Bohdan Yaremenko: Reaction Of Ukrainian Government And Society To BT’s Lies Should Be Tough

The Belarusian authorities insulted the memory of those who died in Maidan, and the whole Ukrainian people.

Ukrainian diplomat, Head of the board of the fund "Maidan of Foreign Affairs" Bohdan Yeremenko has told this to the Charter97.org.

- Yesterday, the official Belarusian TV-channel BT showed a propagandistic report, in which they, in particular, stated that most heroes of the Heavenly Hundred died by the hands of their own comrades, who shot them in the back during the protest actions in Kyiv in 2014. How can you assess such statement, coming from the main state TV-channel of the neighbouring country, as a diplomat?

- That's just a blatant lie. Even if the Belarusian authorities cannot see anything but official communications, it should pay attention to the fact that in Ukraine there is a court and there is already a judicial decision about the attitude of Viktor Yanukovich's law enforcement officers to this. There is a mass of official information about who took part in the executions of the Heavenly Hundred. There is no doubt that the law enforcement officers used the weapons absolutely illegally, and this was the reason for the death of the people.

It is clear that the Belarusian authorities are afraid of any ideological dissension and all forms of protest, and thus they just try to intimidate their citizens. This practice remains traditional for all dictatorial regimes. These are primitive tools which cannot work for long.

- The Ukrainian MFA reacted very operatively and professionally in the situation when the Belarusian authorities attempted to deport writer Serhii Zhadan. Why hasn’t here been any official reaction so far?

- I think that this happened only because the official Belarusian TV channels are not subject of close monitoring in Ukraine. I am sure that the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus understands the meaning and "value" of information on BT and does not bother to pay attention to it.

But if there are publications in serious media that will attract attention to this program, there will be reaction.

And the reaction from the Ukrainian authorities and the society should be quite tough. First, today's Ukrainian government is the result of the Revolution of Dignity and it has become such due to the courage and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, it must react strongly to such things.

Secondly, there is more than enough judicial information in Ukraine proving the involvement of Yanukovych's force structures in the shooting of civilians.

The reaction will follow in any case; it cannot be any other way. The BT’s Propaganda grossly distorted the basic facts about the modern Ukrainian reality.