Alexander Lukashenko

An authoritarian style of rule is characteristic of me, and I have always admitted it.

Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko (born 30 August 1954) is the President of Belarus, having been in office since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm and spent time with the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army.

Quotes

• People who speak Belarusian can not do anything except talk on it, because it is impossible to express anything great in Belarusian. The Belarusian language is a poor language. There are only two great languages in the world. Russian and English.
  • As quoted in Топ-10 самых скандальных и оскорбительных высказываний Лукашенко // Civil campaign European Belarus, europeanbelarus.org (in Russian)

• My position and the state will never allow me to become a dictator, but an authoritarian style of rule is characteristic of me, and I have always admitted it. You need to control the country, and the main thing is not to ruin people's lives.
  • Statement (August 2003), as quoted in BBC - Profile: Alexander Lukashenko (9 January 2007).

• We have rigged the latest election. 93.5 per cent have voted for Lukashenko. But they say it is not a European outcome. We have made it 86 per cent.
  • Press conference for Ukrainian journalists (November 2006), as quoted in "Lukashenka Must be Dismissed From Office For Rigging Presidential Elections Results" in Charter97 (23 November 2006).

• I look at Obama, a young man, a good-looking person. That is my first impression, I feel sorry for him. He looks 100% like Lukashenko, when I came to power after the downfall of the Soviet Union. The store shelves were empty, a severe financial crisis.
  • As quoted in The Wall Street Journal - Belarus President Seeks to Deploy Russia Missiles (14 November 2008).

• Aggression has been committed, and the country's leadership, not only Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed. And how was he killed? Well, if they had shot him in a battle, it's one thing, but they humiliated and tormented him, they shot at him, they violated him when he was wounded, they twisted his neck and arms, and then they tortured him to death. It's worse than the Nazis once did. Besides, the United States, Italy, France and Germany have up to $150 billion of Libyan money now. They are very interested to grab this wealth. Everything will be even worse in Libya, because it has colossal deposits of resources, and everyone has rushed there to grab those riches.
  • Reaction upon the death of Muammar Gaddafi, (3 November 2011) [1].

• If someone is a lesbian, it's man's fault.
  • Comment about lesbians (2011), as seen on National Television of Belarus: Lukashenko about gays and lesbians.

• As for those who are screaming about dictatorship...when I hear that come up I think that it is better to be a dictator - than to be gay.
  • Response to criticism from German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, interview at a skiing event (4 March 2012). [2].

• I don't really understand what a dictator is.
• I am the last and only dictator in Europe.
• They say that even bad publicity is good publicity.
• I shan't be holding on to this job for life. As soon as people decline my services, I'll put my briefcase under my arm and I'll be off.
  • "Belarus President Lukashenko in his own words", Reuters (November 27, 2012)

• I view the collapse of the Soviet Union as a disaster that entailed and still brings about negative consequences around the world. We got nothing good from this break-up.
  • As quoted in "Lukashenko views Soviet Union collapse as disaster", BelTA, September 30, 2016.

• Minsk will become the capital of the United States in two years.
  • As quoted in "Move US capital to Minsk? Why not, says Belarus’ President... at least for top athletic event ", at a football event between Team Europe and Team US.

• We'll massacre all the scum that you [the West] have been financing. Oh, you're upset we've destroyed all your structures! Your NGOs, whatever they are, that you've been paying for.
  • As quoted in Belarus's Lukashenko tells BBC: We may have helped migrants into EU. BBC, 20 November, 2021.

