Лукашенко и «красно-коричневые»: Национальная идеология, коммеморация и политическая принадлежность

The political development in Belarus differs significantly from that of its western neighbors. An authoritarian, populist regime was established in 1994 on a platform of anti-corruption, Soviet nostalgia, and a rhetorical commitment to the reunification of the east Slavic lands into one state. Over his long rule, Aliaksandr Lukashenka has showed considerable aptitude in adjusting to a changing geopolitical situation. Initially catering to groups opposed to Gorbachev and Yeltsin’s reforms, somewhat reductively have been referred to as “red-browns” Lukashenka lamented the break-up of the Soviet Union and advanced an agenda of East Slavic re-unification. While Soviet references remain central to the identity of the Lukashenka regime, the changed geopolitical situation under Putin’s increasingly assertive Russia has forced him to modify its rhetoric, stressing Belarusian statehood, while retaining an official memory centred on Soviet references.