricultural towns has been developed in Belarus. And it is being successfully implemented.
Industry
In Belarus, state control over the manufacturing sector has been maintained. The factories have not been destroyed, they are working, and there are vacancies at them. Salaries, however, are low, but there are never delays. All public transport in the republic is only of Belarusian origin.
Natural food! They are available to everyone, and their quality is not questioned. A kilogram of meat sausage - 350 Russian rubles. Dumplings - 45 Russian rubles per 400 grams.
The chemicals and cosmetics on the shelves are also mostly Belarusian, and their quality is not inferior to Western ones.
They also make good and inexpensive men's shoes in Belarus. You can wear it for a long time, and it looks quite attractive. WITH women's shoes the situation is worse. Girls don't find her stylish or beautiful.
Salaries
A young specialist at a plant in Minsk receives a million Belarusian rubles (10 thousand Russian), a middle-aged specialist - 1.5 - 1.7 million (respectively, 15 - 17 thousand). With such a salary, it is impossible to save up for, say, an apartment. It's easy to save for a car. At private (not only foreign) companies, salaries range from 500 (for a beginner) to 3500 - 5000 dollars. But there are not many of these companies. In Belarus it is not customary to brag about money and wealth. That is, not really: if a person receives, say, 2000 USD. per month, then he brags, and if 20 thousand.e. - sits quietly. Because the Department of Economic Crimes may be interested in where this money comes from. And the checks will begin. Unlike Russia, someone in Belarus gets imprisoned for stealing, deceiving, or making money. And pretty quickly.
Totalitarianism and dictatorship
The police generally work well. True, there is too much of it. Belarusians grumble that they have to feed this entire army of policemen from taxes.
Walking around cities at night is not scary. They won’t come up to you with the question “is your registration?” or with the question “what district are you from, huh?”
Criticism of the authorities is also safe, although after watching Russian television It's hard to believe. But no one grabs people by the collar on the street and drags them into the KGB basements. No one disperses processions and meetings, even if they are oppositional, but this is if there are no direct provocations. For example, it was reported about the “dispersal of a peaceful rally” at the Tsoi Wall. In fact, 30 - 40 people gathered, sang songs, played guitars, and two drunken idiots began to pester the policemen on duty there. Naturally, they were tied up and taken away. Everyone's mood regarding power is different. Most people are already pretty fed up with the current president, but they are afraid to replace him with someone else. Moreover, there is no one in particular to look after. Lukashenko promises stability, and the republic really does have it.
Corruption
In Belarus she is as touching as a pet white rat. Here the corruption is not monetary, but related. If you are a relative of “whoever needs it,” everything is decided much easier for you. Especially in small towns.
And the traffic police in Belarus, imagine, doesn’t take bribes! Offer one of them a bribe - the right way go to jail. This effect was achieved by just one measure - provocation. Provocations for traffic cops in Belarus are not like the usual campaigning. They are held all year round, day and night. The provocateurs are police officers.
Education
Education in the republic is free, student dormitories are cheap (170 Russian rubles per month per bed). But after graduating from university, the student is required to work for two years at a state-owned enterprise where he will be assigned. If he doesn’t want to work, he can pay him off by paying 25 million Belarusian rubles (250 thousand Russian).
Medicine
Medicine in Belarus is free, although, of course, there is paid services.
Elena Shanadina (Vitebsk) says: “My boss’s wife had heart surgery not long ago, another friend had cancer surgery on her kidney (about two weeks passed after the discovery). Two years ago, my dad had to have his gallbladder removed in an ambulance. All this was free, although, naturally, there is “gratitude” to the doctors, but this is everyone’s personal matter.”
Valery Batadze (Gomel) says: “I had three heart attacks, heart surgery (replacement of three shunts), second group disability. " Ambulance", examinations, ultrasound of the heart, FDGS, tests, preparation for surgery, rehabilitation, postoperative six-month period - I didn’t pay a penny of money. For six months after surgery, medications are generally free. I prepared a gift for the surgeons, but they didn’t take it. True, I had to stand a seven-month waiting list for the operation. We made it at home, in Gomel.”
Sick leave in Belarus was recently increased to five days. Previously there were three.
Guest workers and migrants
There are practically none here. Even in the markets there are 70 percent of traders Slavic appearance. And many Belarusians do not know the word “tolerance”.
Back in the 1990s, 500 Chechen families asked Lukashenko, they said, refugees from the war: let them in, give us some land, we’ll cultivate it, we don’t want to fight. The old man let me in, gave me some land, and helped me build. But after some time, the locals complained that the Chechens were not so much involved in land as in racketeering. Almost a military operation was carried out. They drove up a convoy of Kamaz trucks with military personnel, loaded all the refugees into them and took them out. To the territory of Russia.