• Putin and I once said in Saint Petersburg that we will refit Belarusian Sukhoi aircraft among other things so that they could carry nuclear weapons. Do you think we talk nonsense? Everything is ready!
  • "Belarus threatens to use planes with nuke warheads against West", i24 News, 26 August 2022

• From Oct. 6, all price increases are forbidden. Forbidden! From today. Not from tomorrow, from today. So that prices aren't driven up in the next 24 hours.
  • "Belarus Leader Bans Price Rises to Tackle Inflation", Moscow Times, 6 October 2022

• At five o'clock in the evening he called me and says: 'Alexander Grigorievich, I accept all your conditions. But what should I do? If we stop, they'll start whacking us." I said, "They won't. I guarantee you. I'll take care of that." We were in contact with the Russian leadership, the FSB was mainly dealing with this issue, with Bortnikov. I simply urged them not to do it. Bortnikov is a smart man. He said: "Alexander Grigorievich, well, I'm not a fool, I understand what can happen," the President said. He said: "Alexander Grigorievich, I'm not a fool, I realise what can happen. If they stop somewhere, the column will tighten... It will pile up... So that there will be no desire and temptation to attack it here. We promised: it won't happen. I told Prigozhin: "This is a guarantee." "What next?" - "Up to the point that I will take you to Belarus and guarantee you complete safety. And your guys, who have advanced here in this column." - "Yes, I believe you. I believe you." - "Good, we'll act in that direction."
  • "Никакого кровопролития". Лукашенко о главном условии для Пригожина, BelTA, 27 June 2023

• To answer this question directly: I don't have to provide security for Prigozhin. First of all. Secondly, we never talked about it that way.
  • Что случилось с Пригожиным и стоит ли за этим Путин? Лукашенко ответил на все вбросы и фейки, BelTA, 25 August 2023

About Lukashenko

• I wish luck to you and your nation that loves you, as the election results we can see testify.
  • Silvio Berlusconi in Minsk, as quoted in Results of the official visit of Silvio Berlusconi to Belarus, 1 Dec. 2009, from belarus.by.

• The pro-imperial dictatorship of Lukashenka keeps the direction of unification with Russia, destroying the national culture and the Belarusian language.
  • Vasil Bykau, “ЁН ПРЫЕХАЎ, САМ ПАМЁР, УСЁ СПАКОЙНА…” АПОШНІЯ ТЫДНІ ВАСІЛЯ БЫКАВА // svaboda.org
    (in Belarusian)
• I have found yet another friend here. And with such a friend we will together form a team, like a soccer team. This will be a fighting team.
  • Hugo Chávez, referring to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, to reporters during a state visit to Minsk, Belarus, on July 25, 2006. [24]

• I cannot write in Minsk. Firstly, I have a cold apartment. I will die there with my sick lungs soon. Because the presidential decree introduced the maximum temperature in Minsk... He [Lukashenka] does not need Bykau. He has a close-knit and strong cohort of own writers, who write his biographies. They write about him, describe his life. And it's enough for Lukashenka. He does not perceive anything else. The things that Lukashenko is doing are aimed at the complete elimination of the sovereignty of Belarus. He completely enslaves the people.
  • “Ён Прыехаў, Сам Памёр, Усё Спакойна…” Апошнія Тыдні Васіля Быкава // svaboda.org
    (in Belarusian)

• “The Jews managed to force the world to remember the Holocaust,” Lukashenko declared. “The entire world grovels before them and gives in to them. They are afraid to say a single word out of place.” By contrast, he continued, “[W]e are tolerant and likable. We left things alone until it got to the point where others started attacking us and the memory of our efforts.”
  • ‘The Entire World Grovels to the Jews’: Belarus Dictator Alexander Lukashenko in Antisemitic Outburst, The algemeiner, 6 July 2021
• Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus has the dubious distinction of being Europe's last remaining dictator. He was popularly elected in 1994 and immediately began consolidating his power and eliminating any shred of democracy or free speech. As he himself once said, "I look at our old people and the middle-aged generation who are nostalgic for the Soviet Union, and they can see that Lukashenko is a good chap."
  • David Wallechinsky, Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators (2006), p. 2

• Lukashenko truly believes the world does not notice his participation in crimes against Ukraine. That is why he cynically wishes us a ‘peaceful sky’ while allowing deadly rockets to hit us.
  • Mykhailo Podolyak, Senior Ukrainian presidential aide, quoted in "Belarus congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day", Al Jazeera, 24 August 2022

External links

• Official website as President of Belarus
• BBC - Profile: Alexander Lukashenko (9 January 2007)
• Statement at the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly (15 September 2005)
• Alexander Lukashenko