Sviatlana Kalinkina Ready To Lead “Belarusian Partisan”

Her decision will depend on the willingness of Pavel Sheremet’s family to put the Belarusian project under her guidance.

In the morning of July 20, The Ukrainian Truth chief editor Olena Prytula’s car was exploded in the center of Kiev. However, it was not the woman who was driving the car, but Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet.

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko considers the explosion to be the murder. The investigation has voiced three versions of the murder: a Russian trace, the inside Ukrainian issue and an attempted to murder Olena Prytula.

What stands behind the murder of Pavel Sheremet? Belarusian journalist Sviatlana Kalinkina shares her opinion with the EuroBelarus Information Service.

– I don’t know. In my opinion, all the three versions have the right to exist: the Russian trace, Ukrainian domestic situation, and murderous assault on Olena Prytula, but it was Pavel who happened to be driving the car. I think we can only wait until we get the results of the investigation and details. I wouldn’t exclude the Russian version of the murder and would consider it very seriously, because for the adherents of the Russian world, Pavel Sheremet was an annoying figure and could be a demonstrative victim.

– Is it how we should be interpreting the statement of the Putin's press secretary?

– In general, we should be very skeptical about the statements made by Russian officials. First Russophobes fired Pavel from the First Channel, then from the Public Television, and now they claim that he was killed in Kiev for being a Russophobe. These people can say anything; we have repeatedly seen such transformations.

The only thing that unites Belarus, Russia and Ukraine – the three countries where Pavel worked – is that it’s extremely dangerous to be honest and have your own position.

– Sheremet’s murder will seriously weaken the Belarusian journalism, too...

– Of course, Pavel would have never left the Belarusian journalism: no matter where he worked, he always stayed in the profession, in the Belarusian media space. Of course, he was not just a journalist, but a phenomenon in the Belarusian journalism.

– Did you personally maintain any professional contacts with Sheremet?

– Oddly enough, in recent years all of a sudden for no logical reason Pavel started being very concerned about the fate of the Belarusian Partisan. He offered me to become the editor in chief of the Belarusian Partisan and help the site. For some reason he suddenly started worrying about the fate of the site, although he expressed no fears for himself, for his life. And now I’m also worried about the fate of the site, because it is unclear what will happen with Pavel’s Belarusian media projects.

– What can happen to them?

– I don’t know, but all of his projects were not created for him but aimed at Belarus instead; and I think that we have to do everything possible so that they remain and work even better.

– Are you ready to take on the responsibility for Sheremet’s media projects?

– If such offer comes from his family, then, probably, yes.