“Russian World” as an Infrastructure of Hybrid Influence in Belarus
Policy brief The policy brief is designed as a concise decision-making tool for European policymakers, EU Member State governments, international foundations, embassies, think tanks and democratic stakeholders. It argues that the “Russian World” in Belarus should be treated as a security-relevant infrastructure of hybrid influence, rather than as a secondary cultural issue. The brief explains how education, historical memory, religion and youth militarisation are used to socialise future elites, legitimise Russian aggression, weaken democratic subjecthood and embed Belarus more deeply into the Kremlin’s ideological orbit. The document summarises the key findings of the monitoring, identifies the main mechanisms of influence, assesses risks for Belarus, Ukraine and the European Union, and offers practical recommendations for EU institutions, national governments, donors, universities, diplomatic missions, religious partners and Belarusian civil society.
Download the policy brief (Click to download Russian World as an Infrastructure of Hybrid Influence in Belarus. Policy Brief for European Institutions, Donors and Diplomatic Missions)
Full monitoring report The full monitoring report provides a broader and more detailed analysis of Russian hybrid influence in Belarus across three key sectors: education, historical policy and identity, and the religious sphere. It treats the “Russian World” as a political-ideological project and a network of influence, not as a reference to Russian culture, the Russian language or Russian-speaking people as such. The report identifies the main actors, channels and mechanisms of influence, including Russian Houses, Russian state and para-state foundations, Belarusian state institutions, Moscow-linked church structures, military-patriotic youth networks and educational partnerships. It includes a methodology, an incident assessment matrix, risk levels, actor mapping, sectoral findings, risk assessment and policy recommendations.
Download the full monitoring report (Click to download “Russian World” as the Infrastructure of Hybrid Influence in Belarus: Education, Historical Memory and Religion. Monitoring Report, December 2025 — May 2026)