Legends about Belarus in Belarusian. Legends about Belarus

Legends of Belarus. It's not just Halloween when something supernatural happens. In Belarus, as we found out, mysticism and fantasy are found more often than one might imagine.

On the eve of the most mystical holiday, we compiled , scattered throughout the country. Maybe you too have been there and seen something unusual?

1. Legends of Belarus. Kovalevsky teddy bear

For some residents of the Brest Kovalevo microdistrict, a harmless children's toy has become synonymous with horror. A ghost bear appeared to people at the end of the corridor, and it was impossible to take their eyes off it.

A resident of Kovalev told researchers of the portal ufo-com.net that for her the ghost bear became something of a bait. Elena lay and watched, and he moved away towards the kitchen of the apartment and “pulled” her gaze along with him.

Elena read the “Our Father” prayer, but this did not help: in the kitchen the woman saw a man. After that, something screeched piercingly, jumped onto the lying mistress of the house and bit her in the neck.

Elena claims that after the incident, brown spots did not leave her neck for several days. The child, who had previously been sleeping, also complained of a bite to the neck.

2. Wonderful lake of Vitebsk region

The lake, called Holy, is located in the Gorodok forest. It’s not that easy to find, and it’s not worth looking for. Legend has it that the devil himself once drowned the church here. Therefore, from the bottom of the lake they seem to go to hell.

And not only fish and toads live in it. Local mermaids are not at all like the good little mermaid Ariel. They lure unlucky travelers and drown them in the lake.

It is difficult to resist the beauty: her bottomless blue eyes hypnotize. In addition, it’s not only near the water that you can stumble upon treacherous creatures: sometimes mermaids appear in fields and forests. Then you don’t have to expect death from water: most likely, the girl will simply tickle you to death.

There are two ways to escape from the mermaid: stand in a circle drawn on the ground, in which a cross should be drawn. The second option is to say “Oh my God!” as quickly as possible. Obeying the order, the mermaid will go to the home of the one who captivated her and will honestly and unquestioningly do the housework.

3. Mozyr Red Swamp

Another insidious inhabitant of Belarusian reservoirs is the water one. Most often, the merman is described as a long-armed man with an impressive belly and tangled seaweed hair. But sometimes mermen can change their appearance.

For example, not far from the Red Swamp, at a consecrated spring, a merman in the form of a girl was seen. An eyewitness was getting water there, and a baby with sea-green eyes was holding out bright red berries in her palms. The merman girl was frightened by a sound that came from a distance: someone else wanted to get water.

4. Putchin's vampire

In fact, vampires are not the sweet Edward Cullens, or even the dramatic Louis. At least Belarusian ones. More often these are dead people who were buried a year or several years ago. They do not lie in their graves: the deceased get up at night and come to drink the blood of their living relatives.

In life, vampires usually have a reputation for being sorcerers. Previously, it was believed that such a dead person needed to be dug up and an aspen stake driven into his chest, and then it was advisable to burn the body. According to legend, the unearthed dead did not decompose, but were full of fresh blood.

Now almost nothing is heard about vampires, but only almost. In the village of Putchino, near Minsk, they remember the story that happened in the last century. An eyewitness to the horror was a little girl playing with other children near the house where a man died a year ago. Suddenly the dead man appeared on the road and approached the house.

The man looked unhealthy: he was gray and decrepit. The children began to shout that “dad” had come so that their mother would leave the house. “Daddy,” meanwhile, grabbed one of his daughters and headed away.

He would have left anyway, but his mother still came out of the house and screamed. Apparently, she scared off her late husband: the vampire disappeared. They say the girl fell to the ground, sobbing in fear.

5. Borisov’s “crop circles”

It would seem that the aliens do not spoil Belarus with their attention, but everything is not so simple. Borisov became famous throughout the country for his very real pictogram. We are used to classic crushed corn, but in Borisov the aliens chose a field with triticale for planting.

The circle was formed according to all canons. In general, everything is like people, or more precisely, aliens. The triticale stems were carefully pressed down in a circle, lying clockwise. Small “corridors” diverged from the main circle in four directions, which were crowned with smaller circles. The main circle was approximately 20 meters in diameter, and its “rays” were directed towards the four cardinal directions.

The circles were discovered on the morning of May 17, 2009. The next night, local residents organized night vigils in the hope that the UFO would return, but this did not happen. Later, the portal ufo-com.net compiled a diagram of the pictogram.

6. Sloboda poltergeist

Reports of poltergeists in Belarus are not that rare. Amazing things happened in the village of Sloboda, Minsk region. More precisely, it all started in the city itself.

In one family’s apartment, incredible things began to happen: objects teleported, sometimes disappeared, and then appeared in other places. For example, they could disappear and then money fall from the ceiling. An egg appeared in the air, which suddenly fell and broke.

