A Belarusian Dictatorship Is Better Than a Ukrainian Democracy, Says Belarusian Dictator Lukashenko

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko declared that a “dictatorship like in Belarus is better than democracy like in Ukraine” during a Christmas service in a church, reported the state news agency BelTA on January 7.

Reflecting on Belarus’s development amid external challenges, Lukashenko stated that the country had navigated difficult circumstances without collapsing under pressure. “All these years, we’ve been walking on thin ice, yet we never broke through or fell into freezing waters. That is our greatest achievement,” he claimed.

While addressing criticism of his leadership, Lukashenko remarked, “Let them call it a dictatorship here. Listen, it’s better to have a dictatorship like in Belarus than a democracy like in Ukraine.”

He urged Belarusians to remain steadfast, stating that “time will bring clarity and judge everyone, but we must endure.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that he had a conversation with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where he apologized for the Russian missile strikes on Ukraine from Belarussian territory, offering the Ukrainian side to strike Belarus in response.