Context: Aleksandr Lukashenko said he was ready to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Belarus or Ukraine. He also rejected allegations that Belarus is being dragged into the war. Almost simultaneously, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM published the results of a poll in which Lukashenko emerged as the most popular leader among Russians in the post-Soviet region.
On May 21, 2026, presenter Liudmila Hladkaya discussed the results of the VCIOM poll in the Letuchka program on SB TV. She spoke about the popularity of Aleksandr Lukashenko in Russia and other countries of the former USSR, as well as Poland.
“VCIOM conducted a poll. Batka Lukashenko [bel. gaffer, meaning “father of the nation” — ed.note] is the most popular foreign leader in the Russian Federation. He leads by a wide margin, with 75% positive rating. With around 20%, Tokayev is in second place. It’s important to note that he’s also the leader in Moldovan polls. Polls conducted in Ukraine before the ‘special military operation’ showed that he was the most popular leader there. In other words, Aleksandr Lukashenko’s impact stretches beyond Belarus. He is a Union State, Slavic, Soviet-style "vozhd",” Ryhor Azaronak said on air.
“And if polls were conducted in the Baltic States and Poland, wow, the numbers would be through the roof. I guarantee it would be 200%,” Liudmila Hladkaya added.
Independent surveys measuring residents’ attitudes toward foreign leaders were conducted in the Baltic States and Poland. UAB Baltijos tyrimai held it in Lithuania in 2023. The residents were invited to share their thoughts on 11 heads of state. About 90% of survey participants expressed negative views about Lukashenko. Only 6% assessed him positively. The rest were undecided.
In February 2025, the research center Norstat, in cooperation with the Latvian public media outlet LSM.lv, conducted a similar survey in Latvia. When asked, “How would you assess Aleksandr Lukashenko’s leadership in Belarus?” 45% of respondents in Latvia answered negatively or somewhat negatively. Approximately 20% of respondents had a positive attitude toward the actions of the Belarusian politician.
The situation in Poland is similar to that in Lithuania. A poll conducted by the CBOS Center for Public Opinion Research and published in February 2026 found that only 2% of respondents expressed confidence in Aleksandr Lukashenko. At the same time, 86% of surveyed Poles stated a negative attitude toward him.