The mother of the family took her two daughters and went to the village of Sloboda to stay with her mother, hoping to escape from the poltergeist, but abnormal phenomena followed them.

The worst thing began when objects began to teleport to the eldest daughter, then she was 11 years old. A nail and broken glass fell out of her mouth, and metal wires had to be pulled out of her ears with tweezers. At the same time, the mucous membrane was not damaged, and the girl could not swallow these objects on her own.

The woman's daughter talked about seeing a white pillar giving orders.

The mother of the family blamed her ex-husband for what was happening. He constantly came to them and made trouble. A year earlier, he stole children's things from the house and secretly returned them. His mother was known as a witch.

This case was investigated by paranormal experts. They experienced devilry themselves when they took away an egg that appeared out of thin air and broke. After one of them had an accident, it was decided to stop studying.

7. Vileyka anomalies

In the late eighties and early nineties, the Vileika region became a real airfield for UFOs. Local residents said that certain balls were constantly appearing in the sky.

The balloons flew almost all year round, as if on schedule. In the summer they appeared at about 9-10 pm, and in the winter at 7-8.

There were other cases: residents of Sosnovka reported that they saw a red ball that was heading upward, and this happened around midnight.

Residents of Dubrovka told how the objects “scoured” the area with searchlights and did not even hesitate to land - in the forest or near a farm. The objects, according to them, were red and spherical. In general, the testimony of numerous witnesses coincides.

Now the “airfield” is apparently abandoned, since UFOs have not bothered the residents of Vileika for a long time. Nevertheless, many ufologists continue to monitor this area.

8. Brest Bernardine Monastery

The once majestic Bernardine monastery has now become ruins. But you can't call them simple and ordinary.

One of the researchers of the history of Brest visited the ruins with his assistants, and both of them were amazed. Just like the researcher himself.

The fact is that the girls heard the singing of a monastic choir, and they made their observations independently of each other.

It was impossible to confuse the human voices sounding in unison with anything else: the nearest place where the chants take place is at a considerable distance, and the choir there is Orthodox. Moreover, at the moment when the sounds were heard, the researchers were in the basements of the Bernardine monastery.

9. Loshitsa estate

A rather tragic story is connected with the estate located in Minsk. Fans of the paranormal know the estate as the abode of the ghost of Jadwiga, who once ruled the house.

Jadwiga was the young wife of the not very young Evstafy Lubansky. He was not the only one who liked the beautiful and intelligent Yadviga. The girl had a bright and rather long affair with Musin-Pushkin, who at that time was the governor of Minsk. This relationship could not please the beauty’s husband.

One day, after a quarrel with her husband, Yadviga left home in upset feelings and headed to the river. To this day, no one knows whether the girl drowned herself, whether someone “helped” her, or whether it was an accident, but the next morning her body was found on the shore.

Eustathius took the death of his wife seriously, lost the will to live and left for the Caucasus. But before that, he ordered the window of Jadwiga’s room to be blocked up with bricks, and he planted a Manchurian apricot in the park.

The ghost of Jadwiga was repeatedly seen in the park, most often next to the apricot tree. She is described as a woman dressed in loose white robes.

It is believed that if a girl meets this ghost, then Jadwiga will help her in love affairs.

10. Mir Castle

Mir Castle, located in the Grodno region, is known not only as a historical value and a place of tourist pilgrimage, but also as the abode of Sonechka, a rather harmless ghost. Sofia Svyatopolk-Mirskaya died innocently at a very young age - the girl was 12 years old.

Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky one day he ordered the garden that grew near the castle to be cut down and a pond to be created in its place. While the logging was taking place, one of the logger workers died. When everything was finished, the worker’s mother came to Nikolai, cursed him and the lake, saying that from now on people would die here - one for each tree cut down.

The first victim of the curse was Sonechka. A few years later, Svyatopolk-Mirsky himself followed her: his body was found on the shore of the ill-fated pond.

Since then, the spirit of the restless girl has lived in Mir Castle. But people do die: most often men drown in the lake.

Belarus, like many other countries in the world, is famous for its legends. Here are some of them.

In the city of Mir, which is located near the banks of the Miryanka River, there is a medieval Mir Castle. Ancient legends and historical events are associated with it.

The owners of this amazing castle at different periods were such families as the princes Radziwill, Wittgenstein, and Ilinich. In the 20th century, the Svyatopolk-Mirskys became the owners of the castle. They owned it until 1939, when the castle became state property.

The castle is built in the shape of a square and consists of 5 towers - four of them are located in the corners, and one in the center of the wall (entrance to the castle). In the basement of this tower there used to be a prison.

