The Belarusian authorities, ahead of the "presidential elections" on January 26, are testing the blocking of popular social media platforms. On the night of January 10, services like YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, Twitch, Discord, and others were inaccessible without a VPN.
Lukashenko's administration has developed a plan to gradually restrict access to several platforms, including WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram, until the end of 2025.
On November 22, 2024, during a meeting with students at the Minsk State Linguistic University, Lukashenko stated that he would completely shut down the internet if there were new mass protests in Belarus, similar to those in 2020.
The Operational and Analytical Center under the President of Belarus has already implemented technologies received from Russia and China for filtering internet traffic, including software for blocking VPN services.
The Belarusian dictator's regime is actively preparing to disconnect social media during the elections to prevent the use of online resources for mobilizing Belarusians to protest.
The blocking of popular social platforms, similar to restrictions in Russia, is another step towards unifying the information space of the two countries and further consolidating the authoritarian nature of both regimes.