TV
For unknown reasons, Lukashenko gave the green light to our channels such as NTV, Channel One, TNT, STS.
In parallel with this, one Polish channel and one Lithuanian one are received. And so, sitting in his room and playing with the remote control, the author of these lines saw how in Poland they were creating a new helicopter and building some kind of microdistrict, in Lithuania the reconstruction of some castle and the construction of a road began. Belarusians show how they invented a new engine. And our dear NTV shows how a child was killed by a dog, how a young family was kicked out of their home, how a man was shot at the entrance, how the filthy cops beat up a journalist, how women were raped, how Prokhorov finally submitted to the Duma a draft law on introducing a 60-hour working day in Russia weeks since a new colony of defrauded shareholders appeared... And so on. Russian channels they are spreading smut or vulgarity all over Europe.
In general, life in Belarus is not as scary as they frighten, but also not as good as they praise. Yes, there is a rigidity of power, but maybe with some it is necessary? You can live and work there. The main thing is to try. There is no lawlessness, no decline in morals. And Belarusians like to live in their country.
Alexey Alekseev,
Gomel - Vitebsk - Minsk - St. Petersburg
“In Belarus, products are cheap and of high quality” - such a myth is firmly stuck in the heads of Russians. Some even changed their place of residence, moving from raging, tasteless Russia to Father’s quiet haven.
I can’t argue with the quality, but is everything really that cheap? With this question, I headed to a regular supermarket...
The zeros on the price tags rippled, sausage sticks dangled. We divided the price by 300 and sang “Verasy.”
And here is the first fakap. Maasdam cheese, completely ordinary - ours, not from the EU (Russophobic organization, banned in Russia) costs almost 900 rubles per kilogram! How is that? Where is the vaunted cheapness?
The Lithuanian competitor is also not very accessible, it is even more expensive:
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And the Muscovites shuddered and retreated away, towards the herring. Snot hung to the ground, the soul asked for women and vodka.
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One hundred Russian rubles for Mathias! It's the same as ours, right? And really, what's with the vodka?
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On average - 250 rubles per bottle. I don’t drink and I don’t know how much we have. Smoke better ganjubas.
Meat aisles confirmed fears: prices in Belarus are at the level of the Russian average and slightly inferior to Moscow. Alas, there is no food paradise on earth, except for Macedonia and Ecuador...
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Hence the prices for products that imply the presence of meat, but in reality do not. Otherwise I can’t explain the unexpected price of 200 rubles/kg:
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And here it is:
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It’s about the same as here, chickens are a little cheaper:
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On the adjacent shelves, unborn children of parents chopped up and packed in body bags are sold. A terrible sight, and the prices are Russian. However, in Thailand all this is exactly 2 times more expensive...
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Famous Belarusian cows share waste products of their vital activity, without focusing on their Russian colleagues. They dump with might and main, taking into account the thin wallets of local residents. You can really save money on milk here. Belarusian blogger Fixin writes ““save”,” apparently in the local language.
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Cottage cheese - a little over 30 rubles per pack, ours is more than one and a half times more expensive, and it’s complete crap. I have been buying cottage cheese by weight at the market for a long time now.
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Daily bread - 25 rubles on average.
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I haven’t found my favorite Ochakovsky kvass, Lidsky is in use here. I wonder if you can drink it?
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Gentlemen prefer beer! Almost all of it is bottled right in the proud republic. 40-50r/bottle.
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If anyone is interested in pasta and candy, divide by 300 yourself, my eyes are already cross. Lukashenko! If you do not fulfill the promised denomination, I undertake to write angry posts about you once a month until my fingers are too tired to hit the keyboard.
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Uncooked smoked sausages are cheaper than in Moscow, but about the same as in my Almetyevsk. I once posted a report from Magnit, where security got to the bottom of me.
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Be slimmer! And drink juice, bitches!
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Uff, I’m already tired of wandering among these endless shelves, it’s time to go to Moscow. What can I say about Belarus? Well, scoop, nothing can be done about it. In some ways it’s cozy, in some ways it’s sweet and homely, but it’s a owl and it can’t be any other way. Someday Belarusians will realize, but this will not happen soon. They will eat delicious cottage cheese, wash it down with milk and Lida kvass, gossip about your neighbors. It’s not scary to go down together, especially since there are sausages in bulk right now.
There are two polar myths about life in Belarus outside its borders. According to one of them, Belarus is a country of social justice and complete well-being of citizens; according to the second, it is totalitarian state. Some believe that everything is fine in the fraternal republic (with the economy, salaries and pensions, the security of citizens and the future), others are sure that everything is so terrible (with human rights, the economy, salaries, etc.) that it is easy to live in it impossible.