The pond, which is now located right next to the castle, has its own history, according to which there was a beautiful old garden in its place. At the time when Prince Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky gave the order to cut down the garden in order to dig a pond in its place, the mother of a worker who died during the cutting appeared to him in a dream. This woman placed a curse on the reservoir, predicting the death in its waters of a number of people equal to the cut down trees. Many did not believe it, but it was in the pond that the young Princess Sophia drowned, and then Nikolai himself. (Source: www.legenda.by)

Another legend of the castle says that when the floors were opened during the restoration of the castle, two skeletons were discovered. Who, by order of Mikhail Svyatopolk-Mirsky, were buried in an Orthodox cemetery. Since that time, every New Year's midnight, the clanging of swords and a terrifying groan can be heard.

One of the most famous legends of Belarus is associated with the city of Slonim, in particular with Lake Bezdonny, which is located 25 km from it. It was called bottomless because the depth of the lake cannot be measured. They say that the bottom of the lake is alive. It’s as if it appears and disappears at different points in the reservoir. Local residents tell a story about how scuba divers wanted to explore the bottom of the lake. But just five minutes after the dive, they jumped out and with horror in their eyes began screaming about a giant fish.

The legend of the lake tells of a woman who walked around the village begging for alms. And when she was sheltered for the night by local residents, father and son, for their kindness, she told them to immediately leave the village, because the village would soon be gone, and under no circumstances to look back. They did so, but having climbed the hill, they nevertheless looked back and saw that a huge lake was splashing at the site of their settlement, and they themselves had turned into stones. The stones, which are called “father and son,” still lie on the shores of Bottomless Lake.

On February 9, the exhibition “Zhevzhik, Yunik and other heroes of Belarusian fairy tales, myths and legends” opened in the central part of the Rumyantsev and Paskevich palace. I will say right away that the exhibition is very unusual.
Agree, many of us remember some name-calling words from childhood, the origin of which we never even thought about.
For example, I have been familiar with the word “zhevzhik” since early childhood. That's what dad often called us when we turned the house upside down or squealed merrily. That’s what he said: “Calm down, you little zhevzhiks!”
It turns out that Zhevzhik is a symbol of Belarusian rivers. Did you know about this?
I only found out a couple of days ago.

We do not know our mythology, the legends of our land, our myths. But this is the very layer of folk culture, legends, myths, tales and tales that stands at the origins of life.

We know “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece”, the same Scandinavia, the same Kalevala, but we don’t know our own and think that we had nothing like that and couldn’t have it.
It turns out that we also have a lot of different Slavic myths and legends and we also have something to be proud of.
Pavel Orlov, an ideological inspirer working in the field of IT technologies, came to the opening of the exhibition. He said that he and a group of enthusiasts are restoring the ancient Obukhovichi estate in the village of Velikaya Lipa, which is 4 km away from the Mir-Nesvizh route, which they plan to turn into a kind of museum and “settle” there Slavic fairy-tale heroes, who are not so fabulous , as it seems to us.

The estate of the Obukhovich family is located in the Nesvizh region, a few kilometers from the Mir - Nesvizh road. After the annexation of the western part of Belarus to the USSR, the last Obukhovichi left the territory of Belarus and moved to Poland or Lithuania. The Obukhovich family played a significant role during the period when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The most famous representative of the genus is Philip Kazimir Obukhovich. He was the ambassador of the Mozyr gentry and participated in the election of King John II Casimir. Since 1653, he was the governor of the Vitebsk and Smolensk districts. Philip Kazimir Obukhovich led the defense of Smolensk in 1654, but after a long siege, due to the betrayal of the mercenary German army, he surrendered the city to the Russians after a four-month siege. Philip Casimir was accused of treason and given the opportunity to justify his honor in battle. He took part in the siege of Warsaw, occupied by the Swedes. Commanding a regiment as part of Sapieha's troops, he fought as far as Brest, where he fell ill and died. Obukhovich was rehabilitated in 1658.

Petr Tsalko, director of the branch of the Vetkovo Museum, spoke very interestingly about our mythical characters.

Zhevzhik and Lozovik.

I have already said that he is a guardian and a symbol of Belarusian rivers. But I still wonder what he looked like?
You can see this at the exhibition. If the symbol is rivers, then he is in a boat. And if we take into account that the mythological heroes are made in full height, then this is a thin old man, short in stature, with a red beard, a long neck, thin long arms and legs. Zhevzhik is very strong, energetic and, understandably, secretive.

Lives at the very depths of the river. During the day he swims underwater, watching the current. At night, Zhevzhik rises to the surface of the water and floats on a boat, holding in his hands a pike with two sharp teeth, which will disperse the waves in front of him. Rzewzhik's people cannot see, because... he floats in an invisible cape. If Zhevzhik sees that a man and a boat are drowning, then he raises the pike with one movement and saves them. If necessary for rescue, then Zhevzhik can stop the storm and the wind. Zhevzhik is subordinate to all other water mythological creatures - Vodyanoy, Lozovik and others.

