Disir
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Maria Kolesnikova hesitates before opening the car door. "Shall we?" she asks, and then climbs out. A tall woman with short hair dyed blond, she isn't initially noticed by the crowd that will soon envelope her in hugs, cheers and selfies.
An icon of the protests that have washed over Belarus, Kolesnikova is on her way to her next appearance - a leader against her will, one both seasoned and overwhelmed. She is an ersatz politician in a country that has to relearn what political life actually means, because there has been no place for it under the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko.
It's Tuesday afternoon in Soligorsk, two hours south of Minsk by car. Around a thousand miners have collected on the main square, while momentous words are coming from the stage. It is time "to drive the last nail in the coffin of Lukashenkism," cries an animated young speaker.
www.spiegel.de
Is anyone else following this?
An icon of the protests that have washed over Belarus, Kolesnikova is on her way to her next appearance - a leader against her will, one both seasoned and overwhelmed. She is an ersatz politician in a country that has to relearn what political life actually means, because there has been no place for it under the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko.
It's Tuesday afternoon in Soligorsk, two hours south of Minsk by car. Around a thousand miners have collected on the main square, while momentous words are coming from the stage. It is time "to drive the last nail in the coffin of Lukashenkism," cries an animated young speaker.
The End of Lukashenkism?: On the Knife's Edge in Belarus
The uprising against Alexander Lukashenko may not have a leader, but its goals are ambitious. After the first phase of shock and fear, the people are now showing pride and self-confidence. Will that go far enough?
www.spiegel.de
Is anyone else following this?
