Belarus Analytical Digest
The Belarus Analytical Digest is an internet publication jointly produced (six issues per year) by the external page Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen, the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, and the external page Center for Eastern European Studies (CEES) at the University of Zurich. The Belarus Analytical Digest analyzes the political, economic, and social situation in Belarus within the context of international and security dimensions of this country’s development. All contributions to the Belarus Analytical Digest undergo a fast-track peer review.
Editorial Board: and (both Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen)
Coordination Layout and Publication: (Research Centre for East European Studies at the University of Bremen)
The series is partnered with the German language publication external page Belarus-Analysen.
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All Issues
All Belarus Analytical Digest IssuesCurrent Issues
No. 009: State Propaganda and Digital Authoritarianism in Belarus
The issue explores different dimensions of digital authoritarianism in contemporary Belarus. Volha Kananovich examines in her article how state-controlled media portray taxpayers as obedient contributors rather than citizens entitled to hold the government accountable, thereby reinforcing paternalistic understandings of state–society relations. An article by Daria Kuznetsova analyses the regime’s response to the 2020 pro-democracy protests, demonstrating how digital repression—including internet shutdowns, censorship, and infiltration of Telegram channels—was used to suppress dissent and dominate online communication.
No. 008: Belarusian Democratic Opposition
The issue explores the recent geopolitical reorientation of the Belarusian democratic opposition. Since the 2020 protests and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the opposition has increasingly framed its struggle against Lukashenka’s regime as a fight for national sovereignty and emancipation from Russian dominance. Ekaterina Pierson-Lyzhina and Radzhana Buyantueva argue that operating in exile, the opposition has turned to the EU as the prime political partner and symbolic point of reference. At the same time, reliance on European support creates new dependencies and dilemmas surrounding identity, sovereignty, and political representation.