Lozovik
This is the guardian and symbol of the Belarusian swamps. He looks like an old little dwarf with one eye, a long beard and a puga (whip) in his hand. Lozovik lives in a small house without windows. If a person approaches Lozovik’s house, he moves away from him to an inaccessible distance.
Lozovik loves to walk through the swamps, during which time his one eye burns like fire. Near Lozovik live small noisy devils - Lozniks, who collectively organize various dirty tricks.

This is how Lozniks can be lured into a thick vine or a marshy swamp. But they have fun and help the poor fellows get out by slipping a vine bush.
Little Lozniks often die from lightning strikes.
Lozovik and Lozniki are very afraid of draining the swamps and cutting down the vines where their entire lives pass. If this happens, Lozovik and Lozniks die together or disappear without a trace.
I would like to believe that with the draining of the swamps in Belarus, they still did not completely disappear.

Younik.
In one of my social networks, when they saw Younik’s photo, they immediately asked who it was?
When I answered the question, they accused me of the fact that there was no such character in Slavic mythology and that I had invented him myself. Here is the verbatim comment: “I’ve never heard of such a mythical character, especially in Slavic mythology. This is a figment of your imagination. Don’t fool people’s minds by inventing all sorts of evil spirits, revealing their reality.”

I'll tell you right away. I didn’t invent or invent anything. This mythological character was invented a long time ago and not by me. This mysterious character is found only in Belarusian mythology. I myself found out what he looks like and where he lives at an exhibition in the Rumyantsev and Paskevich palace.
Younik is a symbol of hard work, order, rationality, practicality, and thriftiness. The owner is so...
Its name comes from the word evnya, Where does he live.
Yovnya- this is a building that used to be in every yard, where sheaves were dried before threshing, so that the sheaves were threshed well and the dry grain was well stored. Often, out of practicality, the barn was attached to the bathhouse, and since the bathhouse was often heated and heated “black,” the barn was smoked and stained with soot. It looks like a large shapeless lump of bran with small short legs.

He did not show himself to people, although he provided them with important assistance, kept the fire burning in the stove, and created a draft when necessary so that the sheaves would dry evenly.
Younik almost never left the youni, only with rare exceptions to cough up soot and watch the workers thresh the sheaves.
He was friends with Laznik. (Lazne - bathhouse). And we have already said that the yunya was often placed next to the bathhouse, and often the sheaves were dried right in the bathhouse.
Younik only helped the owners, and if strangers came into the space, he could scare them so that they wouldn’t envy other people’s goods and jinx the future harvest. Younik did not burn in the fire. If the bad owners angered Younik, then he himself can burn both the sheaves and the Younya itself.
Evnik is secretive but sweet. Kind, but with a strong character.

Sinister.

They live in houses and farmsteads. They look like small humpbacked dogs or cats. If Sinisters appear in a house, they live somewhere in inconspicuous places: under the stove, in the corner under a trestle bed, in other secluded places. When the owners leave the house, the Sinisters begin to cause mischief. The most common dirty tricks of the Evil Ones: pour sand into porridge and flour, look into each pan and scatter them, break dishes, pour water into oil. They can appear in any home, but most often where the owners are trying by all means to get rich. Sinisters cause damage to the household, thereby reducing the wealth of such owners. They wear it. They are dressed in large boots and hats with earflaps.

Brownie and Domovukha.

We have known brownies since childhood. Many families have their own stories about their brownies, there are certain traditions, and many, even when moving from place to place, transport their brownies in a special box.
Domoviki are Slavic symbols of order and good living in the home.

The brownie is a kind mythological house spirit. Every Domovik has a Domovukha. They, like people, always live in pairs. According to legend, they look like little people, but they never show themselves to people. They say that they look like the owners of the house.

Brownies, like people, eat, drink, rejoice and are sad, are born and die. That’s why old people say that you can’t clear everything from the table and that you should definitely leave a piece of bread covered with a napkin. Brownies have their own character and can punish loud and sloppy owners of the house, they do not like domestic scandals, they try in every possible way to distract the owners from unpleasant matters by hiding things. You and I ourselves have more than once encountered miracles when you search and search for a thing, review everything carefully, and after some time this very thing lies in a visible place.
When a new house is built, in order to appease the Domoviks, rye is poured under the corners.

Dedka
Dedka is a Belarusian symbol of wealth and prosperity. Apparently, our Grandfather has left our land and is not going to return yet, because the poverty that we have today suggests that we are orphans.
Dedka is a mythological hero who gives wealth. Dedka has red fiery eyes and a red beard. Grandfather walks around dressed like a poor man with a bag on his shoulder. If an unfortunate or poor person meets Dedka, then before noticing Dedka the person falls asleep. While a person is sleeping, Dedka provides him with the necessary amount of money. If Dedka meets a rich but unhappy person, then Dedka shows him in a dream what he needs to do to become happy.

