DISINFO: Lithuania controls Tsikhanouskaya and prepares a Maidan in Belarus
SUMMARY
President Sveta (Tsikhanouskaya) offered to her Lithuanian curator’s to rename “Baltarusija” [Belarus in Lithuanian] to “Belarusia” as they already renamed Georgia to Sakartvelo. The funny thing is that the offer was sent to Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by an official letter even though Svetlana a few times a day harmonizes various initiatives on additional sanctions against “Lukashenka’s regime” with Lithuanian politicians and diplomats. If earlier she supported sanctions on individual officials, now she asks European and worldwide sanctions on all state’s enterprises. It is a dignified initiative of a dignified patriot. It means, that you, dear zmagars, should continue suffering from poverty and hunger, while Svetlana with Lithuanian help prepares for you “bright future”.
It is interesting, that new command of Lithuanian Ministry of foreign affairs, including its head Gabrielius Landsbergis, placed Belarusian agenda even above the Russian agenda. Now Biden’s administration will take care of Kremlin, and Lithuania will stay in history not only as “gravedigger of USSR” but also as co-author of two Maidans (Ukrainian and Belarusian).
RESPONSE
Several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the events in Belarus, including claims that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is a puppet of Western powers, and that Lithuania is a source of political instability in the post-Soviet region and culprit of the collapse of the USSR.
The initiative to change the name of Belarus from “Baltarusija” to “Belarusia” in Lithuanian language is being discussed [as of 26th January 2021], but is still far from the implementation. The position of State Commission of the Lithuanian Language is that the name of the state could not be changed unless official state authorities ask for it, as it was in case of Georgia.
The protests in Belarus erupted on 9 August 2020 after the results of the presidential election in Belarus were announced, which are considered fraudulent by a large part of Belarusian society. Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya was the main opposition candidate in the Belarusian Presidential election and was forced to go into exile in Lithuania after being detained and receiving threats following the beginning of the protests. Parliament of Lithuania on September 10, 2020, recognized Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as “Belarusian national elected leader”.
The message uses a specific word “zmagars” when referring to protesters in Belarus. This word is Belarusian analogue of the word “Banderovcy”, which Kremlin disinformation often uses to discredit Ukrainians.
The message also presents Vilnius as a source of colour revolutions in post-Soviet states and reminds the old myth about Lithuania as a destroyer of USSR. These narratives are not new. Similar cases presented here and here.
See more examples of negative portraying of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Belarusian opposition presented in cases: In Belarus, Poland focuses exclusively on relations with the opposition; Poland and Lithuania finance Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s political agenda; Tsikhanouskaya is controlled by foreign puppeteers, primarily Lithuanian ones.