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Painful Blow To Lukashenka

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Painful Blow To Lukashenka

The regime has received an "extra" red flag.

On Monday, January 18, the Council of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) has finally decided to postpone the World Hockey Championship of 2021 in Minsk.

The championship could take place only in Latvia, or in two countries - Latvia and Denmark or Latvia and Slovakia.

Doctor of Political Science Andrei Kazakevich said in a commentary to udf.by that the transfer of the championship from Minsk is "clearly a foreign and domestic political defeat for the Belarusian authorities.

"For the official Minsk, such events were an important part of building the image, part of the positioning of Belarus as a modern developed country. It was especially important against the background of recent events," - Kazakevich said.

Also, the transfer of the championship from Minsk became a painful blow personally for Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who positions himself as a big hockey fan.

"In addition, it was a demonstration of the power and influence of alternative democratic forces who were able to get such a large and important project for the official Minsk cancelled," - Kazakevich said.

"The postponement of the World Cup by itself will not make the authorities reconsider their position, but cumulatively it will raise additional questions about how proportionately power is used within the country. It's an additional red flag for the authorities," - Kazakevich believes.

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