The character in people's dreams is Dedka himself, whom people recognize by his red fiery eyes and the same red beard. Belarusians consider Dedka to be the guardian of wealth - he appears where the treasure is buried. People do not see Dedka himself, but they see red eyes in the form of lights. Those who know and have noticed such lights boldly go towards them. You need to throw a hat or a bunch of hair onto the light, then the treasure will be at the very surface of the earth. If you throw boots or bast shoes, the treasure will sink so deep into the ground that you will have to dig it out all your life.
If you, dear readers, meet Dedka, then tell him to return to Belarusian soil. He is our character and he already has three lifetimes worth of work here.

Shatan
Shatans are symbols of idleness, foolishness, callousness and importunity. These mythical creatures are the most adapted to our reality and are not so mythical. These can safely include all our drunks who spend days wandering around the courtyards in search of a drink. It seems to me that we have so many of them that there is no point in even hiding.

Look, the characteristics are fully consistent. Shatans are annoying and annoying creatures that do nothing themselves. Shatans wander back and forth all day long, distracting others from their work. The Shatans themselves are gloomy, their characters are bad. They don’t even come to the aid of their own brothers, because... They don’t even tolerate each other. Even the tax on parasitism does not scare them.

Modern real Shatans differ from mythical ones in that in their free time they do not weave bast shoes or make canes for themselves. These mythical ones did at least something to exist, they wove bast shoes and made canes, which quickly wore out and broke from constantly useless staggering.
Shatans today, as before, often die from pranks and attacks of evil spirits and creatures that pursue them without apahmelu. Most often it is the “squirrels” who play pranks and destroy them.
Gloomy, bad characters. From the very morning they can cling to a person and persuade him to the same senseless wandering.

Zhiten

Zhiten is the guardian and symbol of Belarusian fields, agriculture, and economy. Zhiten promotes the growth and ripening of grain crops, vegetables and fruits.
This is a mythological creature that resembles a thin, short old man with tousled hair. This mythological hero has three eyes - two in front, one in back. He walks through the fields, watches everything, makes sure that the harvest is well ripened and carefully harvested. If Zhiten finds many ears of corn left behind by careless owners, he collects them into sheaves and transfers them to the fields of more thrifty, and therefore poorer, people. Next year, the field of careless owners will have a bad harvest, but thrifty people can expect a good harvest.
The same thing happens in fields with vegetables and in gardens.

Zhiten can approach negligent owners and shake his finger at them, saying that next year they will have a bad harvest. It warns and gives you the opportunity to quickly correct yourself. He can be found in the form of a poor man with a bag. Zhiten also warns people that the year will be hungry and they need to stock up on grain.

Zhiten often walks unnoticed through the fields during sowing, closely watches that people carefully sow the grain, cover it well, and if he sees a mess, he tramples down the grains himself so that not a single one is lost and is quickly filled with earthly juices.

So, in vain we think that in the old days people lived sad and boring lives. Not at all.
Our ancestors lived cheerfully and, as we see, were never lonely. Everywhere someone lived, someone was there, someone protected and protected houses, farms, crops and the environment. In the oven there is a fireman, under the sheaf there is a eunik, in the hayloft there is a punnik. We all know about water bugs and swamp bugs, and wood goblins and woodsmen live in the forest. And in order for our ancestors to somehow survive among all this brethren, they had to somehow be friends with them.
Even today I know old people who never go into the forest empty-handed, but always bring gifts to the forest villager. This includes bread, candy, and apples. They leave it all on the stump.
And the forester does not remain in debt, he indicates in which direction to look for berries and mushrooms.

There are several legends about the origin of Minsk and the formation of the city's name. One of these stories is the story of Vodyanoy’s daughter named Svisloch.

Origin of Minsk: main legends

The history of the appearance of the coat of arms of Minsk

The Legend of Nesvizh

The Legend of Vitebsk

Treasury of the Radziwills

Lake-heart

Lake Dead

Lake Svityaz

The Legend of the Humpbacked Sarcophagus

Princess Grazina

Origin of Komarovka

The Legend of Popova Gorka

Origin of Zaslavl

Loshitsa

The Legend of the Church of St. Roch

After analyzing the “wants and desires” of the Belarusian government and Belarusian society for quite a long time, you come to some interesting conclusions. That is, you begin to gradually understand that some things are done not out of malice or malicious intent, but out of a categorically incorrect understanding of the current realities of the world around us. People have their own picture of the reality around them, based on which they try to “come to success.” It doesn’t work out; negativity and anger are growing in society. New efforts are made, but again it doesn’t work. Negative emotions are growing.

Today Russia and Belarus differ, first of all, in the internal, emotional mood of society. That is, this does not mean that “everything worked out” in Russia, far from it. But those very “explosive, roof-blowing moods” that our “Western partners” were counting on so much do not exist in Russia. But in Belarus they seem to exist. Moreover, it is they who determine the general political background. For Westerners, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are practically the same thing. For many Ukrainians and Belarusians, the difference in the socio-economic situation between the Russian Federation and their countries is also not significant. However. However, it is there.

