Yauhen Afnagel: The Book "Natallia Radzina's Belarus" Contains Many Facts That They Try To Hide
- 10.11.2025, 23:24
The truth about the real heroes of the Belarusian resistance.
Coordinator of the civil campaign "European Belarus", ex-political prisoner Yauhen Afnagel in "Facebook" commented on the release of a new book by American writer Yuri Felshtinsky, "Natallia Radzina's Belarus. Journalist against dictatorship". Yauhen Afnagel calls it "an encyclopedia of the modern history of Belarus":
- The book "Natallia Radzina's Belarus. Journalist vs. Dictator" was the first one I read after the liberation and probably the first one that describes in detail and consistently the most important events of the country's modern history. The collapse of the USSR, the first years of independence, the formation of the dictatorship, the destruction of independent media, political murders, criminal cases, political prisoners. And, of course, the brightest pages of Belarusian resistance - street protests, "Zubr", the Squares of 2001 and 2006, and the presidential campaign of 2010.
Part of the book is dedicated to 2020, the most important part in the preparation of which was played by its heroes - Natallia Radzina, Dmitri Bondarenko, Nikolai Statkevich, Andrei Sannikov, Pavel Seviarynets, Sergei Tikhanovsky, Andrei Sharendo, Polina Sharendo-Panasiuk, Dmitri Kozlov, Andrei Voynich, Maksim Viniarsky. People who spoke about the possibility of revolution long before hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets and did everything possible to make it happen. Those who "leaked" the protests, first of all the headquarters of Svetlana Tihanouskaya, various coordination councils and transition offices, are not forgotten either. Calls not to take to the streets, not to impose sanctions, flirting with Russia, cooperation with the KGB, refusal to take decisive actions and much more - in chronological sequence, with facts and evidence, which for some reason some people try to hide after 2020.
But, first of all, this book is not about meanness and cowardice, but about courage and heroism of Belarusians who defied the dictator and proved by their actions that we are a European nation. About the brightest pages of our history. About faith and hope. About free Belarus.
The author of the book is Yuri Felshtinsky, doctor of historical sciences and philosophy. But also its authors - Natalia and all of us - those who wrote the history of Belarus on the streets and squares, in prisons, in forced emigration and even on the pages of Facebook.
We have to finish it, because after the last pages there is a persistent feeling of understatement. This encyclopedia of the modern history of Belarus lacks the final chapter - about liberation from dictatorship and occupation. We will definitely write it - all together.
You can buy the book "Belarus by Natallia Radzina: Journalist vs. Dictator" on the following sites:
Through the website of the publisher "ISIA Media" or Amazon.
In the Ukrainian language you can through the website of the publisher "Drukarskyi Oleg Fedorov's Dvir" and Yakaboo.
The book will soon be published in Belarusian and English.
The book will be of interest not only to historians, journalists and political scientists studying Belarus, but also to a wide range of readers.