Kolya Lukashenka’s train trip: PR or awkward age?

Andrei Husarau and Vadzim Mazheika. Photo: Zmitser Lukashuk
Andrei Husarau and Vadzim Mazheika. Photo: Zmitser Lukashuk

The Belarusian President’s son set off for Mahilyou Region by train “without Mom and Dad”. Mass media distributed a photo proving this information a few days ago. Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s press secretary has confirmed the fact of Mikalai Lukashenka’s trip to his father’s “sacred cradle of success”. Was it an ordinary trip or the beginning of some PR campaign?

Kolya’s train photo has nothing to do with a real PR campaign, advertiser Andrei Husarau thinks.

Husarau: “To tell you the truth, the situation did not touch me as a professional. If Mikalai had been photographed on the wing of a Wargaming airplane doing the splits there, I would have called it a PR act. But I do not think that his trip was something extraordinary.”

You cannot say that Alyaksandr Lukashenka has started his presidential election campaign-2020 this way either, analyst of the Liberal Club Vadzim Mazheika thinks.

Mazheika: “I do not think that one photo may be the begging of thee election camapign-2020. I am not even sure if many Belarusians remember that the next presidential election will be in 2020. However, it is a normal thing for any politician in any country to demonstrate that they and their families are ordinary people like everyone else, that they eat the same food, buy goods in the same shops and travel by the same trains. But I personally think that the idea is too big for our country and that it was the teenager’s initiative rather than some conspiracy.”

“If Mikalai starts taking selfies and creates a Twitter account, we will speak about something bigger. However, it all depends on the goal. Any project is built of the goal, task, means and result. What is the result of a single photo and such a PR action?” Andrei Husarau supported his colleague.