That is, Russians do not run to the Maidan not because they are afraid, but because they do not need it. Not relevant. This is something neither Minsk, nor Kyiv, nor Brussels, nor Washington can understand. That is, there is no flammable/explosive material in Russia for the Maidan. For Ukrainians/Belarusians this is categorically offensive. So it turns out that they have problems, but the Russians don’t? Something like that. That is, in fact, the Russians have problems, but these are completely different problems. The Russians have already gone a couple of levels higher. There are bolder monsters and more interesting Easter eggs...

The main mistake of Belarusians is that for some strange reason they believe that in Russia everything is the same, it’s just that there is a lot of “free” petrodollars as a plus. Hence the difference in living standards. By the way, yes, few people know, but the USA is an old and powerful oil producer... Standard Oil is from there, and not from KSA. Americans mine uranium, coal, and much more. But for some reason everyone remembers about iPhones, which are exactly what they make Not in America. Strange, right?

The higher standard of living in Russia compared to many post-Soviet countries is explained precisely by this. The reforms of the economy and finances carried out plus the preservation of sovereignty. So yes: “they won’t catch up with us.” By the way, it was precisely these same “reforms” that Russia persistently imposed on Belarus. About “oligarchs and social justice": when an American bandit was asked by a judge why he didn't do something else, he replied: "There may be other ways to make a living, Your Honor, but I don't know them."

As the saying goes: “The rich you are, the happier you are...” That is, if reforms were carried out according to the “improved Russian model” in the well-fed 0s, the Republic of Belarus would today have a higher standard of living than the Russian Federation.” Rationale: in 2000, the Republic of Belarus was a small, homogeneous country that had preserved its economy from wild privatization with a relatively popular leadership and the absence of internal confrontation between someone and someone else. The economy is of the same type as the Russian one (that is, Russian experience can and should be used), the economy is interesting to Russians and, in fact, is part of the Russian economy.

The Republic of Belarus has neither space, nor the Caucasus, nor a fleet. Russia is ready to help and has helped! Who else had such conditions for reform? Russia carried out the reforms “stupidly and brutally,” but it did. Lukashenko was horrified by the progress of the reforms, but did not notice that as a result, Russia was already on the “other” shore. That is, the smart option is to study and use the experience of Russia, avoiding its mistakes (they are obvious to us today). Lukashenko (and the entire leadership of the Republic of Belarus) decided differently: no reforms! No “gangster privatization”. The decision, of course, is a very wise one... but from a certain point the negative consequences began to increase sharply such solutions.

The economy of the Republic of Belarus is becoming more and more unprofitable. The attempt to “stop the hands of the clock” did not lead to any good. By the way, the Republic of Belarus is, to some extent, a model of what would have happened to the USSR if it had not been reformed, but simply tried to be preserved “in a crystal casket.” Bad option.

Hence the following misconception: for some reason Belarusians are sure that Now they have a whole range of possibilities and something needs to be decided... This is not true. The worst thing that Lukashenko (and his entourage) did was that he wasted ten years. The time for reform has been lost, and absolutely irrevocably. The economy of the Republic of Belarus has only deteriorated in recent years, and debts have accumulated. If you “open the black box,” you will suddenly discover that everything is not just bad, but very bad.

It will not be possible to deal with these debts “quickly” - the small and poor Belarusian economy will have to pay them off for decades. No, you won’t be able to “write them off” - you are an independent state, you are obliged to pay your debts. That's why everyone thinks that an independent state means, like, we have our own company. And it’s good when the “company” makes a profit, but in this case, the company is overloaded with debt. The company is bankrupt. A kind of “Polesie Greece”.

No, “changing the vector” will not help here: Ukraine changed the vector radically, but this did not save it from debt. This, by the way, is the most common “Belarusian illusion”: that by “changing your shoes in the air” you can easily part with old debts and problems. The debts that the Republic of Belarus has managed to accumulate up to this point will be forced to be paid by Belarusians in any case. In any. Anyone who claims anything to the contrary is blatantly lying. Belarusians will have to pay “Lukashenko’s debts” endlessly. In any case.

No, this has nothing to do with Russia at all. It will not be possible to leave the “union state” by saddled with debts. The Union State is not the USSR even once, and it was Belarus, not Russia, that took on the debts. In general, attempts to somehow make Russia “to blame” for the internal problems of the Republic of Belarus are a common point in the Belarusian political discourse. However, the Republic of Belarus is an independent state. It has not submitted to Russia in any way since 1991, and Russia cannot bear any responsibility for the current difficult situation in Belarus.

This “paradoxical” thinking of Belarusians is absolutely incomprehensible in Russia: people are at the same time proud of their sovereignty and even in small things do not want to listen to the opinion of Russia, but when problems arise, they look to the east with hope... The “nipple” system Not is a normal form of interstate relations and cannot exist for a long time. It will never be “as before”, primarily because Russia is categorically not interested in this.

