Zmitser Bandarenka: Shunevich Is After Lukashenka's Place

Will Shunevich set up the monument to General Vlasov's followers?

The coordinator of the European Belarus campaign Zmitser Bandarenka commented to Charter97.org on Vyachyslau Kosinerau's case.

- What could you say about the Kosinerau case and an unexpectedly lenient sentence of fine (5 basic units)?

- I'm glad that Vyachyslau is at large. He is a true hero and an outstanding person. This case can be considered an aesthetic one, it may become a part of the history of modern art of Belarus, as well as different graffiti related cases.

Once Mikali Khalezin, assessing the situation in Belarus, said that, in fact, the main conflict in our country was the aesthetic one, the conflict between power and the people, the normal people and martinets.

Vyachyslau Kosinerov showed that for him, as for most Belarusians, the sculpture of the policeman in Minsk was not just unprofessional piece of work. It is a symbol of oppression, a double one. This is the counseling for the enslavement of Belarusians and, at the same time, a symbol of the brutal dispersal on 25 March.

But art mysteriously influences our lives. And this sudden "happy" sentence is the retreat of power that is linked to the fact that once a conflict has come to the public and judicial sphere, the absurd nature of the case itself has become clear.

It became apparent that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihar Shunevich, was simply offended by the fact that his whim and his weed were negatively appreciated by the society. And it does not worth imprisoning a person.

- You've mentioned Minister Shunevich. Many people remember that he called a monument a "holy place". Does this case have any significance for the power in Belarus today?

- In my opinion, Shunevich is clearly after the Lukashenka's place. It is totally clear that he wants to demonstrate his servilism to Vladimir Putin through such symbolic gestures: wearing NKVD style boots and foot wrap. These are structures which are symbols of, at least, oppression for Belarusians. Indeed, there are a lot of crimes against the Belarusian people on the part of tsar's "guards" and especially the NKVD.

A native of the Luhansk region, Shunevich cannot be the president of Belarus, but he may become the head of the occupation administration as Governor-General.

I will not be surprised if Shunevich continues his campaign for Putin called "pay attention to me, Vladimir Vladimirovich".

I will not be surprised if somewhere in eastern Belarus there will be set up a monument to a General Vlasov's follower with Russian tricolour. As is known, the Vlasov Soldiers fought with the guerrilla movement in eastern Belarus and burned Belarusian villages together with people.

Russia now "gather all stones together": the Red, Admiral Kolchak, General Vlasov have become heroes.

- Other political prisoners appear in Belarus. What conclusions and forecasts can be made based on the "Kosinerau case"?

- We can observe a great fright of the authority. And the behaviour of Shunevich indicates that law enforcement bodies understand the situation. They have quite a lot of information: they know the real state of the economy and sentiments of the people. They no longer link their personal future with Lukashenka, but they are trying to win the Kremlin's sympathy, especially on the eve of large-scale Russian-Belarusian military exercises.

There is a struggle with Kosinerau and Belarusian patriots, and with Belarusian historians, and with graffiti-makers.

Lukashenka is insane and does not fully get the game of law enforcement bodies.

- What should the Belarusian opposition in 2017?

- Democrats must make use of weakness of the authority and continue protests.

There are millions of Belarusian patriots. And we will do our best to release people who are now behind bars.

I guess that the pro-Russian regime is dying out in Belarus now. The time of Lukashenka and his adherents is gone.