There’s been a time when I watched Russian television. Now I occasionally turn on some online TV channels just to be cognizant of the current events from Russian official perspective. I remember a program Odnako, anchored by Mikhail Leontiev. I bet many of my readers can be quite critical of Bill O’Reilly, but the way Leontiev offers his “expert opinions” are way beyond any possible comparisons. His show is an explicit example of barefaced propaganda.
The reason why I’m mentioning him here is that he played a tape of allegedly a telephone conversantion between Georgian MP Georgiy Targamadze and “a certain Albinas, an employee of the Lithuanian foreign ministry,” and a person in Washington. In this talk, it is informed about preparations of assassination of Alaksandr Milinkevich during his visit to Turin.
The Georgian congressman was supposedly dissatisfied that Milinkevich had not been radical enough during the protests. “Why did everything stop half way? When everything was stringed up, and when I was sure that in two days we would make it, our Milinkevich came out and told people to disperse and return on April 26. I can’t get it why he behaved that way.” According to the tape, it was decided to take Milinkevich away, and his life was estimated at $20 thousand dollars.
Milinkevich denounced the provocation, “Masterminds of such scoops are known. These are people who do not want political changes in Belarus. Those provocateurs could’ve inquired about my schedule,” the leader of democratic forces refuted that he was planning to visit Turin.
This whole story is like a hell in a handbasket. It almost doesn’t make sense to mention it. However, Belarus’ opposition is preparing for the next big action, and the regime’s scare tactics are now elaborated by the Russian television, erroneously regarded in masses as more truthful than the Belarusian one. I can’t understand why somebody might still cherish this delusion.