"And where is it easy? Where is it easy, friends?". What a Russian blogger saw during a three-day trip to Belarus
"All those who, pay attention, are dissatisfied, and those whom one could ask now what is wrong, list all the cons — they have already, as locals note, left," says Dmitry Mashkov, a blogger with 840 thousand subscribers, who visited Minsk and spoke with many people.
Screenshot from video: Mashkov_D / YouTube
The YouTube channel of 36-year-old Russian blogger Dmitry Mashkov has 840 thousand subscribers. On it, the man talks about cars, advertises real estate, and introduces stories of people who have their own businesses. The author also pays attention to life abroad. A few days ago, the first part of a video story about his 72-hour trip to Minsk appeared on his channel.
The first thing the blogger draws the attention of viewers from Russia to is the correct name of the country.
"Remember the spelling and pronunciation. You are coming to the Republic of Belarus, not Belorussia. This is very important. Locals will appreciate it if you pronounce it correctly."
The author emphasizes that he came to our country not as a tourist, but to see how people live today. During his stay in the country, according to the blogger, he asked them about work, salaries, prospects, safety, medicine, food prices, as well as what they like and what they are dissatisfied with in modern Belarus.
The blogger stayed at the "Victoria" hotel, opposite the Palace of Independence. Immediately after checking in, the man went to look not at the central avenues, but at ordinary residential areas.
Yards and cars in Minsk
In the yards, he saw many familiar Soviet elements – garages, old playgrounds, structures for beating carpets. But at the same time, he was surprised by their well-maintained condition and cleanliness. He would mention this repeatedly later.
Another discovery was the absence of traffic jams. As the author states, local residents told him that even during peak hours, a trip that takes 20 minutes normally rarely extends beyond half an hour.
Mashkov especially highlighted the atmosphere of calm and the absence of hustle and bustle, which strongly contrasts with Moscow and other large Russian cities. At the same time, he did not get the impression of being abroad.
Another detail that caught the author's attention during walks in residential areas was the relatively small number of alcohol stores. Commercial premises on the ground floors of residential buildings exist, but he barely noticed the numerous so-called "pour-out" establishments and specialized alcohol stores.
Screenshot from video: Mashkov_D / YouTube
To show what ordinary Minsk residents drive, the blogger specifically filmed cars in residential areas.
In his opinion, Chinese brands dominate in Minsk today, and the number of electric vehicles is also growing very rapidly. Local residents explained this by small distances and the absence of prolonged traffic jams.
At the same time, there are still many old European and Japanese cars on the streets. The author emphasizes that elite neighborhoods with expensive Bentleys, Ferraris, and Rolls-Royces also exist in Minsk, but they do not characterize the life of the majority of the population.
Salaries in Belarus and migrants
During conversations with Minsk residents, the blogger tried to ascertain the real level of salaries.
On job boards, he saw job offers for loaders with a salary of about 1900 Belarusian rubles per month, working two days on, two days off, 12 hours a day. There were also offers for night part-time jobs for approximately 1500 rubles.
However, when the blogger tried to ask locals about salaries, "no one wanted to talk on camera":
"We approach people, try to start a dialogue. A person says: 'I wouldn't want to give a comment, to appear on YouTube. But I know you.'"
As the author claims, off-record, in private conversations, interlocutors (about 25 people) more often estimated their incomes in dollars. Most named a range of 800 to 1000 dollars per month. But the range generally varied from 600 to 1500 dollars.
Screenshot from video: Mashkov_D / YouTube
"A feature that Belarusians talk about off-camera is that there is money. Despite the small salaries, what's the advice? Go, work, toil — and there will be more money. I approached people working in the repair sector (doing commercial renovations). I ask: 'So how much do you [earn]? Do you toil or not toil?' They say: 'We toil for 12 hours a day, working 5-6 days a week.' I say: 'What's the maximum ceiling you can reach here?' They noted (converted immediately to dollars) — 1400 dollars.
Belarusians, by their nature, are accustomed to always calculating everything in dollars. Of course, prices in stores are in local currency, in Belarusian rubles, but as soon as they earn money, they immediately go and exchange any surplus at the bank for dollars. And at the same time, many note: if you chat, talk people into it, everyone has a so-called 'stash'," Mashkov states.
At the same time, as the blogger notes, relatively low salaries compared to the cost of living, and especially with housing prices, which have significantly increased in the last two years, were named by people as the main drawback of modern Belarus.