The conflict between Lukashenko and Putin is interpersonal. This is also one of the characteristic misconceptions in Belarus. Rather, it is inter-elite or interstate: this conflict is a direct consequence of Minsk’s attempts to simultaneously maximize the assistance received from Moscow and the degree of independence from Moscow; it would inevitably arise under any other adequate ruler of Russia. There is very little personal here, rather pure “business” - not a single normal head of the Russian state would endlessly tolerate the “art” of his “best ally”.

The problems in relations between Russia and Belarus are interethnic (allegedly Russians do not respect Belarus/Belarusians). Again, a myth, a myth of pure water: there are a whole bunch of problems, but they are interstate. Belarusians are now not one of the peoples of Russia, but inhabitants of their own state. That is, relations are built not within one country, but between two states. The Russians have nothing, for example, against the Japanese, but there are problems that aggravate the relations between official Moscow and official Tokyo. The same thing with Belarus, to avoid this, you need to live in the same state (not with the Japanese, of course). That is, if the Belarusians had “pulled the common burden”, all these questions would not have arisen. But they are only interested in the “common pot”, hence the scandals.

This is another problem in the worldview of Belarusians - they sometimes feel inside Russia, sometimes outside. The most unpleasant thing is that this “location” is determined by the criteria of benefit/disadvantage. That is, if the prices are for hydrocarbons, then they are on the inside; if they “go to war,” then they are strictly on the outside. At the same time, maintaining full confidence that this “childish trick” should work with a bang every time.

Hence the next myth - about Russia’s allegedly insidious plans for the forcible annexation of Belarus (Crimea is cited as an example). Those who argue this way demonstrate complete anti-democracy. From their point of view, there are rulers (who received power from above) and crowds of slaves/herds of sheep that can simply be stolen. How, with such views, the Belarusian elite talks about a certain “European vector” is absolutely incomprehensible; its views are purely Central Asian. By the way, Lukashenko’s fundamental reluctance to work “for the public” in Russia (and his terrible negative rating in the ally country) is explained precisely by this. There are leaders, there is a crowd. And he didn’t give a damn about the Russian people; all his gestures and “bright statements” were addressed to the Kremlin. And now this country is going to Europe...

By the way, this destroys another myth about “EuroBelarus” and “Asian Russia” - somehow it is no longer customary for us to make cardinal decisions without consulting the people. Well, this myth also applies to “Euro-Ukraine” (so as not to get up twice). Ask a Minsk or Kyiv “intellectual” about “where is Europe and where are the Asian steppes,” and the answer will be unequivocal. However, both there and there “European integration” is seen according to the script: but we should not ask the “cotton rednecks” about anything. That is, “Comrade Mauser” is assumed to be the main “European argument” by default.

And as for “forced annexation” - who needs frankly problematic territories on their balance sheet? And the fact that the Republic of Belarus is just such a territory is self-evident. Such “automatic” accession made sense back in the 19th century... Today, in the era of a highly developed economy and mass social insurance, the inclusion of Ukraine, Belarus or Estonia in Russia is bullshit... It’s not profitable, it’s stupidly not profitable.

A striking example is the accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. The Germans are still quietly swearing. The “compilation” went very wrong and crazy expensive. As a result, both are dissatisfied. Terribly dissatisfied. It did not work out to make East Germany a continuation of West Germany. Berlin has become a financial shithole...

From here, we can safely destroy two whole Russian-Belarusian myths: unification with the Republic of Belarus will take place quickly, easily and with a bang, it’s worth “talking out” Lukashenko. It won't work. It was easy in 1996. A lot has changed over the next 20 years. Both in the Russian Federation and in the Republic of Belarus. Today, complete unification is hardly realistic (even without any “jumping Litvins in “white” armor”). Two medieval agricultural domains can easily be merged into one. To unite Russia and Belarus today... I don’t know, I don’t know... I don’t believe, to be honest, that this is technically/economically feasible at all. The second myth: supposedly Belarusians want this. No, they receive money under this myth. But they don’t want to, not even once (otherwise we would have united long ago). In fact, they would like to live in the European Union, but with Russian money. The truth is unpleasant and scandalous, so a frank conversation does not and will not work. Just “heroic chants” that, they say, we love Russia very much, but we value our independence...

Regarding the “Western vector”. Firstly, the Germans do not propose that Belarus join the Federal Republic of Germany, either as regions or districts... Secondly, the exotic Belarusian economy is in no way compatible with European standards. Theoretically, it is possible to turn Belarus into something between Latvia and Bulgaria, but why? And what kind of population can feed itself there? And most importantly, the EU has already “eaten up” with new “European members”. Moreover, there is no need for a country whose economy is based on Russian subsidies. The absurdity of such an idea: to integrate the subsidized Russian region into Europe (and from an economic point of view this is exactly the case) is beyond the understanding of only Belarusian economists and politicians.