Minsk looks prosperous modern city. Foreign cars on the roads, supermarkets in every district, night lighting in the center, LCD screens with cartoons in the subway. If you believe Russian tourists who recently visited Minsk, the first thing that catches your eye is cleanliness. The streets are swept by male janitors, and these are mostly not visiting migrant workers, but Belarusians themselves. The pay for this work is good by local standards: a janitor in Minsk receives about $300, while the average salary is $500. At the same time, the cost of living in Belarus is less than $100. Let us note that the most expensive “food basket of Belarus” is in Minsk and it costs 162,766 Belarusian rubles, which is approximately 1,700 Russian rubles. It is worth explaining that the same “basket” on average in Russia costs almost twice as much.
“The Minsk residents themselves are clean,” says a Muscovite who recently returned from Minsk, still impressed by the trip. - Once I saw two drunk men walking, dropping a bottle on the asphalt, it broke. But they didn’t leave, but collected all the glass, even though they couldn’t stand on their feet.”
Lukashenko has rightfully gained a reputation as a “strong business executive.” His style of ruling the state often reveals the habits of a collective farm chairman, but many Belarusians like this. One of the main indicators of the well-being of a people’s life is the birth rate. And since 2004 it has been growing in Belarus. Last year, 109,813 children were born there, and this is 1.9 thousand more than in 2008. Now, according to statistics, 2.1 children are born in Belarusian families. Lukashenko recently stated that he intends to bring this figure to 3, supporting young mothers and large families various social programs.
People feel economically secure and are not afraid to have children. They have the motivation to do this. For example, a young family raising at least two children can take out a mortgage loan for 20 years at 5% per annum (which, by Russian standards, is practically nothing). Moreover, if the loan is repaid within 2 years, then it turns out to be essentially interest-free.
In addition, young people have an incentive to study. A young specialist who has recently graduated from a university is provided with housing at the expense of the employer. True, the apartment will become his property only after 10 years, and if he decides to leave the company before this time, then the housing will be taken away.
At the very Belarusian President there is a cow. “The cow in my life, and in many of yours, is the soul of the family, she fed everyone. We are people like that,” he once admitted. On his farm, it would seem that everything is fine: houses are being built, children are studying, crops are being harvested, livestock are producing good offspring... “Island of stability” is a formula actively exploited by local ideologists.
There is an opinion that the head of state should not deal with minor economic problems - there will be no time left for “reigning”. “The things that are Caesar’s are to Caesar and the things that are God’s to God.” But, if Alexander Grigorievich manages to do everything, then it begs rhetorical question: whose economy is stronger - Lukashenko or Luzhkova? By the way, have you ever met a migrant worker from Belarus in Moscow?
But the head of Belarus is trying to solve not only earthly matters. Not long ago, for example, he changed his date of birth and became one day younger. For a long time it was believed that Lukashenko’s birthday was August 30, but in mid-2009 it turned out that the president was born on August 31.
This news provoked another scandal in the republic in the summer of 2010 related to Lukashenko’s personality, and put in an awkward position many who congratulated the president on his birthday in the old style, among them were Viktor Yanukovych, Patriarch Kirill And Gennady Zyuganov. However, some other well-known politicians, including Medvedev And Putin, in 2010, Lukashenko was not congratulated on his birthday, which was caused both by the deterioration of relations between countries and presidents, and by the uncertainty about which day Lukashenko should be congratulated. However, on the official website of the President of the Republic of Belarus, Lukashenko’s date of birth is indicated as August 31, 1954. “You understand that I am also a person, I have children, especially the youngest Nikolenka, in whom I dote. He is five years old today, and I am already fifty-five. We were born on the same day, August 31,” Lukashenko said in an interview with the Zavtra newspaper.
Any lamb that strays from the flock greatly annoys the shepherd. So the Belarusian oppositionists are dragged away by the wolf from time to time, even though they are trying to drive them “into a stall.” Here universities and newspapers are closed, rock bands are banned, decrees and laws are issued without any discussion, each more inadequate than the other. For example, there is a decree on administrative liability for disinformation about the political system of Belarus (from a fine to 2 years in prison). There are a lot of rumors. Many are sure that they telephone conversations tapped by the KGB. There are rumors that the authorities purchased Internet jammers from China. How and what is really happening here? One can only guess about this.
