The Russian state-controlled media have their usual Western targets. But occasionally, the Russian press sets its sights on its neighbour Belarus. Minsk and Moscow have been allies for years, but a recent spat over energy subsidies and Russia’s campaign in Ukraine have made relations fragile. The two countries have made peace, for now, but the Kremlin’s media machine has become increasingly uncomfortable for Belarus’ leader, not least because of its significant influence over the Belarusian media landscape. The Listening Post’s Johanna Hoes reports on the media component of the relations between Moscow and Minsk, Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarus.
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Contributors:
Dzianes Melyantsou, senior analyst, Belarus Institute of Strategic Studies
Amy Mackinnon, senior editor, Coda Story
Michal Janczuk, former Minsk bureau chief, Belsat TV
Andrei Bastunets, head, Belarusian Association of Journalists