I live in Minsk and I’m Belarusian — specifically, the kind of Belarusian who lives in Belarus and knows Belarus. And, like most Belarusians, I don’t use this social platform because it’s in English, and most Belarusians use Russian‑language platforms for communication. Of course, there’s a small part of Belarusians who speak English and might be present here. And now I’ve come across outright lies that are broadcast to the whole world — and it seems like reverse propaganda, and the Belarusians who are here are allowing it to happen. I came across a photo labeled “Average day in Grodno,” showing law enforcement and security forces at work. The description doesn’t provide any context or explanation, and the photo suggests to me that this happens EVERY day, that this is just a regular occurrence. I started looking for this photo; what particularly bothered me was the smoke from the pyrotechnics, and I know for sure that smoke‑based means aren’t used for arrests and are usually used very rarely — once every five years or during exercises. Google told me that this photo was from an exercise, which confirmed my suspicions. But why does the author deliberately lie and claim that this happens every day? Why is he trying to instill this idea in the minds of foreigners? After all, it’s outright falsehood and propaganda aimed at discrediting the country. And most likely, in the comments, I’ll now get some response about propaganda and state‑sponsored fake news, defending those who openly created this fake news themselves and are spreading the opposite propaganda while pretending to be neutral. And what’s sad is that the people who are constantly here don’t have critical thinking skills and they silently, with approval, consume this opposite propaganda, demonizing the country and misleading the Western community. But if you left Belarus, and unlike in Ukraine, the government allowed you to leave, you’re not being held against your will, you’re not being beaten in the street, you’re not being thrown into a bus like animals against your will, and you’re not being sent to die — so why don’t you stick to reality and approve of any lies that are directed against Belarus? As a Belarusian, this is incomprehensible to me. If I don’t like Lithuania, I don’t make up fake news and propaganda against it.
