Belarus launches curated YouTube analogue for propaganda content

The Belarusian authorities have launched Videobel, the country’s first home-grown video platform, state-owned news agency BELTA announced on Thursday.

BELTA said the new service would provide “socio-political content by leading Belarusian media” in one place, meaning it would aggregate all the Belarusian state propaganda that was blocked on YouTube.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko expressed his satisfaction at the launch of the new project. “Be sure to make it a real Belarusian channel, without any lies,” he advised content-creators.

The idea for the new service came from Lukashenko himself at a media forum held in the city of Mahilyow in May. BELTA was immediately made responsible for its creation, though the presidential administration was involved in the process from the very beginning.

The minimalist site currently shows the seven main Belarusian TV channels and a BELTA news feed. There is also a feature entitled The President’s Week, BELTA’s project about Lukashenko’s everyday life.

The new service does not give users an opportunity to leave a like or dislike, nor will they be able to upload videos of their own. Users will also not be able to adjust the speed at which they watch the carefully curated content.

To alleviate fears that the platform’s launch would mean the imminent blocking of YouTube, Belarusian Information Minister Marat Markau said on Thursday that there were currently no plans to do so. “We will use all the tools that currently work to our advantage,” he said, stressing however that Belarus would “mount an adequate response” as soon as it felt “threatened by any service provider”.