Issue #01/56, January 14 - 27, 1999  

By Edward Limonov

December 18, 1994. City of Minsk, capital of Belorussia. "Culture House of Kiselyov" on the outskirts of Minsk. Press conference of two guests from Russia, of Limonov and Dugin should start at 2 p.m.

But it never started. The Chairman of Belorussian People's Front and Deputy of Belorussian Parliament, Zenon Pozdniak, have sent about five hundred of his followers with an order to disrupt press conference. Transported by buses directly from the meeting in support of Chechnya's leader Dudayev (war between Russia and Chechnya have just started on December 11th), angry anti-Russian demonstrators started a fight with our forces, only about twenty youngsters, some of them adolescents. Outnumbered, some of us wounded, at least one seriously, we have barricaded ourselves in "artists' room," on second floor. Finally we were forced to jump from a window and rescue our skins by fleeing. Luckily we have escaped. Mad crowd could have howled their desire to get "Limonov--emissary of Muscovites!" In the evening we have been arrested in friend's apartment and transported to Minsk's police headquarters, where we were interrogated. Three hundred copies of "Limonka" newspaper No.2 were confiscated. Police chiefs have menaced me, trying to force us to leave Minsk immediately.

It was my first encounter with Mr. Lukashenko's regime. Later, Belorussian president have used destruction of "Culture House of Kiselyov" as a pretext for banning any activities of Belorussian People's Front. Zenon Pozdniak was forced into exile in the United States, as well as two other leaders of National Front.

So, as it have happened that Lukashenko's enemies are also mine enemies, what do I think of Lukashenko?

Perhaps surprisingly I think that his government is last Soviet government on Earth, with Chairman of kolkhoz as head. I think Lukashenko's Belorussia is dull police state, grim, reactionary, oldish, anti-youngsters. Although pro-Russian (the only positive feature of its character), Lukashenko is awfully archaic. God save Russia from him, in case he will present himself as a candidate to Russian presidency.

Lukashenko came to power alone, has no political party behind him. He has no ideology, unless it is sentimental vague Brezhnevism. He is driven by nostalgic memories of Sovietism. Having none of his own people, Lukashenko is using apparatus of State: post-Soviet police, post-Soviet functionaries are working to achieve Lukashenko's goals. In its internal, domestic policies Lukashenko behaving like an elephant in china shop. By his old-fashionedness he managed to push away all the youngsters of Belorussia.

On anti-Lukashenko's demonstrations I see the same type young faces that here in Russia are identified with National-Bolsheviks Party. On the contrary, amongst crowd of Russian admirers of Lukashenko I see many shmucks, such as opportunist head of Duma Mr. Seleznev, for example. So, no wonder that youngsters are not on Lukashenko's side, which is side of political prostitute Seleznov's, side of police stinking uniforms, police boots, and that of police stupidity and policy brutality.

His stupid war with Russian journalists is caricaturizing. Lukashenko's lacking of humor, he lacks of understanding of low place of journalist in hierarchy of our modern world. Otherwise now the head of state should be offended by paid employee of Mr. Gusinsky, Smolensky or Berezovsky? President of State shouldn't take journalists seriously as rivals.

My own red Russian nationalism is avant-garde, revolutionary, super-modern. My hate of functionaries is immeasurable, I hate their guts and their mothers. I believe that Brezhnev's functionaries (chinovniki in Russian) are the cause of destruction of most powerful state in the world's history, that of Stalin's Soviet Union. How can I love Lukashenko if he is exactly a perfect functionary of Brezhnev's era? How can I admire him if I believe that in Russia everything should be changed, to the last militsia man on the street, that even facial expressions should be changed, the expressions of voices should be changed.

So I detest Lukashenko, he is repulsive for me. I detest even his scalp. Those long rear locks of hair, traversing his bald skull, making him look ridiculous, like an unkempt child molester from South Dakota.