Mashkov also addressed the issue of the presence of migrant workers. The blogger mentions that ten years ago, when he was in Minsk, he was told that there were very few people from Central Asian countries here. Today, local residents note that the number of migrant workers is increasing, but the scale is still incomparable to Moscow.
"Many are delighted that, upon arriving in the Republic of Belarus, you will see a lion's share of Slavic workers. Specifically, local Belarusians. I ask: 'Well, what about the hired migratory labor force, like Tajiks, Uzbeks, do they come to you?' They say: 'They are appearing now, but generally speaking, there are very few of them,'" Mashkov says, demonstrating footage of a mini-market where, according to him, "all the saleswomen are Belarusians." In general, according to his observations, "98% of the city are locals, Belarusians."
What Belarusians think about Russians
One of the most interesting topics was the attitude of local residents towards Russian tourists.
"When you ask locals in tête-à-tête conversations: 'How do you generally feel about people from Russia?' — that's when they start: 'Well, not very good.' I say: 'Why?' Because many people (not all, I emphasize, well, at least those they encounter) behave quite, in their words, arrogantly, aggressively.
They start to feel as if it's all theirs, they are at home, in conflict situations they start shouting, indignant: 'Call the police, let's sort this out.' And in general, they say that Belarusians themselves are quieter, calmer people. But the Russians who come behave louder. This is just what I wrote down from their words," Mashkov shares his observations.
Especially, as the blogger notes, employees of cafes and restaurants talked about this. According to them, individual Russian tourists can be demanding, demonstrate their superiority, and at the same time leave a very modest tip for the waiter.
And what about politics?
One of the most delicate topics during Dmitry Mashkov's trip was the attitude of Belarusians towards the government and the political situation in the country.
"In conversations with people, I asked them the question as follows. I say: 'They write on the internet that you might be drawn into a conflict, this whole situation — how do you feel about it?' They say that we, Belarusians, are by nature a good, peaceful people. They generally don't want to believe in it. They resist it by all means, fair and foul, and believe that it's more about inciting panic.
The second point, I ask: 'Well, what about the current government?' The answer is roughly as follows. In 2020, when they had something like a revolution there, the local Belarusians who live there now, they learned their lesson. All those who, pay attention, are dissatisfied, and those whom one could ask now what is wrong, list all the cons — they have already, as locals note, left,"
the blogger recounts, sitting in a Lukashenka merch T-shirt with the phrase "Facts — on the table."
Screenshot from video: Mashkov_D / YouTube
"I admit that in the comments, people, again, under pseudonyms, will write that everything is bad, everything is terrible, but live, no one on camera is ready to criticize any government structures. Yes, it's difficult in places.
And where is it easy? Where is it easy, friends?", Mashkov continues and switches to the conveniences awaiting a Russian in Belarus.
According to his observations, upon arriving in the country and connecting a local SIM card, users get access to all major internet platforms without additional restrictions. He notes that YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other popular services work freely in Belarus. Some well-known clothing brands also operate.
The blogger says he also asked Belarusians how sanctions affected them. According to him, "the answer was one — closed borders with Europe."
According to them, many Belarusians previously could go for a weekend to neighboring EU countries, travel there by car, or use flights. Now it has become much more difficult.
Reflecting on freedom of speech, Mashkov notes that in both Belarus and other countries, people are often cautious about public political statements, especially if they understand the possible consequences of their words. Therefore, he emphasizes that he did not set himself the task of provoking interlocutors into sharp statements in front of the camera.
"Even today in our country, not everything can be discussed. There are things about which, well, if you say too much, they will come to you and say: 'Listen, first 15 days, and maybe even a prison sentence.' Who wants that? No one wants that. So let's put it this way: I've given you the general topic, and it's up to you to draw conclusions," Mashkov notes and shares his general impressions of Minsk:
"From the point of view of the general security situation — everyone is completely relaxed. No drones or other things that exist on Russian territory fly here. That is, everyone feels calm. In general, a calm, measured life is going on. (...) I woke up yesterday morning, because there are fewer people, you sort of go out, the weather still allows you to take a deep breath and say: 'Phew, at least live a little in peace.'"
The video gained almost 180 thousand views in two days. It has almost 3200 comments.
"A video about how good Muscovites (and other Russians) with their incomes live in Minsk," viewers note.
"If people are afraid to give interviews on camera — that's already an indicator of 'freedom' of speech," "People are frightened. They are afraid not only to answer questions, but they are even afraid of being asked," others note.
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