The End Of The Myth of a brotherly Belarus? Russian soft power in Belarus after 2014: the background and its manifestations. OSW STUDIES 58 November 2016
Journal: Archive of European Integration (AEI) (University of Pittsburgh)
Year: 2016

The Russian narrative on Belarus changed in 2014, when Russian expert circles and the government elite essentially redefined their perception of their Belarusian ally in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and the escalation of tensions between Moscow and the West. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who was distancing himself from Moscow’s aggressive policy towards Kyiv, finally ceased to be viewed as the only and sufficient guarantor of keeping Belarus within the sphere of Russian influence. This gave r