Konstantin Borovoy: Lukashenka daily commits crimes against Belarusians

The Belarusian dictator also bears responsibility for Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

It was said by Russian opposition politician and dissident Konstantin Borovoy, who was declared persona non grata in Belarus after a joke about his readiness to lead a guerrilla squad named after Novodvorskaya and Reagan. The politician gave an interview to Belarusian blogger Viktar Nikitseka, Echo of Moscow in St Petersburg reports.

– Do you think Lukashenka is a legitimate president?

– No, of course not. He is a classic dictator who usurped power, violated the Constituted by force, repression, electoral frauds and halting the country's democratic existence. He daily commits crimes against the country and its citizens. Political prisoners and suppression of the mass media are a traditional kit. Unlike Putin, he doesn't use military means so far, but he is connected to Russia's circulatory system, which is headed by a dictator, too. He supports the dictatorship in Russia so much that he also bears responsibility on a par with Putin for all his crimes.

– Why is it beneficial for the Kremlin to support the anti-constitutional regime in Belarus, in your opinion? Why has it been supporting it financially, economically and, to a certain degree, ideologically for the last 20 years?

– Today's status of Belarus – a colony of Russia ruled by a controllable dictator – is very convenient for Putin and empire supporters. Moscow can replace the governor general in Belarus at any time it needs. As far as I know, they don't have any illusions about Lukashenka, so he tries to manoeuvre, simulate a sort of independence and hold talks. It resembles what Ramzan Kadyrov does. It looks more like clownery than politics.

– Yes, this is foreign policy. Chechnya and Belarus have common features in their economies. Both live on subsidies. Belarus has the European mentality, so he has to offer some illusions of the democratic development. My third question is: If the power in Russia is shifted democratically, if Putin's system relying on security services is dismantled and new people come, can it be the start of the dismantling process in Belarus?

– I think the Lukashenka regime will exist a few months in this case. The collapse and dismantling will start immediately. There won't be enough resources to support the appearance of welfare...

– Will new democratic leaders support him in the international arena, in your view?

– If we mean denial of the imperial mentality and imperial projects under democracy, we'll see clear parallels with 1991: autonomous democratic, non-democratic and authoritarian regimes will emerge. I think Belarus will resemble Uzbekistan at the first stage. It is impossible to exist in such a way for a long time because the borders are open... The choice is simple: either power shift (it takes a short time) or closing the borders. But it will be like cancer in Eastern Europe... I don't think the regime will exist for a long time. Closed borders will turn the country into another poor Albania.

It would be more correct to compare Belarus and Albania economically and politically. Of course, there will be transition processes... People will be put on the verge of survival. It will be very painful to move to a lower level of material support. The suppression instruments created by Lukashenka (politically motivated prosecution) are rather effective, so they will be able to work autonomously, I think. But this regime will collapse quickly.

– Does it mean that the Belarusian regime won't exist if democracy is established in Russia?

– Economic factors will kill it. The catastrophic state supposes the working economy. Belarus doesn't have the economy. It produces old Soviet equipment that nobody needs. People buy it now, but it won't be needed in a competitive market. The next step is closing the borders, creating a “thing in itself”. Lukashenka will try to keep his personal security system, but he won't have money for it. It will begin to fall apart. Resistance centres will appear. I think everything will end quickly, within a few months.