They share a common ideology and vision of totalitarian power yet reportedly, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko hate each other. As popular opposition in Belarus and the war in Ukraine force them closer and closer together, we examine the relationship between these two men. We also look back at Lukashenko’s rise to power and hear from some of the protestors brave enough to oppose him. Filmed undercover in Belarus in the weeks up to and just after the invasion of Ukraine. From her exile in Lithuania, a mother recounts how the KGB came looking for her four-year-old son. When a video of Victor attending a protest was seen on social media, the KGB sent photos of him to every kindergarten in Minsk asking the teachers to identify him. They escaped in time but Victor’s father was arrested and imprisoned for attending the same protest. Also in prison is Daria’s husband, Igor, an independent journalist who ran an information channel on the internet. Although he never overtly criticised the regime, he was
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