Lukashenko: They're not just shooting themselves in the foot, they've already shot themselves in the head

The head of state met with Belarusian journalists. Not only members of the pool that covers the President's activities on a daily basis, but also representatives of new media and opinion leaders came to talk to Alexander Lukashenko. 

Such meetings in an extended format have already become a tradition. Alexander Lukashenko, unlike many of his Western colleagues, does not avoid direct dialogue and is open to discussing the most acute and burning issues.

The head of state met with Belarusian journalists after the opening of the outpatient clinic. Not only members of the pool that covers the President's activities on a daily basis, but also representatives of new media and opinion leaders came to talk to Alexander Lukashenko. 

Such meetings in an extended format have already become a tradition. Alexander Lukashenko, unlike many of his Western colleagues, does not avoid direct dialogue and is open to discussing the most acute and burning issues. Andrei Sych attended the meeting and will tell you more in the "Screenshot" feature. 

A lively dialogue on an equal footing. This format of communication between Alexander Lukashenko and journalists is already traditional. Rising prices, the situation in Ukraine, the rescue of truck drivers from captivity and the formation of a people's militia. The head of state answered the most urgent and relevant questions. This is the "Screenshot" feature, let's get to the bottom of it.

The absence of taboo topics, the deep immersion into the domestic agenda and the international situation, competent answers to any questions - this was noted not only by Belarusians, but by foreign journalists after communicating with Alexander Lukashenko. 

Our Western colleagues, if they want to talk to the head of state, have to agree on a list of questions weeks in advance. Press conferences without an opportunity to ask questions have become normal practice.  A similar press conference with Macron ended with a demarche of journalists who left the staged meeting in an orderly manner.  

The head of the Belarusian state finds time in his busy schedule of meetings and appointments to answer questions from citizens and Belarusian journalists. One of the most exciting topics in society is, of course, rising prices. If earlier it was caused by an increase in the exchange rate of the dollar, after its decrease, a legitimate question arose. The first reaction was to check the cost of those Geely cars. As a result, prices were reduced by 15%.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:

As for Geely, that's not the main issue, there are plenty of such examples. And that was the signal, and millions heard me. If they don't respond, you know my reaction. It will be immediate and most severe. Stop referring to logistics and market relations. 

Prices in our stores are certainly also affected by Western sanctions. European bureaucrats continue to chaotically wave their deteriorated instrument of foreign policy pressure. The effect is not what it used to be. This is rather a hegemony flashback that has the opposite effect. The economies of the frontrunners of the sanctions have plunged into recession. Food products in many countries are already restricted by the piece for single-handed sales. The export-oriented enterprises are forced to close. Tens of thousands of people across the European Union lost their jobs. Lithuanian Railways alone intend to curb more than 300 employees by the end of the year.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:

"Look, they're not just shooting themselves in the foot, as you say, they've already shot themselves in the head. You should think before you impose any sanctions. No problem, I'll cover the whole perimeter tomorrow, and even a mouse won't slip through here. When they imposed these sanctions on cars banning us to go there. Ok, we can't, then you won't go here either. But listen, if you come into our territory and leave your truck, we take it on the trailer and drive it to where you need to go.  Oh, they howled so much. And why are you howling, you were the initiators. It's like that everywhere. So before you do anything, you think, so that to get at least in the foot in the door, not in the head. Now they're howling: no wood, no lumber, and the furniture production in Europe is huge and high-tech. And these machine tools are now idle, while they used to buy lumber and timber mostly in Russia or Belarus. I banned sales, and now in a month, the collapse of woodworking industry may begin. And it will be like this everywhere, that is, all the world's logistical links are destroyed, the production links are disrupted.

The conversation with the President also touched upon some unique insider information. The situation in Ukraine has a new development that has historical parallels. 

The 1920 Piłsudski-Petliura pact to place Western Ukraine under Polish rule was repeated more than a century later by Duda-Zelensky pact. Last time, this suffocating embrace of good neighborliness ended in genocide by Ukrainian nationalists from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, who stabbed and dismembered about 100,000 Poles with pitchforks. History has a tendency to repeat itself. 

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:

According to my information, a serious confrontation and conflict between Zelensky and the military, the Ukrainian military, is already starting in Ukraine. The military understand the conflict with Russia like no one else. The military guys die there, they see what they can do and to what extent they can fight, but in fact they are not capable of fighting any more. You see, Russia has changed its tactics, it just started to grind them up one by one, and it's death, death, even Zelensky admits that hundreds people die there. Not hundreds, they have thousands of people dying. Tomorrow there will be no one to fight, and territorial defense will not replace the armed forces. The military see that, and they saw that he gave the Poles a status, and that enables them..., you know the Poles. Those Poles, not ours. They can annex the Western part of Ukraine. So they're starting this confrontation between the President and the military, and I'm sure the military will blow anyone's head off. The Ukrainian military, especially the Nazis, as some call them, who want a self-styled, free Ukraine, don't want not only Russians and Belarusians, but also Poles to be there. 

The chaotic and infantile decisions of the Kiev regime have led to chaos and anarchy. After the uncontrolled distribution of weapons in Ukraine, gangs were formed. Under the guise of territorial defense, they engage in robbery and kidnapping. Citizens of Belarus were also taken hostage. Our truck drivers were kept in inhumane conditions, beaten and threatened with death. We don't abandon our people.

On behalf of Alexander Lukashenko, a special operation was carried out to bring our compatriots back home. People were rescued from Ukraine without a single shot fired. 

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:

We planned this operation. There were several options. And one of the options was very acute, when we had to conduct a military operation, a limited military operation. Of course, this was a covert operation, we had to go in without anyone seeing. We have identified where they are. Well done. Our guys and our IT guys identified everyone. I said, how many? 75, I think they called it. They killed two of them, but we had to get their bodies as well.  We couldn't leave the bodies behind. We had to give them to relatives. When the question arose that we could take them away, they cut out the organs that had been shot and so on, so that we wouldn't get to the bottom of why they died. Now we have good specialists, thank God, they said straight out: these people were killed, they were tortured and so on, and shot and so on. We took these two bodies and these guys. There was no shooting, and we didn't have to send our guys there, because it was risky. That's the most important thing. But if that option hadn't worked out, of course, our guys would have gone to relieve them.

Ensuring the safety of citizens is one of the main functions of the state, and Belarus fulfills it in all circumstances. 

The Belarusians who returned home recounted the horrors they had endured. See the details of the rescue of our compatriots from the cellars of Ukrainian bandits in a special report on ONT. Project "Roads Home. KGB special operation in Ukraine".

Our peacekeeping initiatives have become one of the brands of sovereign Belarus. Minsk agreements, negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, the Helsinki 2 initiative to form a new security architecture. However, the Western hawks and geopolitics want war and super profits from arms supplies. The brighter is the blaze, the fuller are their pockets. Belarus is in the spotlight. 

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:

We should have a people's militia in every village council just in case. This group of people. They won't be numerous, maybe 50 people, but they also have their weapons somewhere in storage, we call them in for training, so that they could use a machine gun. It's basically an assault rifle, a grenade launcher, and a pistol. They are not going to drive our tanks.  They just need it to protect their homes. 

"Is this a kind of a partisan movement?" asked one of the journalists present.

"It could also turn into a guerrilla movement. It can have an open character, or it can turn into a partisan movement. The people's militia can be a reserve for territorial defense," replied the President.

A live dialogue with the President on the most urgent topics lasted for an hour. Each journalist was able to ask a question that concerned his readers or viewers. For more details about the meeting, watch Andrei Sych in the "Screenshot" feature.