Cardboard Lukashenko: Absurdity in Belarusian support goes viral

Authoritarian governments consistently teeter on the edge of ridiculousness, seemingly oblivious to their follies. Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is one such case. Despite the absurdity, he enjoys staunch support from his Russian allies. In some Russian stores, customers might stumble upon a cardboard Lukashenko, encouraging... shopping.

The line between absurdity and tastelessness is often easily blurred in authoritarian governments, largely due to personality cults. Often, dictators remain oblivious to grassroots initiatives where society tries to curry favor with the authorities. A probable instance of this is currently unfolding in Belarus and Russia.

A photo circulating on social media captures an unusual sight from a Russian store - a "modified" cardboard Lukashenko encouraging the purchase of Belarusian goods. The idea behind this act is to show Russian support for their alliance with Belarus.

"A cardboard dictator," "I would go in just to see the smiling Lukashenko cardboard" - This is how the image of the cardboard dictator has been jovially received by Polish internet users.

The appearance of a "cardboard" Lukashenko is certainly no laughing matter for Belarusians. The self-proclaimed president, who retained his rule after the reportedly rigged 2020 elections, has seen more than 4,500 citizens convicted merely because of their political convictions.

Belarusian authorities continue to scrutinize materials from the period of protests following the disputed elections, including content shared on social media. All this, in order to penalize critics of the dictatorship.