This, by the way, is another Belarusian myth: it is enough to “accept” European values, and the economy will follow itself. It won't work. Truly I tell you. I checked (like all the “Young Europeans”), and no one was “attached”. Investments, technologies and sales markets are needed.

Well, for starters, there is a myth about a certain “special” moral spirit of the country of Belarus, about its social justice, peacefulness and non-conflict. Sounds nice. However, there was some hint of “social justice” at the moment when the Soviet legacy/Russian subsidies were being eaten away. Ended external Soviet-Russian (imperial!) resource - the vaunted Belarusian “social justice” has ended. Belarus itself was unable to earn any money for “justice,” and therefore the bestial contours of the “Third World” are becoming more and more visible in the country. Socialism is, you know, not only a “moral choice”, but also a lot, a lot of money for the “social sector”.

So Belarus outside the empire is rather not Austria, but closer to Morocco. What we observed before was “an independent Republic of Belarus on imperial grub.” After 2008, this booth curtailed its activities. We saw the face of “true Belarus” quite recently.

Regarding “non-conflict”: A. Lukashenko most actively tried to participate in that same intra-Kyrgyz conflict. For what? Where is the Republic of Belarus and where is Kyrgyzstan? Ambitions, however... The same applies to active voyages to Baku and tough statements on the “internationally recognized” borders of Azerbaijan. For what? Justice, you say? Well, in an ideal world, yes, justice, in the current one, this provokes a massacre on the demarcation line in Karabakh. At the suggestion of “peace-loving, non-conflict” Belarus.

Why is he doing this? But out of spite! In spite of damned Moscow! Russia is making monstrous efforts to “plug” this very “Karabakh hole into another dimension.” It’s clear why - in the event of a big war there, Russia will also be affected, as will the entire region. But Alexander Grigorievich is actively shaking the situation. It is clear that in the event of war, no one in Minsk is going to send Belarusian soldiers to the Caucasus. And the corresponding laws have been adopted. Then why rock the boat? And in order to take revenge on Moscow for the undistributed “pocket money”... Here we have “peacefulness”, “alliance”, and “independence” in one bottle...

Belarus, together with Armenia, is a member of the CSTO, but actively works in the interests of Azerbaijan, which is not a member of this organization... By the way, one of the main Belarusian myths collapses here - that quickly changing shoes in the air and receiving money from both sides is extremely profitable: in In a critical situation for the country (like today), Belarusians turned out to be strangers to both Russia and Europe. That is, the country urgently needs help, but no one is in a hurry to help... Even with Ukraine, oddly enough, relations are also very difficult (despite the active “help” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the fight against “Russian separatists”). That is, Belarusians turned a blind eye to the rise of fascism in Eastern Europe (sponsored by someone!) and thereby spoiled relations with Russia (for Russia, the attitude towards fascism is a marker of one’s own or another’s), but for some reason they did not become one’s own in the West either ...

Thus, the Belarusian elites played, played “big” - putting everything on the line (of course, the bet was not on Russia - our Minsk friends also understand little or little about geopolitics!). And they lost. Now this is already obvious. “Trump” and the collapse of the Kyiv junta are also their losses (they bet on the globalists!). Notice how different there was a reaction to Trump’s victory in Moscow and Minsk (Lukashenko reacted very nervously), allies, you say? Oh well. But what does Moscow have to do with it? Why should Russia pay for their “bad luck”?

From the point of view of the Belarusian elites, the Moscow-Minsk relationship is of the most mythical nature: firstly, Belarus is country No. 1 for Russia and all attention and all resources should be focused only on it, since Russia cannot live without Minsk (the meaning of life of the Russian Federation - the well-being of the “main ally”, Russia is as successful as Lukashenko can sponsor); secondly, the Belarusian leadership can endlessly deceive and expose Moscow - “firstly”, this does not affect in any way. Recently, these comrades, with horror in their voices, started talking about the fact that the Kremlin is preparing Russians for a conflict with Belarus... (The entire Russian foreign policy is based on strictly around Belarus). That is, the desire to decisively get the hell out of this endless whirlwind of continuous lies and triple standards is presented as a “provoked conflict” with “the most faithful ally.”

The main problem of Belarus, in the author’s opinion, is, first of all, the not very high level of the elite. In Ukraine, these elites had a higher level, but turned out to be corrupt and comprador (the dream of serving the white sahib as the goal of life). But in Belarus there is another problem: people who define the “charged information field” simply do not understand what is happening in Eastern Europe, what the risks are and what policies make sense to pursue (but at the same time they pointedly ignore Russian assessments). The Belarusian information space is filled with endless myths, legends and stories (this is typical for the authorities, “neutrals”, and the opposition). Unfortunately, the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian people are not living in a fairy tale.