Alexander Lukashenko came under fire in newspapers Wednesday for failing to support the Belarussian tongue -- spoken regularly by just a small minority of the country's 10 million people who have conversed in Russian for decades.
"People fluent in Belarussian can do nothing once they start speaking it," said Lukashenko. "You cannot express anything of significance. Belarussian is a poor language. There are only two great languages in the world -- Russian and English."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.