Belarusian president creates media vertical to replace cumbersome ideological apparatus

Presidential press secretary will coordinate activities of the state-run media and hold briefings. The president extended the capacity and the role of the presidential press service in an attempt to boost the efficiency of the information and ideological apparatus, which was long overdue according to him. The ‘Media Vertical’, led by the president’s spokesperson who oversees the republican state-run media, is designed to compensate for the shortcomings of the cumbersome ideological apparatus, which proved incapable of rapid and adequate response during information attacks from the Russian media. That said, President Lukashenka has abolished the post of Deputy Head of Presidential Administration for Ideology. The Belarusian authorities are likely to continue to review their approaches to ideological work and information policy in order to reduce costs and enhance efficiency in shaping public opinion.