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We investigate corruption, uncover fake news and analyze the news agenda. The BIC is a member of the global network of investigative journalists.

Our journalists are the recipients of the national award “Free Word” from the Association of Journalists of Belarus in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. At "Free Word" 2021 BIC’s team also received first place for Analytics

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Antifake / Factcheck

06 сакавіка

A state television host warned that sanctions against Lukashenko could provoke public anger toward Zelenskyy

...Lukashenko allegedly “enjoys tremendous popularity among Ukrainians.”

Authors:
Editors:
Fake appearance date: 19.02.2026
Victoria Kirichenko, the host of Vecherni politicheski kanal, predicted that Kyiv’s public would be angry over the sanctions imposed on Aleksandr Lukashenko. She suggested that the politician “enjoys tremendous popularity among Ukrainians.” However, statistics reveal a stark contrast: sympathy for him has decreased by a factor of 10 compared to the pre-war era.

Context: Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted his first interview with the Belarusian media outlet Zerkalo since the beginning of the large-scale invasion. In it, he outlined a new form of Minsk’s participation in the war. According to the Ukrainian president, Aleksandr Lukashenko is deliberately allowing Belarusian territory to be used for the deployment of military equipment, including retransmission stations that help Russian Shahed drones adjust their trajectory. 

The host of the Vecherni politicheski kanal show reminded viewers that Kyiv has imposed individual sanctions on Aleksandr Lukashenko for “aiding in the murder of Ukrainians.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the sanctions on February 18, 2026. The following day, anchor Victoria Kirichenko warned the Ukrainian president that there would be consequences:

“If one tries to get to the truth of the matter, then in response to the question of how this could help Ukrainians achieve peace, it can be assumed that by taking such actions, Zelenskyy will simply intensify the people’s anger and bring closer the day of reckoning for his actions. Our president enjoys enormous popularity among Ukrainians.”

The Weekly Top Fake team tested this claim. In February 2025, sociologists recorded Ukrainians’ true attitude toward Lukashenko, which was exactly the opposite. Nearly 90% of Ukrainians have a negative view of him, while only 8% view him positively.

Source: Rating Group

Attitudes toward the Belarusian politician in Ukraine have changed dramatically in recent years. In 2018, about 70% of Ukrainians viewed Aleksandr Lukashenko positively. At that time, many local leaders could have envied his popularity. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including from Belarusian territory, the rating plummeted to 2%.

From 2023 to 2024, Lukashenko’s approval rating in Ukraine remained at around 7–8%. At the beginning of 2025, there was a slight increase, but the overall dynamics remained unchanged. Compared with the period before the war, the politician’s popularity has dropped nearly tenfold.