What Belarusians and Ukrainians think about the war and Anti-war movement in Belarus

Thursday 14 April, 3:00pm

Via Zoom

Moderator: Dr Anastasiia Kudlenko, OBO Research Fellow

Speakers:

Alexandra Logvinova, Head of Public Outreach, Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Dr Ryhor Astapenia, Director of the Belarus Initiative, Chatham House

Dr Aliaksei Kazharski, Comenius University Bratislava · Institute of European Studies and International Relations

Olexiy Haran, Professor of Comparative Politics at National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy and Research Director at Democratic Initiatives Foundation

Dr Anna Osypchuk Director for Research, School for Policy Analysis and Associate Professor, Department of Sociology at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

You are cordially invited to a joint event of the Research Centre of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Office (OST Research Centre), and the Oxford Belarus Observatory (OBO).

With Russia's war against Ukraine now in its second month, there are growing indications that Belarusians are deeply opposed to their country’s involvement in it. Belarusians are concerned about the current developments in Ukraine, they are seeking information about the situation and there is currently a high level of interest in politics among Belarusians, comparable with the period of active protests in 2020. Although Lukashenka has allowed Russia to use Belarus as a platform for Russia’s war, Belarusian people are against the engagement of Belarusian troops in the war on the side of Russia and do not support the concentration of Russian troops on Belarusian territory. At the same time, just 1% consider that Belarus should take part in the war on Ukraine’s side. This demonstrates that people are against the war in general and see Belarus mostly as a state with a neutral military status. Indeed, an anti-war movement is increasingly active in Belarus. Opinion polls also demonstrate a clear connection between the views of Belarusians on the war and the sources of information they consume.

How do Belarusians and Ukrainians understand and perceive the war of Russia against Ukraine? What are the sources of information they use to get news about the war? What is the Anti-war movement in Belarus, how does it act and how is it treated? These and other questions will be discussed at the expert webinar jointly convened by the Research Centre of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Office (OST Research Centre) and the Oxford Belarus Observatory (OBO).

To participate, please register here: