On January 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a decree approving the creation of a joint state media, the "Kyiv Independent" reported.
The decree, signed on January 29, envisages the creation of a jointly run media operation comprising two existing newspapers, an online magazine, and a TV channel that will follow a "single, coordinated policy". The plan has been in development since at least 2023. The announcement was made by Maksut Shadaev, head of Russia's Ministry of Digital Development.
The nominal divide between Russia and Belarus has all but disappeared since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Belarus did not participate directly in the all-out war but allowed Russia to use its territory as a springboard for the initial invasion. Russia continues to attack Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Russian nuclear weapons are also located in Belarus.
During the discussions on the creation of such a single channel, Lukashenko said in April 2023 that it was necessary not to "lose the battle for minds and hearts".
Lukashenko's regime regularly targets those who have expressed opposition to his rule or openly hold pro-democracy views, and continues to persecute those linked to the mass protests that followed Belarus' 2020 presidential election /BGNES
