Five Steps to Punish Lukashenka
- 7.08.2021, 13:25
A precedent has been set that could hasten the fall of the regime.
The tragic death of the Belarusian opposition leader Vitaly Shishov is a precedent that could hasten the downfall of Lukashenka's political regime.
People's Deputy of Ukraine Dmytro Solomchuk writes about this in an article for the newspaper Evropeiska Pravda.
Already now it looks as if Aliaksandr Lukashenka has decided to "surpass" his counterpart Vladimir Putin in terms of pressure on the active part of society, which is in favor of changes in his own country.
Moreover, this is not the first example of his revenge. After the forced landing in Minsk of a scheduled Ryanair plane and the arrest of opposition leader Raman Pratasevich, powerful sectoral sanctions were imposed against the Lukashenka regime.
However, this did not stop him - recently the whole world was shocked by the situation with the Belarusian athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, whom “polite” people tried to force to take from Tokyo to Minsk after her public criticism of the so-called National Olympic Committee of Belarus.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and special services are obliged to investigate the murder (it's hard to call it any other way) of the Belarusian activist and provide answers to numerous questions.
If facts and evidence will show a Belarusian or Russian trace, the death of Shishov should become a personal "case of the Skripals" for Lukashenka.
The international community and the Ukrainian political establishment should not ignore this situation. It must be demonstrated that going beyond the "red" lines will have very serious consequences for anyone.
Ukraine should not stand aside either. Society and government must be united and respond toughly to such actions.
What should be done in such a situation?
1. Severing diplomatic relations with the Lukashenka regime as soon as possible.
Ukraine supports the Belarusian people in their aspiration to live in a civilized, democratic, and secure state. Ukrainians strive to have a stable and balanced neighbor on their own borders, which seems unlikely in light of recent events in Belarus.
2. Introducing additional sanctions on the import of Belarusian products to Ukraine. Stop thinking in stereotypes about the “strategic indispensability” of Belarus for Ukraine.
If the trade turnover between the countries is at the level of $ 4.5 billion, then $ 3 billion is accounted for by Belarusian exports.
Lukashenka understands that he is dependent on Ukraine and the transit of oil products and potash fertilizers, which we can find a replacement for in the short term.
In this aspect, the previous decisions of the official Kyiv on the introduction of a special 35% duty on the import of Belarusian engineering products to Ukraine and the closure of the aviation space look quite justified.
If concrete facts of the possible participation of the Belarusian special services in the murder of Shishov are found, the response from Ukraine should be as serious as possible.
3. Within the framework of the joint initiatives of the Lublin Triangle, calling upon the European Union to immediately impose sanctions on the Yamal gas pipeline, which transits 39 billion cubic meters of Russian gas through Belarus.
Let the regime in Minsk feel the economic consequences of such provocations, and let the Russian Federation ask Ukraine to reserve additional transmission capacities of the Ukrainian GTS.
4. Law enforcement agencies should provide personal protection for the activists of the Belarusian House, and public organizations, politicians, and not indifferent business circles and consolidate around the organizational and financial support of the institutions.
5. The Ukrainian government must provide all the necessary support to Belarusian citizens and businesses who have found themselves under the most severe administrative pressure and are forced to leave their own country for a conscientious civic position.
The main thing is that we must do everything in our power to make these people feel completely protected on the territory of the Ukrainian state.