It is worth noting that the myth of “prosperous Belarus” is widespread in the former Soviet republics(it occurs even in the Baltic states, although, of course, to a much lesser extent), while the myth of the “dictatorship” is popular in Western countries. The Belarusian paradox is that both “prosperity” and “dictatorship” are very relative here. If we compare Belarus even with its closest Western neighbors (for example, Lithuania), then in terms of development it undoubtedly lags behind, although against the backdrop of social instability in the CIS countries, Belarus seems to be a fairly calm and safe place. The situation is approximately the same with the myth of the “last dictatorship in Europe.” In terms of the severity of the regime and the scope of repression, Belarus lags far behind the USSR, not to mention Turkmenistan or North Korea. The repressive machine acts selectively and is directed mainly against those in whom the authorities see a direct threat to themselves.
Every now and then they appear in the press creepy stories about how people who are disliked by the authorities or simply disagree with official opinion disappear or suddenly die. Last loud scandal erupted around the murder of an opposition journalist Oleg Bebenin. The 36-year-old journalist was the creator of the famous opposition website Charter-97, and in the early 90s he headed the independent Belarusian newspaper Name. On September 3, the journalist was found hanged in his dacha. Local law enforcement agencies stated that the journalist committed suicide, but his colleagues do not believe this version. The deceased left behind a wife and two children.
Let us remind you that not so long ago. According to a number of observers, the film was shown at the direction of the Russian leadership. The film was viewed in the context of deteriorating relations between the Russian leadership and Lukashenko. In particular, a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El Pais Pilar Bonet wrote that “the Kremlin used television to insult the Belarusian president and bring serious accusations against him.” A number of other media outlets shared a similar opinion.
Belarusian television viewers were not able to see the film, since it was “cut out” from the broadcast in Belarus. Head of the Directorate of the NTV-Belarus TV channel Sergey Bulatsky refused to answer questions about the reasons for this seizure. However, as a survey conducted by the sociological company Baltic Surveys showed, 40% of Belarusians still watched the film thanks to satellite television and the Internet. Moreover, most of those surveyed considers everything shown in it to be “absolute slander.”
Immediately after the release of the film, in addition to official comments, messages from indignant citizens, and not only Belarusian ones, appeared on the Internet. “Belarusians have far surpassed Russia in terms of development over the past 10 years agriculture and non-resource industries. The police there look like police, not bandits. The Belarusian leadership is well versed in practical economics, fulfills election promises and, most importantly, almost does not steal. In this last sport, ours were much further ahead of the Belarusians than they were behind in milk yield. We were about a thousand times ahead if we take relative figures and 50 thousand times if we take absolute figures. And what do you think, in such a difficult situation, could produce a unique creative team NTV? Having received the appropriate task?” asks blogger v_miron in LiveJournal.
Well, it looks like dad is really respected. Or are they still afraid of the bloody tyrant?
Under dictatorship, a strong opposition inevitably appears, a layer of “intellectuals” who do not want to obey and try to remain free. They excite public opinion, not allowing the people to forget the blessed lethargic sleep. Do Belarusians even need democratic freedom? Or would they prefer to obey, thereby relieving themselves of the burden of responsibility? Our culture is characterized by an absolutely special understanding of the role of the individual. We recognize the right to superpower of sovereigns and rulers. Rulers in all constitutions - from Speransky's draft to the current one - are always endowed with greater powers than all other subjects of power, even the church.
Using a word from the era of Ivan the Terrible - a petition asking for protection from violence must be submitted to the sovereign. That is, power must penetrate into every element of our life. And it must be personalized. The leader is responsible for everything - thanks to over-empowerment. For everything - from programs for the future, the creation of all the rules of life, to the fact that monitors need to be installed in the leader’s apartment so that he can monitor the construction of two thousand new houses. And no one had even the slightest doubt. Everyone knows - yes, he must know why my husband brought such a salary, why my boss is a boor. From macro processes to the flight of a fly, the leader is responsible for everything.
This mentality, which has developed over many centuries, is not so easy to understand. The mentality of the people is reminiscent of a clay Babylonian tablet, where under the first, superficial layer there was a second, more secret and ancient one, and their contents may or may not coincide. In order to find out the true essence of the Babylonian document, one had to break the top layer and read what was contained inside. Approximately the same action will have to be carried out, wanting to highlight the main features of the mentality of the people, under which lies hidden true attitude to dad.
And, despite all the information and gas wars that big politicians fiercely wage, little people always remain the same people. Belarusians and Russians continue to be friends. How could it be otherwise? After all, according to surveys, half of Belarusians have relatives living in Russia, and every third person has family members on Russian territory. close friend. The idea of “three sister cities” - Belarus, Russia and Ukraine - is still alive in people’s minds. Only now they are separated by borders. Moreover, many Russians note that crossing the border of Belarus is easier than entering the territory of the third “sister city” - Ukraine.
